Description

As one of the most important traditional festivals in Southern District, the 2025 Ap Lei Chau Hung Shing Traditional Culture Festival will be held from March 2 to March 17, 2025 with the theme of "Gathering and Inheriting". It will take advantage of the Hung Shing Birthday to thank God for his grace, while inheriting and adding new vitality to this Hong Kong intangible cultural heritage with a history of more than 100 years, bringing together tourists from all over the world to pass on the century-old traditional celebration. Local fishermen, citizens and international tourists will be able to experience the unique traditional festival atmosphere of Hong Kong through a series of exciting activities spanning several days.

A two-day guided tour of the Hung Shing Temple on March 8 and 9 to explore the statutory monuments

The annual event of Ap Lei Chau, the "Hung Shing Traditional Culture Festival", is a large-scale traditional cultural event in the Southern District with a strong local faith. Every year on the birthday of Hung Shing God, a large number of residents prepare various offerings to thank the deity for his grace, and the area outside the Hung Shing Temple in Ap Lei Chau is particularly lively. The Hung Shing Temple in Ap Lei Chau has a history of over a hundred years. Many precious historical relics are preserved in the temple, carrying rich historical and cultural values. The Chinese Temples Committee will organize two guided tours of the Hung Shing Temple during the "2025 Ap Lei Chau Hung Shing Traditional Culture Festival" on March 8 (Saturday) and March 9 (Sunday), 2025, inviting the public to visit the historic Hung Shing Temple, explore the historical stories behind the temple, appreciate the precious historical relics in the temple, and understand the origin and cultural significance of the Hung Shing Festival.

Ap Lei Chau Hung Shing Traditional Culture Festival holds the first International Gao Chun Lion Dance Invitational Competition. The title of "King of Gao Chun" will be competed for on March 15.

This year's Ap Lei Chau Hung Shing Traditional Culture Festival will hold the International Gao Chun Lion Dance Invitational Competition for the first time. It will be held on March 15, 2025 (Saturday). A total of 13 top lion dance teams from mainland China, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, etc. will be invited to Hong Kong to compete with the Hong Kong team. In order to compete for the championship trophy and ascend the throne of the first "King of Gaochun", lion dance elites from all over the country will show their skills and tacit understanding on the 2 to 3-meter-high plum blossom pile formation, displaying the unique beauty and power of lion dance competitions and presenting everyone with a series of exciting performances.

Joyce Koi leads the troupe to perform birthday celebrations and experience the cultural charm of Cantonese opera and traditional crafts

Another must-have item of the Ap Lei Chau Hung Shing Traditional Culture Festival is the birthday celebrations. This year, the Ming Zhisheng Troupe led by the famous actor Koi Ming-fai will continue to perform gongs and drums. From March 8 to March 12, 2025, 11 classic opera treasures will be performed for everyone, including "The Six Kingdoms' Grand Enthronement of Prime Ministers", "The Dragon and the Phoenix Fight for Command", "Tang Minghuang", "The Peony Pavilion Dream", "The Purple Hairpin", "The Flower of the Imperial Concubine", etc. In addition to enjoying classic Cantonese opera, the audience can also experience the unique scaffolding craftsmanship and experience the cultural charm of the interweaving of Cantonese opera and traditional crafts.

On March 16, the blessing lanterns and large-scale birthday parade will light up the Hung Shing Traditional Culture Festival

As a traditional cultural festival that has continued for a hundred years, the Ap Lei Chau Hung Shing Traditional Culture Festival welcomes people from all walks of life to witness traditional cultural activities such as the welcoming ceremony, dragon boat worship, lion dance, birthday parade, sacrificial ceremony, etc., and understand the significance of the century-old ceremony. From March 8 to March 12, there will be a major event - the Water Lantern Festival, where people can inject their wishes into the water lanterns and pray to Hung Shing Yeh for good luck and peace in the coming year, while experiencing Chinese culture. The highly anticipated Christmas parade will be held on March 16, attracting countless citizens and tourists to enjoy. The grand parade will start from the Hung Shing Temple in Ap Lei Chau, cross the main street of Ap Lei Chau, end at Ap Lei Chau Park, and travel around the entire Ap Lei Chau. In addition to dragon and lion dance performances, there will also be performances by Chinese folk dance, primary school drum corps, Ocean Park performance team, etc., which will not only showcase the profound traditional cultural heritage, but also make Ap Lei Chau once again a cultural gathering place where tradition and celebration are intertwined.

