October 2026 exhibitions

October in Hong Kong brings cooler weather and a busy line-up of arts, festivals and seasonal events. Find exhibitions, markets, live music and workshops to match your schedule. We’ve listed everything below with dates and venues, split into events that are only this month, also on in October, or ongoing. Use it to plan your weekends and book or save the events you want to catch.

Tsim Sha Tsui

Cavalleria Rusticana & Pagliacci

Opera Hong Kong closes out the 2026 season with one of the most enduring pairings in the repertoire: Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana and Leoncavallo's Pagliacci, staged back-to-back at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Grand Theatre from 8 to 11 October. Both works belong to the Italian verismo tradition — short, sharp, and unflinching in their portrayal of jealousy, honour, and revenge. Cavalleria Rusticana unfolds on Easter morning in a Sicilian village, where Santuzza's love for Turiddu curdles into betrayal and bloodshed; its famous Intermezzo alone is worth the price of admission. Pagliacci follows a travelling commedia troupe whose performance collapses into real tragedy when Canio discovers his wife Nedda's affair — the aria "Vesti la giubba" remains one of opera's most heartbreaking moments. Warren Mok produces; Roberto Gianola conducts the Hong Kong Philharmonic, with the Opera Hong Kong Chorus and Children Chorus. Enrico Castiglione directs and designs the production. Sung in Italian with Chinese and English surtitles. Performances: 8, 9 and 10 October at 7:30 PM; 11 October matinee at 2:30 PM. Alternate casts appear on 8/10 October and 9/11 October respectively. Tickets from HK$280 to HK$1,280 via URBTIX: https://www.urbtix.hk/event-detail/15371/ Early-bird booking at 20% off until 31 August 2026.

Wong Chuk Hang

Ocean Park Halloween Fest 2026

Ocean Park goes full dark-rave this autumn — The Grave Rave is the brief, and the park means it. Headline drop: Jackson Wang’s original fantasy IP Under the Castle lands at The Summit for the first time, folding fashion-dark aesthetics into a proper haunted walk. Around it, the usual Halloween heavy-hitters clock in — Voodoo Boo Terror Park, Troublesome Night 8, Forbidden Asylum — plus OPPA Scaremonies, a city-scale Ghoulish Cosplay Party, and over a hundred roaming ghouls hunting for your next cheeky snap. Not only here for the screams: Bulu Boo Trick-or-Treat and Trick or Roll keep the kids (and the candy-hungry) busy; Horror-thrill Ocean Express and the Gala of Lights dark rave push the night into full sensory overload. Daytime fest runs through early November; the biggest haunted nights land on select October–November dates when the park stays open late. Book park admission separately from haunted / VIP access tickets. 📅 5 Sep – 1 Nov 2026 (daytime fest) ⏰ Haunted nights: select dates 9–11, 16–19, 23–25, 30–31 Oct & 1 Nov, typically until 11:00 PM 📍 Ocean Park Hong Kong, 180 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Wong Chuk Hang 🎟 General admission from HK$538 adult / HK$269 child; haunted combos & VIP access sold separately 🔗 https://www.oceanpark.com.hk/tc/a-day-at-the-park/events/halloween-fest-2026

Wan Chai

Blue House Mid-Autumn Lantern Sea 2026

Wan Chai’s Blue House Cluster turns ten years revitalised — and Mid-Autumn is the soft launch for the celebration. From late August, more than 700 hand-painted lanterns light up Stone Nullah Lane and spill into the surrounding lanes: Stone Nullah, Kut On, Hing Wan, King Sing, and Queen’s Road East. Locals, illustrators, and pet owners painted them — so the streets feel like a neighbourhood guestbook in light. While you’re there: charity Mid-Autumn stalls on the Blue House open space (handcrafts and pet goods supporting community conservation), a Nikon photo and short-film contest with walking photo tours, Citybus open-top H1M “moon-gazing” Island route, and a Red A collab lampshade exhibition. Keep it neighbourly — quiet voices, leash pets, don’t touch the lanterns, take your rubbish with you. 📅 28 Aug – 14 Oct 2026 ⏰ Lanterns lit daily 6:00–9:30 PM 📍 Blue House Cluster open space, 8 King Sing Street, Wan Chai 🔗 https://www.vivabluehouse.hk

