Your ultimate guide to Hong Kong

Globally popular Korean girl group Blackpink has announced the highly anticipated Asia leg of their Deadline world tour, and Hong Kong’s on their schedule! After touring around the US, Europe, and the UK this summer, the four-piece band will take a break before picking back up in October with Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Japan, then finally wrap up their tour in Hong Kong. The last time Blackpink was in town was during their Born Pink world tour, when they played three concerts at the AsiaWorld-Expo in early 2023. That was the highest-grossing tour by a girl group, and with the release of several successful solo projects from Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa since then, we can only expect even more people to want to see them perform live now. Since Hong Kong is the final stop on their Deadline tour, we’re also keeping our fingers crossed they end things with a bang and jazz things up for our shows. Blackpink will take the stage at the Kai Tak Stadium on Saturday, January 24, 2026 and Sunday, January 25, 2026. The first round of tickets will be released in a Weverse presale on June 10, followed by a Visa presale on June 11, then a Trip.com presale on June 12. The ticket sales will then open to the general public at 11am on Friday, June 13. In order to access first dibs on tickets, sign up for a Blink membership on Weverse, register for the presale by June 1 to get verified, then enter your Blink membership number – inclusive of all alphabetic characters and numbers – during the presale. Visa will also soon announce promotions, activities, and more for Blackpink’s Asia fans. Watch this space for ticketing information and other details to come. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Hong Kong newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inboxRecommended stories: Heavy rain hits Hong Kong as Typhoon Wutip develops nearby Lady Gaga could be coming to Hong Kong in 2026 for ‘The Mayhem Ball’ Tour Hong Kong's first Anya Life pop-up opens in Central

Yeah, we had Coldplay take over the entire territories, the comeback of Nicholas Tse, and Mandopop king Jay Chou coming later this month, but let’s be real – we’re also still smarting over the fact that Singapore got both Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga but not us! However, the tide might be turning, as there are now rumours swirling that Lady Gaga could be coming to Hong Kong next year. Back in March, Mother Monster announced her upcoming eighth concert tour ‘The Mayhem Ball’ which is set to commence on July 16. The plan was for the concert to travel across North American, European, and Australian cities, but on June 10, Lady Gaga also announced five dates for Japan, running from January 21 to 29 in Osaka and Tokyo. Photograph: Courtesy @MayhemBallTour / X The plot twist here is that the Lady Gaga news fan account @MayhemBallTour on X had previously already proclaimed on April 9 that the artist will have Tokyo dates. When asked for hints on the whole Asia leg of the tour, they posted emoji flags of Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong – so we’re keeping our fingers crossed that we’ll actually get Gaga in Kai Tak Stadium or AsiaWorld-Expo come 2026! Interestingly, Hong Kong singer Joey Yung went to Lady Gaga’s recent ‘The Art of Personal Chaos’ concert in Singapore recently and posted on Instagram in Chinese that she “hopes she’ll be able to enjoy it again in Kai Tak”. These industry insiders know something we don’t… If the online rumours are anything to go by, Lady Gaga might be putting on three Hong Kong shows in February 2026. Stay tuned for more information as we learn them! Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Hong Kong newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox Recommended stories: A strawberry moon will be over Hong Kong and at its lowest until 2043 Time Out Hong Kong 2025 Bar Guide is out now! A tropical cyclone could hit Hong Kong over the next few days

British designer Anya Hindmarch opens Hong Kong's first Anya Life pop-up at Lane Crawford in IFC. Open from now to July 30, the time-limited shop showcases a fun lifestyle collection featuring everything from ceramic items and travel accessories to candles, homeware, and other home essentials. Take home a set of cute linen pyjamas embossed with the beloved nylon 'eyes'; have a whiff of a soy sauce or ketchup candle; and get accessorising with cereal pouches, Fruit Pastilles keychain, and more. Products will be available online after a two-week exclusive in-store period.

