Tai Kwun | InnerGlow and Searchlight floods the historic site with pulsating colour, injecting a dazzling disco vibe that gets iconic architecture dancin' and groovin'

Description

Tai Kwun is thrilled to present the 2026 edition of InnerGlow, marking half a decade of immersive light artistry where mapped projections bring heritage architecture to life. This year, Tai Kwun’s Parade Ground and historic Barrack Block façade will set the scene for a funky disco journey nightly from 6:30pm to 9pm. In addition, the Searchlight mentorship programme returns for its third year to present a showcase of alumni artists. Both programmes, running from 6 to 22 Feb 2026, are made possible with core funding provided by The Hong Kong Jockey Club through its Charities Trust as part of Tai Kwun’s arts and heritage programmes, with CLP Holdings Limited serving as Principal Sponsor of InnerGlow 2026, and Indosuez Wealth Management as Lead Sponsor of Searchlight 2026.

Timothy Calnin, Director of Tai Kwun Arts, said, “This season’s InnerGlow manages to tie together various threads of Hong Kong’s popular culture that we’ve explored over the years. From neon– drenched streetscapes to catchy popular music to vivid cinematic visions, Tai Kwun has revelled in rediscovering the roots of Hong Kong’s unique growth as a global crossroad of cultures, loved by visitors and cherished by those fortunate to call it home.” About this season’s Searchlight, he adds, “Since its inception in 2023, Searchlight has admitted more than 52 young artists, whose works have been showcased to audiences of more than fifty thousand. It is truly inspiring to witness our home–grown talents return and further elevate their artistry to open up new vistas of creativity and imagination.”

Cutting–edge InnerGlow adds a human touch with live performers and invites the audience to be part of the show

InnerGlow, Tai Kwun’s annual reinvention of the former Central Police Station’s historic façade through high–resolution projection mapping, expands both in scale and scope with its fifth– anniversary production Discotheque Dreams, a kaleidoscopic neon–disco dreamscape of music, dance and popular culture. Through the unique vision of The Collective, one of Hong Kong’s most imaginative and inventive design studios, the familiar urban pulse of contemporary Hong Kong is underscored by the irresistible beat of ‘70s dance albums, evoking the disco revolution which swept across Asia throughout the last three decades of the 20th century and visually punctuated with a cross–cultural mash–up of iconic cinematic imagery of the time – kung–fu combat, quirky action–comedies, feel–good Hollywood song and dance, and genre–defining space–age epics, reinvented for – and by – audiences today.

The show is both a celebration of the golden era of disco and an affectionate homage to the distinct genre of Hong Kong movie–making that has enchanted our city for generations. Inspired by indelible moments from Hong Kong cinema, this original narrative is spun into a visual love letter to the films that continue to inspire and delight us.

A ’70s dance party, a funky disco journey

Discotheque Dreams, a rumination in and out of consciousness, follows a young Hong Kong man at the edge of sleep, slowly drifting into a semiconscious journey. Through a series of six brief episodes, he drifts into surreal surroundings until he meets a mysterious woman. Their relationship then unfolds in a slow, cinematic romance framed by scenes of trams, cafés and streets glowing in neon hues, their movements dancing between reality and illusion. The dream then darkens as he is caught in the mechanical frenzy of an incessant work cycle until memories of his lover liberate him from the shackles of the workplace.

Their reunion is surrounded by a disco–infused kung–fu battle, a showdown of ’70s images where the vital life force of martial arts meets the futuristic weaponry of rainbow sabres. The hero fights a dizzying duel with a disco–laden warrior in a parodic mash–up of musical and physical rhythm. The tension then explodes as a group of traffic–light men erupt into a comic lion dance showdown

between red and green teams, dissolving into an exuberant street party. The man awakens, still holding his lover’s veil. He soon finds her on the street, with dreams and reality fusing into a single parallel universe where they dance in a crowd amidst upside–down cars in a visual and musical swirl of sensation moving to the New Year and beyond.

Once again under the guidance of The Electric Canvas, Tai Kwun’s Australia–based creative and technical partner, this year’s edition of InnerGlow turns to The Collective and their rich experience in harnessing technology to create new possibilities in real–time audience participation. For the first time, interactive stations across Tai Kwun’s Parade Ground offer audiences a chance to shape the story, with responsive disco floor tiles and body–tracking interaction. Spectators become participants in the show, their moves and grooves triggering visual changes, with dance becoming an avatar, culminating in a massive dance party projected on the Barracks walls.