Also this month

Central

"We Paint What You Might See" Group Exhibition

Tang Contemporary Art presents a compelling group exhibition featuring three distinguished artists: Ben Ashton, Ivan Pokidyshev, and Jochen Mühlenbrink. This exhibition explores the intersection between visual perception and artistic interpretation, challenging viewers to reconsider the relationship between what we see and what truly exists. The three artists share a common philosophy: painting serves as a medium to reimagine and reshape visual reality rather than merely document it. While each demonstrates exceptional technical mastery, their work transcends simple representation. They create a dynamic tension between physical observation and psychological perception, opening up spaces where appearance and reality diverge in subtle yet profound ways. Ben Ashton's practice draws from classical portraiture traditions—incorporating confident poses, refined compositions, and historical gravitas—only to deliberately disrupt these conventions. Through his extensive study of old masters combined with digital-age aesthetics, he introduces glitches and formal ruptures that undermine the authority, confidence, and historical certainty these portraits once projected. His subjects remain recognizable, yet their projected authority becomes destabilized, creating both visual and conceptual uncertainty. Curated by Zoe Tsang and Willa Yip, this exhibition invites viewers to question their assumptions about visual truth and artistic representation. Opening reception: August 22, 2026, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Ongoing this month

Sha Tin

Continue to Cherish: Leslie Cheung 70th Birthday Memorial Exhibition

Hong Kong Heritage Museum marks what would have been Leslie Cheung's 70th birthday with a fuller, richer sequel to the 2023 "Continue to Cherish" memorial show. Presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and curated by Florence Chan (陳淑芬), with support from LesFANmily (「哥」迷會), it looks back at the singer-actor who still defines Hong Kong pop culture for generations of fans — and for the "post-Leslie" wave discovering him online. Expect selected vinyl and albums, stage costumes, film posters and stills, awards, and pop-culture memorabilia, woven through multimedia programmes and photo spots. For the first time, parts of Leslie's former home are reconstructed on site — a quieter, more intimate chapter beside the glitter of the concert stage and the silver screen. The exhibition traces his music beyond Hong Kong — from Japan and Korea to Malaysia, the US, Canada, Australia and the UK — and the film career of over fifty titles that won him Hong Kong Film Awards and international recognition. 📅 Dates: 9 September 2026 – 10 May 2027 ⏰ Hours: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM (Tue–Fri); 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM (Sat–Sun); closed Mondays (except public holidays) 📍 Special Exhibition Gallery 5, 1/F, Hong Kong Heritage Museum, Sha Tin 🎟 Admission: check museum website for ticket details 🔗 https://hk.heritage.museum/tc/exhibitions/leslie70th.html

Sha Tin

Reaching 25: Hong Kong Film Archive Treasures Exhibition — Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival 2026

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Hong Kong Film Archive, this special treasures exhibition is held at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum as part of the Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival 2026. 🎬 Featuring highlights from over 1.3 million archival items, the exhibition showcases rare film artefacts, costumes, posters, awards, and historical materials that trace the evolution of Hong Kong cinema. Visitors can journey through a "25th Anniversary Photo Tunnel," explore classic trailers, and experience immersive displays that bring the city's cinematic legacy to life. Interactive installations and oral history sections offer deeper insight into the people behind the films, celebrating decades of creativity and cultural impact. 📅 Dates: June 3, 2026 – March 29, 2027 ⏰ Hours: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM (Tue, Wed–Fri); 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM (Sat–Sun); Closed Mondays 📍 Hong Kong Heritage Museum 🎟 Admission: Free

Tsim Sha Tsui

Design Ah! — Experiencing the Wonder of Everyday Design

What if the humble chopstick, your toothbrush, or a traffic light held secrets you never noticed? This summer, M+ throws open its doors to "Design Ah!", a landmark exhibition that transforms the mundane into the marvellous. Originating from NHK's award-winning Japanese children's educational TV programme Design Ah! neo, this is the first time the exhibition has ventured beyond Japan — and it lands in spectacular fashion at the M+ Ground Floor Hall. Co-produced by NHK Education Corporation, NHK Promotions Inc., and TOKYO NODE, the show is helmed by celebrated designer Taku Satoh, with visual direction by Yugo Nakamura and music direction by Shuta Hasunuma. Spread across 21 interactive installations and immersive audio-visual spaces, the exhibition deconstructs the design logic hidden within 10 everyday human behaviours — walking, eating, sitting, gripping, and more. Far from dry theory, this is design you play with: hands-on games, participatory installations, and sensory rooms invite visitors of all ages to see the world with fresh eyes. Hong Kong gets its own special touch, with select exhibits incorporating local visual culture and culinary references. And every evening, M+'s iconic façade comes alive with M+ Ah!, a newly commissioned work that reframes Hong Kong street scenes through a bold new visual lens. This is the exhibition that makes you stop, look twice, and go — "Ah!" 📅 Dates: - Tuesdays to Thursdays, Saturdays & Sundays: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM - Fridays: 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM (June 27, 2026 – January 10, 2027) 📍 M+, 38 Museum Drive, West Kowloon Cultural District, Kowloon 🎟 Tickets: HK$190 (Standard) / HK$100 (Concession)

