The best things to do in Hong Kong this June

Dragon boats, movies, Chinese opera, sleeping beauties, immersive art, classical music for kids and rock ‘n’ roll for grown-ups – there’s something happening for everyone in Hong Kong this month. These are the city’s biggest and best events to put on your radar for June. 

Hong Kong Ballet performs Sleeping Beauty 

Sleeping Beauty is back, twirling across the stage of Hong Kong’s Cultural Centre. There are many reasons Tchaikovsky’s timeless score remains one of the world’s best-loved ballets, almost 140 years after the Russian maestro first put pen to manuscript. One is the music’s sheer majesty; another, the enduringly fascinating tale of a princess cursed to a hundred years of slumber. And finally, that these two elements continue to inspire fresh retellings – like this offering from renowned international dancer and choreographer Vladimir Malakhov, who previously brought La Bayadère to Hong Kong Ballet in 2023. The new production, running until 7 June , stars principals from the Bolshoi Ballet, the National Ballet of Canada and the Dutch National Ballet. 

James Turrell lifts the veil  

You’d be forgiven for not knowing that renowned perceptual artist James Turrell was once a licensed pilot – and that his formative years in the sky sparked a fascination with vision and perspective that would profoundly shape his art. This lifelong meditation on light and colour is on full display in Lifting the Veil , a solo performance showing at Gagosian Hong Kong until 1 August. The 82-year-old American icon employs both natural and artificial light in immersive environments to alter how we see and feel space. The result? Our own sense of perception becomes the canvas. 

International Dragon Boat Races turn 50 

For the past five decades, spectators have gathered along the waterfront of Victoria Harbour to watch dragon boats go head-to-head in this annual international showdown. The 2026 races see the competition officially turn 50 years old, so expect an extra special festival atmosphere – and some fist-pumping, adrenaline-firing showdowns – at the race day hub on the Tsim Sha Tsui East Promenade. 

Hong Kong Film Archive turns 25

To celebrate its silver jubilee, the Hong Kong Film Archive is transcending its Sai Wan Ho exhibition space to stage a grand celebratory show at Sha Tin’s Hong Kong Heritage Museum. Running for the next 10 months, Hong Kong Film Archive Stories: Treasure Hunting for 25 Years  draws from a collection of more than 1.3 million film artefacts to take visitors on a journey through the city’s screen heritage – from the early days of cinema to the golden era of ’80s Shaw Brothers comedies and gritty ’90s gangster pics. Also on display are costumes, awards, interactive exhibitions and video reflections from key players. The show runs from 3 June until March 2027; entry is free.

Chinese Culture Festival 2026 

Among the longest events on Hong Kong’s cultural calendar, the four-month Chinese Culture Festival is tasked with a monumental brief: presenting and celebrating China’s millennia-spanning civilisation in a fast-paced, forward-looking city that rarely looks back. Returning for a third annual edition from June until September, its events span dance, drama, film, exhibition and, especially, Chinese opera. The opening performances will feature the Shanghai Grand Theatre company presenting the dance-drama Lady White Snake at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre on 12-13 June. Other banner events include the Hong Kong premiere of Kunqu opera masterpiece A Dream Under the Southern Bough, while renowned local stars Loong Koon-tin, Tang Mi-ling, Yuen Siu-fai and Liu Kwok-sum will perform in new Cantonese opera Ancient Tune of Guangling. 

Hong Kong concerts 

Good Music for Kids 

Diving straight into the 2026-27 season, Hong Kong Sinfonietta recently announced a slew of exciting guests and programmes lasting until March 2027. This includes the return of its brilliant Good Music for Kids shows on 12-14 June – specially curated to feature easily hummable and clap-able tunes aimed at three to six-year-olds. Best of all? There’s zero embarrassment if a crying fit suddenly breaks out, as the whole audience is in the same boat. This is the perfect opportunity to introduce your little ones to a high art.  

A trio of epic K-pop gigs 

K-pop lovers, rejoice – there’s a trio of huge names coming to our shores this month. World-slaying, Korean-Chinese boy group Exo brings its Exo Planet #6 – Exhorizon tour to Asia-World Expo on 13-14 June. A week later, on 20 June, the same venue welcomes girl group Itzy, presenting its third world tour, Tunnel Vision. Finally, five-piece girl group I-dle – the band formally known as G-idle – come to Kai Tak on 27-28 June . 

H2 festival returns to The Wanch 

Legendary live music hangout The Wanch is gearing up for its annual celebration of all things live and loud. A community tradition first established back in 2010, H2 typically sees as many as 80 local bands performing half-hour sets over a week-long marathon. For many, performing is a rite of passage, so competition for slots can be fierce. While eclecticism is evident in the resulting musical melange, the pervasive flavour is all things rock, with original and cover bands getting their turn in the spotlight. This year’s edition runs from 21-28 June; no other music venue would be barmy enough to start and end a festival on a Sunday.