Star-gazers and fans of astronomical phenomena, listen up! A full strawberry moon will rise low above Hong Kong tomorrow, appearing especially large to viewers all over the world as it will be near the horizon. At 3.44pm on Wednesday, June 11, the strawberry moon will rise from the southeast. It will then move across the sky close to the southern horizon before setting in the southeast – this is why the moon will appear bigger. When the moon is nearer to the horizon rather than higher in the sky, it gives rise to the optical illusion called the big moon effect or moon illusion, even though the planetary body obviously remains the same size regardless of its position. This strawberry moon is particularly noteworthy as we are currently in a rare two-year period known as a major lunar standstill or the lunistice. Occurring once every 18 years or so, the last time we’ve had such a low-hanging full moon was back in 2006, and the next time will be in 2043. For us in Hong Kong, this fruity moon will occur during the afternoon in broad daylight, so the luminous orange orb might not appear quite as striking compared to the view from other parts of the world. Also, it’s best to temper your expectations now with the fact that a strawberry moon is not actually pink or red. Its name actually comes from the traditions of early farmers who associated the full moon in June with the ripening of strawberry crops. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Hong Kong newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox Recommended stories: Time Out Hong Kong 2025 Bar Guide is out now! A tropical cyclone could hit Hong Kong over the next few days Catch over 20 music acts at Hong Kong’s largest indie music festival

It’s that time of the year again, when we sip and stumble our way across the city to find you the best drinking dens in Hong Kong – we’re back with the 2025 edition of the annual Time Out Bar Guide! From sophisticated wine bars and venues that specialise in your favourite spirits to secret spots hidden down dark alleyways, this nifty guide will help you discover all the best places for a perfect sip, no matter the occasion.   Photograph: Joshua Lin This year, we’ve picked out 50 of the best bars in Hong Kong that are worthy of your attention, along with a handful of venues over in Macau for your next weekend trip. We also took the chance to speak with the city’s rising bar stars and put together a list of the latest bar openings in town (yes, we’ve crammed a lot in there). The 2025 Time Out Hong Kong Bar Guide is now available for free starting June 10 at the listed venues below. Limited copies are available, so do ask each venue for more info.  Time Out Hong Kong 2025 Bar Guide free pick-up: Bars00125:00ApothecaryAqua SpiritArgoArtifact BarAvocaBar LeoneBourke’sBlue SupremeBrut!Call Me AlCaprice BarCardinal PointCoaCourtroomDarkSideDead PoetsDraft LandDragonflyFoxgloveGishiki LoungeGokanHonky Tonks TavernHouse Welley BarJames Suckling Wine CentralKinsmanLa Cabane Wine BistroLockdownMizunara: The LibraryMostly HarmlessOn The Hill Coffee BarOrchardPenicillinPing Pong 129 GintoneriaQuinaryQura BarSocioTell CamelliaTerrible BabyThe AubreyThe Blind SpotThe DispensaryThe DiplomatThe Green DoorThe Old Man Hong KongThe OppositesThe PontiacThe Savory ProjectThe St. Regis BarWhisky & WordsVesu Pizza BarYardleys Taproom Restaurants and cafesAmberAmigoHabitū The OneCova Ristorante & Caffe (Festival Walk)Elephant Grounds (Causeway Bay, Tsim Sha Tsui)Greyhound Cafe (Festival Walk, Harbour City)Le Salon De Thé de Joël RobuchonLan Kwai Fong AssociationOVO CaféPret A Manger (Infinitus Plaza, Three Pacific Place, Lippo Centre, Harbour Centre)The Coffee Academics (Johnston Road)The Peak Lookout  Hotel (lobby)Best Western Hotel Harbour ViewCourtyard by MarriottCrowne Plaza Hong KongEast Hong KongGrand Hyatt Hong KongHyatt Centric Victoria Harbour Hong KongHoliday Inn Golden Mile Hong KongHotel IconHotel Pennington By RhombusThe Park Lane Hong Kong, a Pullman HotelHouse 1881Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, ShatinIbis Hong Kong Central And Sheung WanInterContinental Grand Stanford Hong KongIsland Shangri-La, Hong KongKerry Hotel, Hong KongThe Kowloon HotelThe Langham, Hong KongLanson Place Causeway Bay, Hong KongLodgewood by Nina Hospitality | Wan ChaiHotel Madera Hong KongMandarin Oriental, Hong KongMetropark Hotel KowloonNew World Millennium Hong KongNovotel Century Hong KongPrince Hotel, Hong KongRegal Hongkong HotelRegal Kowloon HotelRegal Riverside HotelRenaissance Hong Kong Harbour View HotelThe Royal GardenThe Royal Pacific Hotel & TowersRoyal Plaza HotelKowloon Shangri-La, Hong KongSheraton Hong Kong Hotel & TowersSohotel Hong KongThe Bauhinia Hotels & Serviced ApartmentsThe HarbourView PlaceThe Hari Hong KongThe Johnston SuitesThe Landmark Mandarin OrientalThe Luxe ManorMarco Polo Hong Kong HotelThe MurrayThe Olympian Hong KongThe Pottinger Hong KongThe Ritz-Carlton, Hong KongHong Kong SkyCity Marriott HotelOne-Eight-One Hotel & Serviced ResidencesDash Living on Queen'sOvolo Southside Hong KongThe Silveri Hong Kong - MGalleryAki Hong Kong – MGallery Hotels (in-room)Butterfly on WellingtonThe Upper HouseHarbour Grand Hong KongPeninsula HotelW Hong KongCM + Hotels and Serviced Apartments Macau bars and hotels38 Lounge (Altira)CinebrewBlind TigerGoa NightsThe St. Regis Bar MacaoThe Macallan Whisky Bar & LoungeTwo MoonsVida Rica Bar, Mandarin Oriental Hotel MacauWood House Can’t make it to any of the venues above? Download the digital version of the Bar Guide here.