Yau Ma Tei

The Journey of Light and Shadow at Yau Ma Tei Police Station

Join the captivating "Yau Ma Tei Police Station Light and Shadow Journey" exhibition from January 1-31, 2026, at the historic Yau Ma Tei Police Station in Kowloon, built in 1922. This immersive experience celebrates Hong Kong's iconic crime films, allowing visitors to step into recreated scenes from classic movies, including a nostalgic theater entrance, a time tunnel showcasing action-packed moments, and even a replica of a vintage holding cell. With tickets priced at just HK$30, this unique event blends cinema, culture, and history, offering fans the chance to relive the thrill of Hong Kong's cinematic legacy. Don't miss this opportunity to explore the world of Hong Kong's crime dramas in a truly interactive setting!

Causeway Bay

FIFA Museum – China Hong Kong Special Exhibition

Football history is coming to life right here in Hong Kong! The FIFA Museum is making its very first stop in the city with a spectacular special exhibition, running for six full months and packed with original artefacts, multimedia storytelling, and hands-on interactive experiences. Step into the world of the beautiful game and trace the journey of football from its earliest roots to the grandest stages on Earth. Marvel at legendary pieces from the official FIFA Museum collection — including Pelé's passport that accompanied him to the World Cup, the match ball from the iconic 2006 Italy vs France penalty shootout final, and Olga Carmona's boots from Spain's triumphant 2023 Women's World Cup campaign. The exhibition also shines a spotlight on Asia's remarkable football legacy — from hosting the inaugural FIFA Women's World Cup™ to a record-breaking nine AFC members qualifying for FIFA World Cup 2026™. Hong Kong's own century-long football heritage takes centre stage too, celebrating the city's enduring role in the development of Asian football. Don't miss The Trophies zone featuring replicas of the FIFA Women's World Cup Trophy and the Jules Rimet Trophy, or the iconic Rainbow installation — a vibrant tribute to the diverse individuals who make up the global football family. 📅 Opening Gala: May 28, 2026 (Thursday), 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM 📅 Exhibition Runs: May 29 – November 28, 2026, 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM Daily 📍 1 Matheson Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong 🎟️ VIP Ticket: HK$1,000 | Adult: HK$180–198 | Concession: HK$140 🗓️ Pre-booking Opens: April 16, 2026, 10:00 AM | Public Sales: April 17, 2026, 12:00 PM

Kowloon Tong

Play with Art Exhibition

Dive into the fascinating world of games through art, technology, and culture! 🎮🎨 Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Bangor Gallery, City University of Hong Kong presents "Play with Art" (游於藝乎) — a groundbreaking exhibition that explores games as a significant and influential form of cultural and collective interaction. Curated by Professor Espen Aarseth, Dean of the School of Creative Media at CityU, this exhibition brings together a captivating collection of playable and interactive exhibits that trace the evolution of games while showcasing their profound impact on society. The exhibition embodies the School of Creative Media's interdisciplinary approach, combining art, technology, and academia to delve deep into the essence of gaming. 🎯 Exhibition Focus: The exhibition centers on two main themes: the evolution of games and their cultural impact. It aims to uncover and challenge common myths and misconceptions about gaming, presenting a comprehensive view of this dynamic medium. 🎲 Six Exhibition Zones: Through six distinct zones featuring diverse works, the exhibition traces gaming's evolutionary journey — from its origins before human civilization through major technological revolutions including writing systems, printing press, and digital computers. Visitors will discover how games have developed across different cultural and social contexts throughout history. 🌟 Exhibition Highlights: • Interactive and playable exhibits that engage visitors directly • Historical perspective on gaming evolution across millennia • Exploration of games as cultural artifacts and social phenomena • Interdisciplinary approach bridging humanities and sciences • Debunking gaming myths through academic research and artistic expression Since its establishment in 2016, the Bangor Gallery has been dedicated to promoting interdisciplinary collaboration, knowledge transfer research, cultural innovation, and deep community engagement. "Play with Art" continues this mission by fostering the integration of humanities and sciences, breaking down disciplinary boundaries, and facilitating knowledge exchange. Whether you're a gamer, artist, researcher, or simply curious about the cultural significance of play, this exhibition offers a unique intellectual feast that redefines games as an essential cultural form. ⚠️ Advance booking required for visits 📅 Dates: July 4 – October 25, 2026 ⏰ Hours: 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM daily 📍 Bangor Gallery, City University of Hong Kong, 18/F, Lau Ming Wai Academic Building, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong

