When: December 2 to 4

Where: The New Moon, 3F Hong Kong Jewellery Building

What: Wellness brand The New Moon collaborates with lifestyle concept Home Rituals on a series of wellness pop-ups that aim to reset the body and mind. Local ceramist Leo Wong will lead visitors in ceramic flower-making workshops, where guests can create their own camellia and peony pieces while finding inner peace in The New Moon’s tranquil and intimate Sheung Wan studio.

Find out more at thenewmoon.com

When: December 2 and 3 (Pao’s performance) and December 9 and 10 (Consunji and Cheng’s performance)

Where: Hong Kong Disneyland

What: Spend the most wonderful time of the year at the most magical place on Earth with a trip to Hong Kong Disneyland, which, it hardly needs to be said, goes all out during the festive season. And, during the first two weekends of December, celebrations at the Castle of Magical Dreams will feature jazz superstar Eugene Pao, as well as Crisel Consunji and Jordan Cheng in performances of Disney film classics in their own style; naturally, Disney characters will make special appearances, too.

Get tickets at hongkongdisneyland.com

When: Until January 2 (for afternoon tea), ongoing (for staycation package)

Where: The Ritz-Carlton

What: If your child is truly Tatler, they’ll need no introduction to The Ritz-Carlton. Treat little lords and ladies to enviable experiences, including a Steiff Teddy Bear Festive Afternoon Tea (until January 2), a meet-and-greet with Santa and a choir performance. Families staying as part of the hotel’s Ritz Kids Fun & Thrills package get a tent in the room, access to video games consoles and the playroom, and can take part in an app-based scavenger hunt. Furbabies can get in on the action too, with pastry workshops for owners to learn how to make pet-friendly treats and a Festive Pawfect Stay package that includes in-room pet amenities and costumes. And don’t miss the Ritz’s famous range of seasonal desserts, from stollen to praline to nougat.

For details, go to ritzcarlton.com

When: Until January 2

Where: Pacific Place

What: Father Christmas seems to have a peculiar ability to be everywhere all at once at this time of year, but we know for a fact that one of the best places to meet the jolly man in red and white is within the classy environs of Pacific Place. Hong Kong shopping centres are famous for their festive decorations, but Pacific Place has a programme of fun to accompany the photo opportunity displays: an augmented reality sleigh, a DJ booth, a team of partying reindeers, and a range of workshops, including a “Santa squad training” one aimed at budding performers.

Register at christmas.pacificplace.com.hk 

When: December 22 to 24

Where: Africa Center Hong Kong

What: Send the small ones off to a Christmas camp for the day, courtesy of the Africa Center Hong Kong, which promises a programme of fun, games, learning, cooking, drumming, rapping and dancing. As well as learning about African cultures and traditions, children will take part in STEM-focused activities and get the chance to apply their creativity to making art that they can take home. A buffet lunch is included, and participants even get a certificate at the end of the camp. For ages two to 13. 

For details, visit africacenterhk.com

When: From December 2 to 4

Where: HK City Hall Concert Hall

What: Set up that impressionable youngster for a lifetime of being curious about and conversant in classical music by getting them started small. The Hong Kong Sinfonietta presents a special family-friendly performance based around Hong Kong’s favourite anthropomorphic pig, McDull. Conducted by Yip Wing-sie and featuring members of the Yip’s Children’s Choir, the programme introduces young ears to classics like The Little Drummer Boy, Walking in the Air and Ride of the Valkyries as the star character goes on a search for the true meaning of Christmas.

Tickets on Urbtix. For more details, visit hksl.org

Don’t miss: Island Shangri-La and Friends Raised the Curtain on an Enchanting Christmas Evening

When: Until December 30

Where: The Peninsula Hong Kong

What: The five-star hotel gets a festive makeover this month as the ground floor is transformed into the Grand Salisbury Station and the area outside The Verandah into a miniature Alpine village, complete with The Peninsula Express, a life-sized classic carriage with wooden panels. As guests ensconce themselves in the swanky roomette with a snowy view, they can also enjoy sumptuous meals by The Verandah and the “Teas of Hope” afternoon tea, which comes with sweet treats such as chocolate mulled-wine Yule log, blackcurrant cinnamon macarons, ginger-honey candle cake and assorted Christmas cookies and chocolate bonbons; and savoury bites such as salmon rillettes in cornets, duck confit and potato tartlets. The tea is also available in The Lobby—or rather, the grand station.

Find out more at peninsula.com

When: Until January 2

Where: IFC

What: Rovaniemi, the official hometown of Santa Claus in Finland’s northernmost region of Lapland in the Artic Circle, collaborates with Hong Kong for the first time to recreate Father Christmas’s home in our city by building the Santa Claus Village at IFC’s Oval Atrium. As visitors cross the iconic Welcoming Arch, which resembles the one in Finland, they can meet and greet Santa in his wooden hut. The village also comes with a post office where visitors can send letters to Father Christmas’s office all the way in Finland; an elf workshop where children can help Santa pack and wrap presents through a motion-detection game; and Mrs Claus’ Bakery where kids can prepare digital gingerbread men.

Find out more at ifc.com.hk

When: December 9 to January 1

Where: Airside Plaza, Kai Tak

What: If you need a break from Christmas songs, how about checking out the local pop and indie music gigs this holiday season? Nanfung Group’s Christmas market will feature live performances by local singers Jill Vidal, Alfred Hui, Mansonvibes, Kiri T, XTIE, Rock Hill Street and others. There’ll be plenty of fun elements too such as the first roller skating rink in Kai Tak, a dedicated pet-friendly area, festive experiences that promote sustainability and a market where homegrown boutique shops will sell festive food and drinks, cultural and creative products, handicrafts and pet products. Look forward to themed DJ parties every Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Find out more at airside.com.hk

When: December 9 to 10, 2022

Where: Prison Yard, Tai Kwun

What: If you fancy a classical music concert, check out Tai Kwun’s Prison Yard Festival: Music from Within, where Polish countertenor, dancer, acrobat and model Jakub Józef Orliński, who likes bringing break-dancing moves to classical performances, has his Asian debut this month. While he won’t be showing his dance moves in the Hong Kong show, expect an equally exciting festival finale, as he will be performing with Italian ensemble il Pomo d’Oro, an Edison Award-winning orchestra, known also for being an ambassador of El Sistema Greece, a humanitarian project to provide free musical education to children in Greek refugee camps.

Find out more at taikwun.hk

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