Whenever the weather in Hong Kong gets oppressively hot, as it has over the past few days, it’s a pretty sure sign that a typhoon is likely soon to hit. According to the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO), a tropical cyclone is developing over the South China Sea area, which means we might be hit with our first typhoon of the year this week. An anticyclone – an area of high pressure with outward-moving winds – is still bringing very hot weather to areas across southern China over the next two days. However, there’s also currently a broad area of low pressure over the central portion of the South China Sea. This is likely to develop into a tropical cyclone, moving towards the coast along western Guangdong to Hainan during the middle to latter part of this week, with the possibility of it shifting towards eastern Guangdong. Depending on the rate of its development, the HKO might issue the No. 1 Standby Signal as early as Tuesday night, June 10, and assess the need to issue higher warning signals on Wednesday and Thursday. There will be squally showers and thunderstorms over Hong Kong’s general region, and we can expect temperatures to still be sweltering. The thermostat will be highest during Tuesday, June 10, and Wednesday, June 11, reaching a high of 34 degree Celsius in urban areas and even a couple of degrees higher in the New Territories. The path and trajectory of weather phenomena could always change, but this tropical cyclone looming on the horizon is expected to be named ‘Wutip’, a name provided by Macau which is the anglicised pronunciation of ‘butterfly’ in Cantonese. Moving into the latter part of the week, Friday and Saturday show the highest likelihood of rain and storms. As the tropical cyclone weakens and departs, there will still be sporadic showers into early next week. The HKO warns that in this period of prolonged heat, members of the public should make sure to stay sufficiently hydrated. If the typhoon does develop over the region, changes in the weather will be rather substantial, so it would be best to leave the house prepared. Keep an eye on weather updates on the HKO website. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Hong Kong newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox Recommended stories: Catch over 20 music acts at Hong Kong’s largest indie music festival A Brazilian extravaganza is taking over 10 iconic spots in Hong Kong Hongkongers will be able to order and pay for taxis on the Octopus app

Live music platform The Underground Hong Kong has been a part of our city’s vibrant auditory scene for over 20 years, and they’re celebrating their 21st anniversary with a two-day festival – the largest-scale indie music festival in Hong Kong. More than 20 music acts will be taking over The Fringe Club in Central for consecutive nights of revelry and good tunes. Some of the acts you can catch include Hong Kong producer Elektro Müll, folky group The Black Velvet Collective, funky citypop band Mis, French brass party band Le Groupe Électrogène Fanfare Club, local rock band Andy is Typing…, dream-pop and shoegaze band Tofu Kingdom, punk psychedelia heavyweights Gimag, lo-fi supergroup Kowloon Cowboys, shoegaze rockers Omnimori, emo alt-rock powerhouse Seasons for Change, chaotic noise rockers Bad Actors, post-hardcore act Ink Inferno, and many more. Photograph: Courtesy The Underground Hong Kong Over the years, The Underground has provided the stages for and launched the careers of many local and international acts – Dear Jane, Soler, RubberBand, and ToNick, to name a few. This is a great opportunity to connect with our live music community, discover some fantastic acts right on our doorsteps, and get to say you saw them live before they go international. The lineup will be split across two stages, with a gallery space where festival-goers and musicians can chill together over food and drinks. The Underground 21st Anniversary Festival will take place on June 13 and 14. Two-day passes are available for $500, while single-day tickets are priced at $280 if purchased in advance. Walk-ins will cost $350. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Hong Kong newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox Recommended stories: A Brazilian extravaganza is taking over 10 iconic spots in Hong Kong Hongkongers will be able to order and pay for taxis on the Octopus app GH MegaBox announces closure – Hong Kong’s sixth cinema shutdown this year

