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Hong Kong’s ambition to become a leading international center for the performing arts came into sharper focus this month.
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WestK hosted the 30th-anniversary conference of the Association of Asia Pacific Performing Arts Centres, drawing more than 350 performing-arts leaders, artists and cultural professionals from nearly 70 cities. Its theme, “The Next Act: Shaping the Future,” was well chosen.
The conversations were not merely about venues and programming, but about how cultural centers can respond to changing audiences, technology, economics and the need for deeper international exchange. They also explored the civic value of arts and culture in bringing communities together and enriching public life.
AAPPAC was followed by the second Hong Kong Performing Arts Expo. Organized by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, it drew more than 2,000 arts leaders and professionals from 60 countries and regions, along with more than 39,000 audience members and participants over five days.
HKPAX was a working marketplace for creativity: a place where presenters could encounter new productions, artists could pitch work to international partners, and conversations could turn into tours, commissions and co-productions.
For local independent artists and small companies, that access offered direct exposure to international industry figures and opened doors to new partnerships and opportunities.
Together, AAPPAC and HKPAX made a persuasive case for Hong Kong as a leading cultural hub: internationally connected, rooted in Chinese culture and able to convene talent from the Chinese mainland, Asia and beyond. Done well, cultural exchange at this level can create work, attract visitors, encourage investment in creative skills and give local artists routes to new audiences.
For WestK, the timing could hardly be better. The district already brings together the Hong Kong Palace Museum, M+, the Xiqu Centre, Freespace, and the Art Park in one remarkable harborfront setting. Its Performing Arts Centre, due to open in 2027, will significantly strengthen the city’s ability to develop and present work at every scale.
AAPPAC and HKPAX demonstrated Hong Kong’s ambition and capacity to consolidate its position as an international center for the performing arts. With the infrastructure, talent and ambition now in place, the city has the opportunity to turn this momentum into sustained cultural exchange and public value.
Bernard Charnwut Chan is the chairman of the West Kowloon Cultural District
