HKPAX 2026: turning cultural exchange into international opportunity

When the Hong Kong Performing Arts Expo returns from 9–13 October 2026, its theme, ‘Passion in Motion’, will reflect more than the movement of artists and productions between countries.

For HKPAX Co-Director Anne Chan, it also describes a performing arts sector increasingly shaped by the international circulation of ideas, talent and collaboration.

‘The role of the performing arts today is not just to present work, but to enable that exchange,’ she says. ‘That means connecting different practices, opening up touring pathways and creating relevance across diverse audiences and markets.’

This is particularly important in Asia-Pacific, she argues, where the performing arts sector is growing in international influence but still requires stronger mechanisms for regional connection and global engagement.

HKPAX is intended to provide that infrastructure: part marketplace, part meeting point and part international showcase. Its purpose is not simply to bring performances to Hong Kong, but to connect artists, presenters, producers, venues and institutions in ways that can lead to tangible opportunities.

From encounter to outcome

The inaugural HKPAX in 2024 attracted more than 1,600 delegates from over 60 countries and regions, alongside more than 32,000 audience members in total.

Chan believes the most important achievement, however, was not the scale of attendance, but the connections that continued after HKPAX 2024 had ended.

Among the resulting projects, Yat Po Singers’ LauZone has secured touring opportunities in Australia and Singapore. Hong Kong Dance Company also developed a cross-border collaboration with Singapore’s TENG Company, leading to the two-year joint production Voyage of the Eight Graces.

‘These examples demonstrate how engagement at HKPAX can translate into real international opportunities,’ Chan says.

HKPAX 2026 is designed to build upon that foundation, with a more strategically curated programme and a stronger emphasis on sustained, outcome-driven interaction.

Its principal strands include International Showcase, Pitching and the newly introduced Hong Kong Chapter, supported by Conversations, Networking, Exchange Avenue, Partner Programmes, Cultural Offerings, the Greater Bay Area Performing Arts Tour and a series of public engagement programmes.

Together, these elements are intended to support the full development cycle of performing arts projects.

International Showcase presents fully realised productions, while Pitching provides routes for works at different stages of development to connect with potential collaborators. Hong Kong Chapter will give greater visibility to local artists and companies, including independent and small to mid-sized organisations that may otherwise find international markets difficult to access.

Conversations will provide space to examine the trends and challenges affecting the sector, while Exchange Avenue and Networking are intended to support the less formal encounters from which longer-term relationships often emerge.

‘These are not simply performances,’ Chan explains. ‘They are curated opportunities for visibility, dialogue and deal-making, where projects can be discovered, evaluated and taken forward for touring and collaboration.’

An East-meets-West platform

Hong Kong is frequently described as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange. HKPAX, Chan suggests, is intended to convert that familiar description into practical opportunities.

‘Hong Kong’s positioning ultimately needs to translate into real, working opportunities for the sector,’ she says. ‘That is where HKPAX plays a very deliberate role.’

The city’s artistic ecology combines Chinese and international influences, bringing together independent practitioners, established companies, venues, curators and major cultural institutions. HKPAX offers international delegates a concentrated view of that ecology, while placing Hong Kong work alongside productions from elsewhere in Asia and around the world.

Chan sees the city as both a cultural centre in its own right and an entry point into the wider Chinese and Asia-Pacific performing arts landscape.

‘Hong Kong provides the context, access and connections needed to navigate the wider ecosystem,’ she says. ‘HKPAX strengthens this role by bringing stakeholders together in one place, where discovery can translate more directly into collaboration and touring opportunities.’

This international positioning will be reinforced by the timing of HKPAX 2026, which follows immediately after the Association of Asia Pacific Performing Arts Centres’ Hong Kong Conference.

Hosted by the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority under the theme ‘The Next Act: Shaping the Future’, the AAPPAC conference will take place from 6–9 October.

A joint AAPPAC × HKPAX ticketing initiative has been introduced to encourage professionals to participate in both events, creating what Chan describes as a more connected performing arts season for Hong Kong.

‘Rather than standalone events, this sequencing strengthens Hong Kong’s ability to convene the sector at scale,’ she says.

In the longer term, the concentration of international conferences, showcases and cultural events could help Hong Kong attract further artistic activity, talent and investment, while encouraging stronger links between the city’s venues and organisations.

Connecting with the Greater Bay Area

HKPAX also intends to connect delegates more directly with the performing arts ecology of Mainland China and the Greater Bay Area.

The Greater Bay Area Performing Arts Tour will introduce visitors to cultural centres beyond Hong Kong, including Macao and Zhuhai, providing first-hand insight into the scale and diversity of the region.

HKPAX is also coordinating with organisations in Shenzhen with the intention of presenting selected international productions in the city before and after HKPAX 2026.

For Chan, the aim is not to position Hong Kong in isolation, but as part of an increasingly interconnected cultural network.

‘HKPAX enables delegates to see how local ecology, regional dynamics and international exchange intersect,’ she says. ‘Hong Kong’s strength lies in its ability to connect these different layers, creating opportunities that are both locally grounded and globally relevant.’

Audiences and public engagement

Although HKPAX is primarily an industry platform, audience development, education and public participation will also form part of the 2026 programme.

The Open Prologue, a four-day prelude to the main Expo, will present a series of free performances, giving residents and international visitors opportunities to encounter Hong Kong’s performing arts scene beyond the professional programme.

Additional public performances, cultural experiences and partner activities will create further points of access.

Audience development will also be addressed through professional exchange, with international delegates sharing approaches to participation, engagement and changing audience expectations across different markets.

‘These themes are approached on two levels,’ Chan explains, ‘through direct public engagement in Hong Kong, and through professional exchange that shapes how organisations think about audiences more broadly.’

Building relationships beyond HKPAX

Sponsors, venues, cultural organisations and institutional partners will be central to HKPAX’s development.

Chan describes these organisations not simply as supporters, but as ‘active co-creators’ of the environment in which international exchange takes place.

Venue and cultural partners provide the infrastructure and local context that allow delegates to experience Hong Kong’s wider performing arts ecology. Sponsors and institutional partners can help HKPAX expand its international reach, develop more structured exchange programmes and maintain relationships beyond the event itself.

International organisations also have a role to play after delegates return home.

That might include co-producing new work, developing regional touring circuits, supporting commissions or introducing Hong Kong and Asian artists to international presenters and audiences.

‘Platforms like HKPAX are often where these relationships begin,’ Chan says. ‘The real impact comes when those initial connections are carried forward into sustained collaborations, repeat engagement and shared programming over time.’

For artists and companies, success may therefore take many forms. An immediate booking, commission or co-production is an obvious outcome, but greater visibility, new market intelligence and the beginning of a long-term relationship may prove equally valuable.

‘Ultimately, a successful HKPAX outcome is one that moves a project or an artist forward,’ Chan says, ‘whether through immediate opportunities, or by building the relationships and visibility needed for sustained international engagement.’

A platform in motion

Over the next three to five years, Chan hopes HKPAX will continue to mature steadily, expanding its international reach while refining its programme and strengthening the experience it offers artists and delegates.

The longer-term ambition is to establish HKPAX as a durable connector between Hong Kong, the Chinese mainland, the Greater Bay Area, Asia-Pacific and the international performing arts community.

That will mean creating deeper routes for touring, commissioning, co-production and partnership, while ensuring that Hong Kong artists and companies become increasingly visible within international networks.

For Chan, HKPAX’s future will depend not simply on becoming larger, but on becoming more effective.

‘It is about strengthening HKPAX’s role as a connector platform,’ she says, ‘where different parts of the ecosystem come together in a way that is both accessible and meaningful.’