Pok Fu Lam

The Little Prince and The Pilot Exhibition

Step into the extraordinary world of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the legendary aviator and author behind one of the most beloved books of all time! ✈️✨ To celebrate the 80th anniversary of The Little Prince's publication in France, the University Museum and Art Gallery at HKU, in collaboration with Alliance Française de Hong Kong, presents this captivating exhibition that takes you on a journey through the multifaceted life of Saint-Exupéry. Through rare photographs, letters, maps, personal belongings, manuscripts, and original editions, discover the man behind the masterpiece — a son, friend, writer, artist, aviation pioneer, and adventurer all rolled into one. The exhibition explores his remarkable life from multiple perspectives, revealing the real-life experiences that inspired him to create The Little Prince. 📖 At the heart of the exhibition lies the iconic tale itself. Trace the birth and evolution of the Little Prince character through design sketches and quotes, uncovering the initial concept, creative process, and fascinating editorial details that shaped this philosophical treasure. Plus, snap unforgettable photos with exclusive Little Prince character sculptures available only in Hong Kong! This cross-generational cultural celebration invites you to delve deep into the soul behind this literary gem and rediscover a timeless story about courage, love, and what truly matters in life. 📅 Dates: June 26 – October 18, 2026 ⏰ Hours: • Tuesday – Saturday: 9:30 AM – 6:00 PM • Sunday: 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM • Closed on Mondays 📍 University Museum and Art Gallery, T.T. Tsui Building, 1/F, HKU Special thanks to IWC Schaffhausen and the Museum Society of the University of Hong Kong for their generous support in making this exhibition possible.

Tsim Sha Tsui

Coral Treasures: The Wonders of the Deep

L'ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts is bringing its most ambitious exhibition yet to Hong Kong — and it's one you won't want to miss. Running from 23 May to 11 October 2026 at K11 MUSEA in Tsim Sha Tsui, this landmark showcase brings together approximately 120 rare coral jewellery pieces and artistic specimens, making it the largest exhibition ever mounted by the school's Hong Kong chapter. Through three distinct lenses — biology, gemology, and art history — the exhibition invites visitors to explore the multifaceted world of coral: from its origins in the ocean's depths to its revered place in human culture and fine jewellery craftsmanship. Whether you're a jewellery enthusiast, a nature lover, or simply curious about the stories hidden within precious materials, this is a rare opportunity to encounter coral in a way that is both scientifically illuminating and visually breathtaking. Open daily from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM at Room 510A, 5/F, K11 MUSEA.

Fo Tan

Plant Hunter

Crack open a plant fossil indoors, then go hunting outdoors — three hours that take you from a Fo Tan studio into Tai Po Kau Nature Reserve, tracing how plants evolved into the species around us. TIMELESS-TFC opens with a plant-fossil collection and a short deep-dive into key geological moments. You get hands-on with real specimens, then follow an ecology guide out of the studio around 17:15 for a mission-style plant ID and recording walk. Keep your eyes open — other wildlife may show up along the trail. Built for families who want a proper nature-history outing (recommended ages 6+; children 5–13 need a parent). Fossil tools and recording gear stay on site. Sessions may be postponed or cancelled under Signal No. 3 or higher / rainstorm warnings. 📅 18 Jul, 9 Aug & 3 Oct 2026 (pick one session) ⏰ 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM 📍 Meetup: TIMELESS-TFC Fo Tan studio → Tai Po Kau Nature Reserve 🎟 Early bird HK$580 (by 21 Sep 2026) / regular HK$680 (includes fossil materials, recording & one-way transport) 🔗 https://www.art-mate.net/tc/doc/96922

Long-running shows