Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The annual Cantonese Opera Day, presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), returns to the Hong Kong Cultural Centre (HKCC) this year with outdoor and indoor performances. Under the theme “Cantonese Opera Fun, Legacy for the Future”, a full afternoon of exciting performances and activities will be offered to the public on November 30 (Sunday), including excerpts of Cantonese opera, a fairy-tale adaption told in Cantonese opera, a trail performance workshop, demonstration workshops, talks, booth activities, autograph sessions, guided tour sessions, Chinese music performances and an exhibition. Admission is free, while online registration is required for certain activities starting tomorrow (November 12) on a first-come, first-served basis.
Now in its 23rd edition, this year’s Cantonese Opera Day features a range of highlights. At the HKCC Foyer, “Young Stars in the Making” will present children’s performances of Cantonese opera excerpts. The young performers will have the opportunity to model on a catwalk, showcasing the features of their costumes and makeup. Meanwhile, the Chinese Artists Association of Hong Kong will present a “Fairy-Tales Told in Cantonese Opera” with the play “The Monkey King’s Tricks to Borrow the Iron Fan” from “Journey to the West”, a captivating performance full of charm and artistry.
At the HKCC Piazza Area, winners of the Hong Kong Schools Music Festival Cantonese Opera Competition and young Cantonese opera students will take the stage for the “Cantonese Opera Arias Busking & Experience Sharing Session”. Alongside live excerpts, they will present a demonstration of basic skills and a medley of classic tunes, followed by a sharing session among students and their parents. The “Amazing Debuts” segment will feature emerging talent performing a series of classic excerpts, while the LCSD’s Music Office will present talented young musicians performing well-known Cantonese melodies and classic Chinese music pieces.
In addition, the “Cantonese Opera Carnival” will offer various family-friendly booth workshops. Participants can create their own handcrafted cultural and innovative products – from making Cantonese opera-themed magnets, tote bags, to hairpin accessories, multipurpose cards, coasters, paper doll crafting of opera characters and colouring activities. A photo corner with Cantonese opera costumes and props will also be available for memorable snapshots.
The popular “Cross-Generation Stars Autograph Session” will feature renowned artists including Yuen Siu-fai, Wan Fai-yin, Lee Lung, Leung Siu-ming, Cheng Wing-mui, Chan Wing-yee, Wang Zhiliang, Leung Sum-yee, Leung Jackie, and Liang Zhenwen. Opera fans can meet their idols and take photos together.
To enable citizens to learn more about Cantonese opera, a world intangible cultural heritage item, from multiple perspectives, the Cantonese Opera Day will include a “Families’ Workshop on Cantonese Opera” where parents and children can don costumes and props to experience the joy of performing guided by instructors, with a chance to showcase their learning on the HKCC Foyer stage later that day. The “Workshop on Stylised Movements and Postures of Cantonese Opera” will let participants try the horsewhip and tasseled-spear techniques, illustrating the dedication behind stage artistry. Demonstration workshops on Cantonese opera make-up and dress-up will also be held. This year, a new interactive Cantonese opera music workshop on wind, plucked, bowed and percussion will also be introduced, where instructors from the School of Chinese Opera, the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, will explain the characteristics of instruments and ensemble arrangements, with chances to try playing specialised instruments. Topics of the talks will include the work of the stage manager – the commander behind the scene – as well as the aesthetics and organisation of actors’ costume trunks.
The “Elegant and Gentle, the Legend of the Young Master: Yam Kim Fai” exhibition, which is curated by the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, will be held at the Foyer Exhibition Area, offering a glimpse into the enduring legend of Yam, dubbed as the “Opera Fans’ Lover”.
Guided tours in Cantonese, English and Putonghua will be available throughout the day, introducing basic knowledge of Cantonese opera and leading participants through performance zones, workshops and exhibitions. Moreover, participants can redeem a souvenir by collecting stamps at designated locations while stocks last.
Online registration is required for certain activities, including “Workshop on Stylised Movements and Postures of Cantonese Opera”, “Families’ Workshop on Cantonese Opera”, Cantonese opera make-up and dress-up demonstration workshops, the “Interactive Cantonese Opera Music Workshop – Wind, Plucked, Bowed and Percussion”, and the two talks. Registration will open tomorrow at 10am (https://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/chinese_opera/programs_1926.html#tab_10_0). Each person may register for up to two programmes, with a maximum of two spaces per programme. Admission is free for all programmes and on a first-come, first-served basis.
For venues and time of the performances and activities of Cantonese Opera Day 2025, please see the Annex. For related event and online registration information, please visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/chinese_opera/programs_1926.html or call 2268 7325.
In support of Cantonese Opera Day 2025, the Hong Kong Film Archive is presenting an exhibition titled “75 Years of Cinematic Glamour – An Exhibition of Sil-Metropole Film Stills and Posters”. In addition, a free screening of “Butterfly Beauty” (1959) will be held on November 30 at 7pm. Please visit the above-mentioned website for more information.