The best things to do in Hong Kong this March

March heralds the arrival of Hong Kong Arts Month – a vibrant season of fairs, festivals and happenings so abundant even the most dedicated culture vulture may find it hard to keep up. To bring you up to speed, these are the events to know – from big-banner expos and independent openings to giant robotic cats and immersive art you can eat. 

Hong Kong Arts Festival 

This is unquestionably the city’s premier annual arts event, with as many as nine musical, dance and drama performances every day. It’s also a rare opportunity to catch top international productions and A-list performers. Highlights at this year’s Hong Kong Arts Festival include two homegrown talents: recent Van Cliburn-winning piano prodigy Aristo Sham, performing two recitals; and Chiyan Wong, who has interpreted traditional fishing songs for a folk-bossa nova fusion. Elsewhere, Chinese-language stage productions reinterpret plays by Beckett and Brecht, while Italian ballet superstar Roberto Bolle tackles Caravaggio and Cuban jazz legend Roberto Fonseca takes his piano stool.   

Until 30 March

Hong Kong International Literary Festival 

Celebrating its 25th anniversary, Hong Kong International Literary Festival (HKILF) welcomes an impressive roster of visiting authors, including American Argentinian Pulitzer-winner Hernán Díaz, multi-award-winning Indian novelist Amitav Ghosh, South Korean literary sensation Ho-yeon Kim and Booker-longlisted Malaysian author Tash Aw. Beyond these headline names, expect a host of writing workshops, talks, neighbourhood walks, poetry jams and family events – many of them free to join.  

1-8 March, various locations

Big exhibitions opening in Hong Kong in March 

The art bonanza kicks into high gear early in March, with galleries unveiling fresh exhibitions ahead of the month’s big closing weekend. Two major American artists will launch their first solo shows in Asia, including New York-based Walter Price exhibiting his colourful canvases at David Zwirner, and Gagosian presenting Los Angeles-based painter Mary Weatherford’s large-scale works, comprised of found materials and hand-bent neon tubes (both opening on 24 March). Meanwhile, from 25 March, White Cube welcomes new works by Ghanaian sculptor El Anatsui, while M+ opens Lee Bul: From 1998 to Now, a survey of more than 200 works from the leading South Korean artist, opening on 14 March.  

WestK FunFest

Cat fanatics can play with three giant, inflatable and interactive felines at WestK this March. They might look soft and fluffy, but these 10-metre-high cuties are powered by robots. The free-to-visit The Cats that Slept for a Thousand Years installation will take over the Harbourside Lawn as part of WestK FunFest until 7 April. Other highlights of this monthlong celebration include Playful Tiger, a dance-theatre experience specially adapted for neurodivergent audiences, the all-ages spectacle Bob Marley for Babies, and a series of experimental performances by the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, posing the question: This Is Classical Music?!

19 March – 12 April, WestK

Collect Hong Kong Art Fair 2026

Inspired by the international buzz of the month’s blockbuster visual art events? Looking to quietly kickstart your own collection? The second edition of Collect Hong Kong invites buyers to consider the work of local artists, with all staff, students and alumni of Hong Kong Art School and friends of Hong Kong Arts Centre invited to submit up to three works for display. 

21-29 March, Hong Kong Art Centre

Art Central

Generally more relaxed than Art Basel, the younger Art Central is geared towards casual enthusiasts. Keeping things bright, breezy and more digestible as it enters its second decade, the event hosts 150-odd galleries for 2026. Its Central Harbourfront location lends a festive atmosphere, while the opening Night Central on 25 March is always a full-blown party.  

25-29 March, Central Harbourfront 

Central Yards Edible Art Fair 

This new arrival to the city’s Art Month offers something fresh to chew on. If the idea of trekking around 100-plus gallery displays on an empty stomach fills you with dread, then this light-hearted spin-off may be just your ticket. Taking place next to Art Central, the debut Central Yards Edible Art Fair presents a bite-sized offering of just 10 galleries, each presented as an immersive room themed around a famed art movement – and each paired with an accompanying “edible creation”.  

26 March – 5 April, Central Harbourfront Event Space

Art Basel Hong Kong 

A visit to Art Basel Hong Kong is a dizzying experience, with its procession of global galleries, each competing for your attention (and money) with their boldest, most arresting and valuable works, all staged in a space the size of an aircraft hangar. For art lovers, it’s pure heaven, but most will leave inspired by the plethora of voices and approaches represented. New for 2026, the Echoes sector is dedicated to works created in the past five years, while a renewed sense of regional focus sees more than half of the 240 galleries present operating spaces in Asia. For a respite, unwind at Hong Kong artist Chan Wai-lap’s giant chill-out spa installation, Mimimomo Pool. 

27-29 March, Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre