In a month full of public holidays, many in Hong Kong will be understandably tempted to leave its shores and venture farther afield to take full advantage of the surplus of free time. However, to assume that this means a dearth of exciting SAR-based events this month would be grossly mistaken. Below is a round-up of the hottest April events happening right here in Hong Kong.
Much to the apparent delight of theatregoers everywhere, Nobel Prize-winning Japanese novelist Yasunari Kawabata’s novel Utsukushisa To Kanashimi To (Beauty and Sadness) has been reinvented as a chamber opera. Famously, the piece traces the relationship of an accomplished classical painter and her student, an abstract artist with a passion for adventure. An engrossing reflection on desire, infatuation, jealousy and revenge, audiences are said to be provoked into reassessing the very meaning of love.
Lyric Theatre, The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Wan Chai. HK$380–880.
Hong Kong Rugby Sevens: 5-7 Apr
Arguably Hong Kong’s grandest – or, at the very least, most anticipated – sporting event of the year, the HK Rugby Sevens returns this month, much to the delight of the city’s fancy dress outfitters, no doubt. Truly far more than just a rugby tournament, the Sevens is undoubtedly one of the most jubilant events on city’s annual calendar and gives sports fans the opportunity to dress up and cheer for their favourite teams. Liquor is also, occasionally, taken too.
Hong Kong Stadium, 55 Eastern Hospital Rd, Causeway Bay. $HK425 onwards.
Van Gogh Alive: The Experience: 6-7 Apr
Art lovers may want to stock up on the absinthe if they want to fully immerse themselves in the imminently-arriving Van Gogh Alive Experience. A genuinely multisensory exhibition, it is said to give visitors a unique insight into the world of the 19th-century Dutch Post-Modernist grand master. Tag along with the tortured visionary as he tours Arles, Saint Rémy, Auvers-sur-Oise and the other sites that inspired his many timeless masterpieces.
1/F, FTLife Tower, 18 Sheung Yuet Rd, Kowloon Bay. HK$230.
John Mayer Asia Tour 2019: 8 Apr
If your crush on Grammy-winning American singer-songwriter John Mayer was more than just a passing teenage fad, you’ll be delighted to hear that he is making his Hong Kong debut this month. A true musical playboy and best-known for such smashes as Daughters, Gravity and Your Body Is A Wonderland, the night promises to be a revelatory romp through his well-loved back catalogue, which is no bad thing given that many of his more recent releases have – shall we charitably say – left the upper reaches of the charts largely untroubled.
Hall 5 BC, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, 1 Expo Drive, Wan Chai. HK$698–1,198.
World MuayThai Grand Extreme: 9 Apr
If you thought taking time out for a trip to Thailand was the only way to experience Muay Thai, you’ll be delighted to know you can save on the airfare and instead secure a ringside seat for Grand Extreme, a showcase of some of the world’s finest exponents of this particular martial art, which is drop-kicking its way into Hong Kong later this month. Featuring high-level bouts between fighters from four continents, the competition is sure to be fierce, but – given its Thai antecedents – also a little on the polite side.
Star Hall, Kowloonbay International Trade & Exhibition Centre, Kowloon Bay. HK$250–1,000.
Sónar Hong Kong 2019: 13-14 Apr
Returning for its third eclectic, electric extravaganza, the big beats of the Sónar Music Festival – the “best electronic music festival in the world” according to its unbiased promo material – will see ravers and the more rhythmically-inclined dancing the night away in the somewhat incongruous surroundings of the Hong Kong Science Park. This year, the line-up is particularly impressive, with such legendary toe-tappers as Danish electropop star MØ and American DJ Thundercat taking to the stage. Sure to be the most memorable of musical experiences, Sónar is also hosting a wide array of pop-up bars and world food emporiums.
Hong Kong Science Park, 2 Science Park West Ave, Pak Shek Kok. HK$580–780.
After breaking hearts by cancelling his Hong Kong concert back in 2017 following his highly-publicised biking accident, Ed Sheeran, the much-beloved British singer-songwriter, is finally making good on his promise to return to the city. With the ginger gazzillionaire’s curiously titled ÷ Tour tour already ensconced in the history books as the fourth-highest-grossing concert series ever, fans can expect to hear such croon-along faves as Shape of You, Thinking Out Loud and The A Team. Thankfully, rumours that he intends to cycle to the venue have been proven to be Fake News.
Fantasy Road Outdoor Venue, Hong Kong Disneyland, Sunny Bay. HK$888–1,288.
Pinkfong Baby Shark Live Musical: 20-21 Apr
The protagonist of the long-treasured toddlers’ YouTube song / video Baby Shark is set to escape from the screens of countless digital devices and materialise on-stage in Hong Kong for the first time ever as the undoubted star of the Pinkfong Baby Shark Musical. With the plot – such as it is – extrapolated from the children’s karaoke fave, the musical tells the tale of the lost baby shark’s bid to be reunited with his family back in the far, faraway Ocean Land. Said to be fun for the whole family – yeah, right – it’s probably best to assign this one to the nanny, though you may have to slip her a few extra dollars as compensation.
Star Hall, Kowloonbay International Trade & Exhibition Centre, Kowloon Bay. HK$280–580.
Tin Hau Festival: 27 Apr
Celebrating the birthday of Tin Hau, the Goddess of the Sea, is the Tin Hau Festival in multiple locations. Locals are expected to flock to 70-plus temples to pray to the goddess for good weather and harvests, while other attendees across the city can expect a grand three-hour long parade featuring floral wreath groups, lion dancers, Cantonese opera and marching bands, depending where you choose to take part. Indeed, truly one of Hong Kong’s most delightful days of celebration, Tin Hau Festival is a traditional day you won’t want to miss.
Tin Hau temples across multiple locations.