EVENT DESCRIPTION
WestK is delighted to unveil the second edition of WestK FunFest (FunFest), taking place from 21 March to 27 April 2025. As a major highlight of Hong Kong Art March 2025, the six-week-long FunFest will be staged across West Kowloon Cultural District, captivating Hong Kong with nearly a hundred family-oriented activities including interactive performances, theatre experiences, large-scale outdoor art installations, free programmes and workshops, created by acclaimed artists and arts groups from Hong Kong, Australia, Belgium, Canada, the UK, the US, and more. The events and activities are aimed at people of all ages and interests, ensuring an enjoyable and enriching experience for everyone, especially children, during the upcoming Easter holidays. Tickets for all programmes are now on sale while full details of the free programmes will be announced in due course.
World-class lineup of award-winning arts programmes including the world debut of Pollinator, a large-scale installation integrating performing arts and architecture by US artists
From 21 March to 21 April, Harbourside East Lawn in WestK’s Art Park will feature the world debut of Pollinator, a large-scale outdoor installation co-created by the renowned American artists Alex Schweder and Ward Shelley, which will be on display for five consecutive weeks. The duo has collaborated on various performance architecture projects internationally, exploring the relationship between people and space in fascinating ways, and examining how environment shapes personal identity and social connections.
The duo is making their debut appearance in Hong Kong. A total of 18 local performing and visual artists from Hong Kong have been invited to join the duo at Pollinator, a temporary live residency interconnected by a giant wheel where alternating groups of artists will take ownership of their own pods, creating and hosting live performances together. Artists will also share their work by performing or interacting with visitors at scheduled times. Pollinator is commissioned by WestK and co-presented by WestK Performing Arts and M+.
The internationally acclaimed Canadian dance theatre company CORPUS will bring its ethereal, award-winning mime performance La bulle (The Bubble) to Harbourside West Lawn from 11-13 and 18-21 April. Staged within a gigantic transparent bubble tent, La bulle tells the story of Pierrot, the timeless loner and dreamer, portrayed by artistic director David Danzon through a mesmerising blend of mime, dance, text and drawing. Speaking of human connection, solitude and the power of imagination, the artistic concept of La bulle took shape before the pandemic but has since resonated profoundly with audiences worldwide. Following its premiere in France and Canada in 2021, La bulle has received international acclaim in the US, Sweden and beyond.
The internationally acclaimed Australian contemporary circus company Circa will present Carnival of the Animals in the Grand Theatre of the Xiqu Centre from 18 to 21 April. This marks their highly anticipated return to Hong Kong after nearly a decade. Led by Artistic Director and CEO Yaron Lifschitz, who was recently honoured with the 2025 Distinguished Artist Award by the International Society for the Performing Arts, one of the world’s most prestigious performing arts prizes, Circa has mesmerised audiences in over 45 countries across six continents with its boundary-pushing performances.
Inspired by French romantic composer Camille Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals, the show reimagines the beloved composition with large digital animations and a soundtrack, combined with the performers’ stunning acrobatic feats and aerial skills to bring the wonders of the animal kingdom to life. Since its premiere in 2014 in Brisbane, this sophisticated and visually stunning physical theatre extravaganza has completed more than 350 performances across 73 cities worldwide.
WestK FunFest also features a range of other fascinating programmes, including:
- The world premiere of Time Keeps The Drummer, a collaborative child-led durational performance co-produced by award-winning UK independent arts company Fevered Sleep and WestK, will take place at The Box of Freespace from 18 to 27 April. Inspired by the personal stories of Hong Kong children and adults of different backgrounds, the performance features 12 local children aged 8 to 11, none of whom have received professional training, to participate in the creation. Through improvised movements, dance, games and other artistic forms, the young co-creators take the lead to perform in this playful and immersive five-hour performance that explores their curiosity about the nature of time. Audiences are free to come and go as they wish during each performance period.
- Sensorium Theatre, an Australian company dedicated to creating immersive productions for young audiences with disabilities and their friends, will present the Asian premiere of Wonderbox at The Room of Freespace from 10 to 13 April. This multi-sensory, immersive and interactive theatrical experience welcomes children and teenagers, including those with special educational needs or heightened sensory sensitivities, as well as their families and friends, to immerse themselves in a magical world filled with captivating projections, wondrous illusions and live music.
- An enthralling acrobatic sound theatre performance, Murmur, curated by Belgian circus company Grensgeval in collaboration with arts organisation Aifoon, will be staged at The Room of Freespace from 18 to 21 April. The solo acrobatic performer captivates audience of all ages with a mesmerising blend of movement and sound. Using only his body and both giant and small speakers, he weaves together buzzing bees, traffic sounds, and whispers of wind, creating a truly unique experience that surrounds the audience.
- Two dedicated sessions of Tea House Theatre Family Experiencepresented by Tea House Rising Stars Troupe and complimentary Cantonese Opera Movement Workshops, specially designed for families, will be staged at the Xiqu Centre on 29 and 30 March. Led by emerging Cantonese opera actors Leung Fei-tung and Ng Lap-hei, the workshops introduce the traditional stylised movements of water sleeves and horse whips. Participants can try out simple hand and finger gestures and work with basic props and costumes to get a first-hand experience of the rich traditions of Cantonese opera.
Close to 50 captivating and engaging free art experiences for families
In addition to the ticketed performances, close to 50 captivating and engaging free art experiences will be staged for people of all ages and interests. Highlights include Anchored in Memory, an immersive theatrical experience combining dance, music, immersive text and sound installations created by WestK Arts Impact Fellowship 2024 awardee Kenny Leung, a local dance artist who was inspired by oral histories collected from the boat-dwelling community in Aberdeen on Hong Kong Island. The performance will be staged at the Art Park’s Secret Garden and Harbourside Mid Lawn on 19 and 20 April.
More than 20 site-specific pop-up performances ranging from dance to a cappella performances and circus acts, performed by local arts groups, will take place at Harbourside Lawn East from 18 to 21 April in the afternoon.
The FunFest Marketwill be held for the first time in the Art Park for six consecutive weekends (every Friday to Sunday, including public holidays) from 21 March.