T.K. Chiang, Chief Executive Officer of the CLP Holdings Limited, said, “InnerGlow has captured the imagination of Hong Kong, transforming Tai Kwun’s historic architecture into a living canvas where light, art, and innovation come together. As the event's principal sponsor since 2022, we are proud to support this celebration of light – a celebration that resonates deeply with our own story. For generations, CLP has been woven into the social fabric of Hong Kong, powering homes, businesses, and opportunities. As we mark our 125th anniversary this year, we are committed to continuing that purpose: to Power Brighter Tomorrows.”

Searchlight 2026: Tracking the growth of young artists

Searchlight, a curated mentorship programme initiated under Tai Kwun’s Talent Development Programme now with Indosuez Wealth Management as Lead Sponsor, returns to highlight artists from its two previous editions. A 30–minute presentation projected on the Prison Wall and F Hall façade in Tai Kwun’s Prison Yard will feature returning artists in a public exhibition showcasing their growth and development. This season, Searchlight participants will once again receive professional and technical guidance from Peter Milne, projection designer of The Electric Canvas, Hong Kong– based multimedia artist Ng Tsz Kwan, and sound designer and engineer Roy Cheung to provide additional specialised advice and coaching.

Audiences for Searchlight 2026 are invited to witness the growth of local alumni artists from previous years. Sound designer Chloe Wong expands her horizons, jumping into the world of animation in Addiction, where a protagonist ensnared by multiple cravings breaks free of an endless cycle of despair. Pallas Lo offers her debut solo piece Resonance, exploring how dots, lines and shapes connect us all through movement and vibration. Jerry Loo embraces the largest architectural canvas available, his Modern Day Rapunzel presenting a boy’s journey to adulthood in dual perspectives spanning both the Prison Wall and F Hall exteriors.

In addition, Mandy Yau and Chow Kwok Yiu’s SEAK explores themes of transition, transformation and transcendence through aquatic motifs, celebrating Hong Kong’s marine biodiversity with thrilling music by Alfs Bryan Pabellan Dotdot. On the more structurally complex F Hall façade, Leslie Tsui – who showcased her works on the Prison Wall last year – presents Bonsai, with music and sound design by Kyle Li. The piece focuses on the forms, behaviours and tenacity of vegetation that flourishes with no human intervention. Meanwhile, Shana Aminova, who also showcased her work on the Prison Wall last year, engaging with the intricate F Hall façade in her piece Whisper of the Roots: Noma Chronicle, inspired by The Golden Record (a phonograph record on the 1977 Voyager spacecraft intended as a time capsule of life and culture on Earth), embraces the sonorities of composer Adrian Ma to create glimpses of a distant fictional civilisation.

Michaël Kofman, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Branch at Indosuez Wealth Management, said: “We are proud to support Searchlight 2026, showcasing Tai Kwun’s transformation of the Prison Yard into a captivating artistic canvas. This partnership reflects our shared values of honouring history while embracing innovation and cultural heritage in the communities we are in. Indosuez remains dedicated to fostering creativity, supporting next–generation talent, and contributing to Hong Kong’s vibrant cultural future, as we celebrate 150 years of our global presence this year.”

A nightly party of disco vibes

As part of an ongoing campaign to keep the dance party hopping nightly, Tai Kwun will offer a signature cocktail collaboration during the InnerGlow programme period (6 – 22 Feb) featuring unique disco–themed cocktails for visitors crafted in partnership with Shiro, The Dispensary and PAZTA, also available to TK FANs at a 10% off discount. Visitors can also take home a piece of the disco vibe through our disco party keepsakes giveaway: follow Tai Kwun on Instagram or WeChat to receive a disco ball keychain.

InnerGlow 2026

Discotheque Dreams

6 – 22 Feb 2026 (Except 16 Feb 2026) Parade Ground, Tai Kwun

6:30pm – 9pm (Every half hour)

Principal Artist: The Collective

Principal Sponsor: CLP Holdings Limited

Searchlight 2026

6 – 22 Feb 2026 (Except 16 Feb 2026) Prison Yard, Tai Kwun

6:45pm – 9:30pm

Lead Sponsor: Indosuez Wealth Management

Creative and Technical Partner: The Electric Canvas

Visitor information

The entire site of Tai Kwun is open to the public daily from 8am to 11pm. Programme details are subject to change, please refer to the Tai Kwun website for news and updates.