The summer heat is really kicking in, so why not bring in a touch of spice from Brazil? A 10-day spectacle is going to sweep into town towards the end of this month, transforming our city into a pulsating celebration worthy of Rio. Approximately 50 world-class performers from Brazil will put on samba dances, reggae drumming, capoeira martial arts, freestyle football, and more – all complemented by Brazilian food and drinks. This marks the first time that we are hosting ‘Extravaganza! When Brazil Meets Hong Kong’, which will take place across 10 of the city’s most iconic landmarks, including Central Market, Lan Kwai Fong, Lee Tung Avenue, the Tsim Sha Tsui harbourfront, and the Wan Chai HarbourChill space.  Photograph: Courtesy Extravaganza Mark your calendars for June 20 to 29 – the event’s three-day grand finale will then take place at the Hong Kong Observation Wheel and AIA Vitality Park from June 27 to 29. The finale will have free admission for all, and is open from 1pm to 11pm. For those who’d like an enhanced festival, get experience package tickets on Klook, which include themed photos with costume rentals, all-you-can-drink passes, Brazilian game booths, and more. Find out more about Extravaganza! on their official website. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Hong Kong newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox Recommended stories: Hongkongers will be able to order and pay for taxis on the Octopus app GH MegaBox announces closure – Hong Kong’s sixth cinema shutdown this year A huge sake festival is happening in TST this weekend

Hong Kong would probably crumble as a society without Octopus payments, and the company has yet again proven they’re not just killing the transport game on home turf. Octopus Cards Limited is soon launching an ‘Easy Ride’ platform, allowing users to order and pay for cabs directly within the Octopus app. The electronic payment platform has partnered with BigBoss Taxi for this new service – the company is part of the new colourful taxis now running on Hong Kong’s roads. BigBoss’ fleet includes options for pure electric eco-friendly cars, hybrid models, six-seater luxury cars, and wheelchair-accessible vehicles. For now, there will be approximately 300 taxis on ‘Easy Ride’, but Octopus has plans to expand the service with the four other government-licensed fleets. With multiple taxi fleets integrated into the Octopus app, passengers will not need to download separate programmes for each taxi brand. Users can also book taxis then settle the journey by paying seamlessly with Octopus cards, Mobile Octopus, or Octopus Wallet. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Hong Kong newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox Recommended stories: GH MegaBox announces closure – it’s Hong Kong’s sixth cinema shutdown this year A look into Hong Kong’s bamboo scaffolding and why it’s special A huge sake festival is happening in TST this weekend

Golden Harvest Cinemas has announced on Thursday, June 5, that its MegaBox location will be shutting down early next week. From Monday, June 9, cinema-goers will no longer be able to enjoy movies within this seven-house theatre with over 800 seats. In their social media posts, Golden Harvest thanked their audiences over the years by offering special promotions. GH MegaBox’s final screening on the night of June 8 will be a mystery screening of a classic movie, priced at only $40. Three different night time slots – at 9.25pm, 9.35pm, and 9.45pm – will all be screening different classics. IMAX tickets will also cost just $40 for a screening of How to Train Your Dragon. Cinema-goers who watch any of these final screenings will be able to redeem a GH MegaBox commemorative card on their way out. There will also be discounts at the concession stand, with certain combos and merchandise priced at $40. Additionally, customers can present their GH MegaBox movie ticket at any other Golden Harvest cinema from June 9 to 30 to enjoy $10 off food and drink. Golden Harvest cited the end of their tenancy as the reason for closure, but the fact remains that this will be the third Golden Harvest cinema to close this year. This news comes hot on the heels of the shuttering of Golden Harvest’s Grand Ocean Cinema, which had been operating in Tsim Sha Tsui for more than 50 years. Earlier this year in April, GH Whampoa also closed down. Photograph: Jenny Leung GH MegaBox also marks the sixth cinema closure across Hong Kong just within this year, with the curtains drawing for good on MCL’s Grand Kornhill Cinema and the Newport Theatre in May and April, respectively. According to Hong Kong Box Office Limited, overall box office revenue in 2024 showed Hong Kong’s weakest cinema turnout since 2011. A total of nine cinemas have already shut down last year, which brings the total number of public cinemas across Hong Kong down to a mere 51. Luckily, there’s a silver lining, as CineArt House has just announced that they will be taking over the GH MegaBox space. They currently operate two cinemas in Causeway Bay and Tsing Yi, and are in the midst of opening another branch at Plaza Hollywood in Diamond Hill. On social media, CineArt teased that they will upgrade GH MegaBox’s IMAX theatre into an IMAX with Laser space, and also improve the screen and sound systems. View this post on Instagram A post shared by CineArt 影藝戲院 (@cinearthk) Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Hong Kong newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox Recommended stories: The look into Hong Kong’s bamboo scaffolding and why it’s special Next Wave Beach Music Festival is back with Itzy and Chung Ha headlining Min Fong Hong is launching an exclusive pistachio mochi with Silk