In addition, the Cultural Festival has added a number of interactive experiences and held a series of artistic experience activities to inherit, promote and develop Chinese culture. Through a series of rich programs, the spirit of cultural heritage is reflected and local cultural and artistic characteristics are felt.

"Small Theatre Stage – Finding Emotions in the Opera"

During the Hung Shing Traditional Culture Festival in Ap Lei Chau, in addition to the five-day Shen Gong Opera, there is also a small theatre stage next to the theatre stage where you can put on costumes, headgear and props, transform into a character in the opera, enter the world of Cantonese opera, experience the traditional Cantonese opera culture and take photos as a souvenir.

"International High-Pole Lion Dance Invitational Competition"

Lion dance is one of the traditional Chinese culture and is a folk performance art in sacrifices, festivals or celebrations. With the development of the times, the lion dance performance has integrated sports, art, culture and music, becoming a colorful performance form. The high-pole lion dance can be regarded as a symbol of the courage and perseverance of the lion dancer. The movements of jumping, spinning, rolling and climbing on the high poles show the eight postures of the lion to the fullest. The magical skills are amazing and fascinating.

"Lion Dance Experience Class"

Try to play different roles, learn basic lion dance movements, understand the unique art of combining martial arts with traditional culture, and recognize the symbolic meaning of lion dance culture and team spirit.

"Lion Dance Exhibition"

Lion dance culture has a long history. The Ap Lei Chau Hung Shing Traditional Culture Festival has set up a special lion dance exhibition to allow everyone to appreciate lion dances of different periods and styles, experience this traditional intangible cultural heritage up close, learn about the cultural history behind the lion dance, and understand the production process and traditional techniques of the lion dance.

"Southern District Hung Shing Market"

The seven-day market brings together many local handicrafts and Southern District specialty snack stalls, as well as stall games and street performances, allowing you to fully experience the authentic cultural customs of Hong Kong.

"Typhoon Shelter Tour"

Take a sampan to explore the unique landscape of Ap Lei Chau Typhoon Shelter, a former fishing village in Hong Kong.

"Traditional Handicraft Workshop"

The handicraft workshop will focus on the theme of the Traditional Culture Festival, including workshops on mini flower cards, lion head and Badi painting.

2025 Ap Lei Chau Hung Shing Traditional Culture Festival
Date: 2 - 17 March, 2025 (Sunday to Monday)
Venue: Ap Lei Chau Hung Shing Temple, Ap Lei Chau Hung Shing Plaza, Ap Lei Chau Waterfront Park, Ap Lei Chau Street, Ap Lei Chau Park Stadium

Opening Ceremony of Southern District Hung Shing Market
Date: 8 March 2025 (Saturday)
Time: 5:00pm
Venue: Ap Lei Chau Park Stadium

The 1st International Gao Chun Lion Dance Invitational Competition 2025
Date: 15 March 2025 (Saturday)
Time: 11:00am - 6:00pm
Venue: Ap Lei Chau Park Football Field – Grand Theatre
Remarks: Free of charge, maximum 2 tickets per person (tickets must be reserved online in advance)

Birthday Magic Show
Date: 8 - 12 March, 2025 (Saturday to Wednesday)
Time: 1:30pm - 4:30pm; 6:45-10:30pm
Venue: Ap Lei Chau Park Football Field - Grand Theater
Note: Audiences must purchase tickets to enter (March 9-11 - free during the day)

Water Lantern Festival
Date: 8 - 12 March, 2025 (Saturday to Wednesday)
Time: 6:30pm - 9:30pm
Venue: Ap Lei Chau Park Football Field (Pre-register online to receive a free blessing water lantern)

Dragon Boat Festival
Date: 16 March 2025 (Sunday)
Time: 11:00am - 11:45am
Venue: Ap Lei Chau Waterfront Park

Christmas Parade
Date: March 16, 2025 (Sunday)
Time: 1:30pm - 5:00pm
Venue: Ap Lei Chau Street

Official website of Hong Kong: Ap Lei Chau Hung Shing Traditional Culture Festival 2025