Do you remember an exhibition last summer that displayed miniature scenes of the Central and Western districts in Pacific Place? In case you missed it, the Joyful Miniature Association (JMA) is back once again, this time with more incredibly detailed dioramas of life in Hong Kong, including seven brand-new miniatures that have never been seen before. The 24 art pieces will highlight some of Hong Kong’s famous landmarks, cultural customs, and unique lifestyles. Peek into painstaking recreations of Sunday dim sum at Maxim’s Palace in City Hall, chaotic nighttime revelry along Lan Kwai Fong, the customs of worship and pin wheel buying at Man Mo Temple and Wong Tai Sin Temple, a moving model of the fifth generation of the Peak Tram funicular railway, views of Victoria Harbour complete with boats sailing and fireworks, and more.  Photograph: Courtesy Joyful Miniature Association The new miniatures at this show include the Kai Tak Sports Park, the legendary old Kowloon Walled City, night scenes of Temple Street, horse racing, aquatic animals on sale at one of the many shops along Goldfish Street, the cable car at Ngong Ping 360, and Hong Kong’s transhipment history at the Insta-famous Western District Pier. The JMA brings together over 100 Hong Kong artists who collectively integrate the traditionally European craft of miniatures with our distinctly local culture using cutting-edge technology. If there’s one way to stroll through the most iconic sights and experiences of Hong Kong in just a few steps, this exhibition is definitely it. ‘Hong Kong: Through the Looking Glass Miniature Exhibition’ will be on display at The Peak Tower from April 25 to June 23 – JMA’s longest exhibition in the city. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Hong Kong newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox Recommended stories: Hong Kong ranked as the 10th most walkable city in the world; 1st in East Asia Hong Kong Airport Express proposes fare increase of 9.4 percent The Cheung Chau Bun Festival is hosting a carnival this Sunday

We sit down with artist and designer Joe Foti before his new exhibition in Hong Kong

March in Hong Kong is not complete without a trip to the Wanchai Convention Centre to spend a day or two at Art Basel. This year’s fair gathers 240 global galleries, with large-scale installations, paintings, sculptures, digital art, live performances, video works, and more to see!

From a world without colours to her love of big city metros, we caught up with British artist Monster Chetwynd for a round of quick-fire questions while she's in town for her new installation at Pacific Place! 

Free on Tuesdays? Head over to Hugo's in TST for their unlimited steak and frites night, which also come with Caesar salad, a dessert, and plenty of tipples – just remember to wear loose pants.

G'day foodies! Renowned chef Shane Osborn has just opened a laidback Aussie-style cafe inspired by Australian pit stops. Perfect for a casual meal when in Central.

This arts month, don't miss Hong Kong's first ASMR exhibition that will give you all kinds of tingles.

This ‘Picasso for Asia’ exhibition is the first time that masterpieces from the Musée national Picasso-Paris are being shown alongside works from an Asian museum collection. Find out what makes the Spanish master of Cubism so influential – you have until mid-July!

These cool (and just a tad creepy) faceless sculptures are here for the whole of Hong Kong Arts Month, so make time in your diary to visit this month

What is villain hitting and why are old ladies beating paper with a shoe for $50? Of all the weird and wonderful traditions we have in Hong Kong, this one is definitely up there.