12 arts and culture events in December: Disney Christmas concerts, candlelight dinners and immersive art installations

When: Until January 17, 2026
Where: Whitestone Gallery, 7/F, M Place, Wong Chuk Hang
What: Two South Korean artists—Lee Ufan and Lee Chae—explore the human spirit’s intricate dialogue with nature in Trace of Wind. Lee Ufan, a pioneer of the mid‑20th‑century Japanese “Mono‑ha” movement, focuses on the relationship between materials, emptiness and perception, using natural and industrial elements shaped by minimal intervention. Decades later, Lee Chae’s serene series Blue Flower and Afterimage reimagines these ideas through layered brushstrokes and distinctive blue palettes, evoking the cycles of bloom, decay and renewal. Presented by Whitestone Gallery, this contemplative exhibition invites viewers into a dialogue between generations, capturing the breath of nature and the poetic abstraction of the human soul through rhythm, colour and space.

When: Until February 14, 2026
Where: David Zwirner, Central Market and Tai Hang
What: Felix Gonzalez‑Torres (1957–1996) remains one of the most influential figures in late‑20th‑century conceptual art. His minimalist installations often employ humble materials—light bulbs, sweets, paper stacks—to probe questions of love, mortality and ownership. This monumental David Zwirner presentation extends beyond the gallery into Central Market’s historic double staircase and 10 School Street in Tai Hang. Here, visitors encounter illuminated strings and public‑space interventions that blur boundaries between intimacy and anonymity, longing and community. Each piece evolves through interaction, allowing visitors to take a part of the artwork with them, which is a poignant metaphor for connection and loss. The show expands Gonzalez‑Torres’s legacy as a quiet revolutionary who made the ephemeral eternal.

When: From December 6 to 28, 2025
Where: HKU Hall and The Murray
What: Music takes on a new glow as CandleNight transforms two of Hong Kong’s most storied venues into romantic oases lit by a sea of candles. Presented by Events Group Asia, the concert series is an elegant blend of sound and light that transports audiences from the city’s rush to an ethereal realm. The programme ranges from Disney and Studio Ghibli favourites to Canto‑pop ballads and timeless Christmas melodies, performed by string ensembles within the 1880s‑built HKU Hall and the modernist ambience of The Murray.

Beyond the concerts, two exclusive candlelit Christmas dinners combine fine dining and live music, balancing sophistication and comfort. It’s an unforgettable celebration of romance, nostalgia and gentle illumination this festive season.

When: From December 9 to 12, 2025
Where: Christie’s at The Henderson, Central
What: An uplifting collaboration between Hong Chi Association and Christie’s Auction House, Colours of Community: Art in Motion spotlights artists with intellectual disabilities and their creative perspectives on movement and memory. More than 40 works—from ceramics and paintings to digital illustrations—trace journeys across Victoria Harbour and the West Kowloon Cultural District, highlighting experiences of urban energy and belonging. Each piece reveals minute details of Hong Kong life: its colours, textures and hidden joys. The exhibition celebrates community diversity and art’s transformative power to foster inclusion while elevating the city’s creative spirit. Visitors depart with a renewed sense of connection, proof that the arts can be a shared language for hope and humanity.

When: From December 12 to 28, 2025
Where: Grand Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
What: The Hong Kong Ballet’s beloved The Nutcracker: A Hong Kong Adventure returns for its fifth season, marking an astonishing 100 performances. Director Septime Webre reimagines Tchaikovsky’s classic as a joyful early‑20th‑century Hong Kong fable where Clara, Fritz and the Nutcracker Prince battle the Rat King amidst vibrant peacocks, racing jockeys and floating dim sum. Lavish costumes and ornate sets bring the city’s colonial‑era elegance to life. The ballet’s stirring mix of music and choreography embodies the magic of childhood, the spirit of Christmas and the marriage of East and West that defines Hong Kong’s cultural grandeur. A modern classic of the season.

In case you missed it: The Hong Kong Ballet premieres the world’s first Hong Kong-inspired ‘Nutcracker’ this Christmas

When: From December 12, 2025 to March 3, 2026
Where: Gate33 Gallery, Airside, Kai Tak
What: Alan, short for Artists who Love Animals and Nature, returns with the third chapter of its immersive art‑and‑technology exhibition series, Happy Zoo: Wild Togetherland. Curated by Match Chen of KaCaMa Design Lab, the show features 10 international collectives from Hong Kong, Japan and Italy. Campaign Director Anita Lam and Creative Technology Director Andy Stokes lead the team in exploring the interplay between urban life and wildlife adaptation across six chapters of storytelling. Playful yet philosophical, the series encourages audiences to reflect on coexistence, biodiversity and the delicate humour found in nature’s resilience.

When: From December 13, 2025 to May 3, 2026
Where: M+, West Kowloon
What: M+ presents Asia’s first comprehensive retrospective of the graphic works of Chinese French artist Zao Wou‑Ki (1920–2013), tracing his lifelong printmaking journey from 1949 to 2000. Trained first in China, then in Paris, Zao bridged Chinese ink aesthetics and Western abstract expressionism, becoming a symbol of postwar global art exchange. The show reveals how printmaking was central to his collaborations with writers and artists worldwide, and how it refined his explorations of colour, space and emotional lyricism. An unmissable tribute to a visionary who painted silence and motion in equal measure.

When: From December 14 to 15, 2025
Where: Woodside Biodiversity Centre and Lei Yue Mun Park
What: Presented by Musicus Society, Resonance of Wartime offers four chamber concerts in two beautifully restored heritage venues in Hong Kong’s Eastern District. The society’s artistic director and cellist Trey Lee leads Greek violinist Jonian Ilias Kadesha and local musicians Sophie Leung, Chow Yip‑wai, Martin Kuo, Jia Nan and Matthew Yao through a stirring programme comprising Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 3, Komitas and Coleridge‑Taylor masterpieces. The concerts coincide with the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and include guided tours by the Urban Studies Institute exploring Hong Kong’s wartime legacy. This is an evening where history and music resonate in harmony.

When: December 19, 2025 to January 3, 2026
Where: Arts Pavilion and High Lawn, West Kowloon
What: Under the theme “On the Horizon of Ink”, this year’s UOB Art in Ink Festival blends heritage and innovation through inclusive art experiences, including Braille guides, audio tours and pet-friendly spaces. A highlight, the InkSight 2035 Community Project Showcase, pairs winners of previous Art in Ink Awards with local secondary students to envision the community of 2035 through collaborative works.

At the InkScribble Hub, visitors can explore ink-painting techniques or join InkMagination Workshops led by acclaimed artists such as Chan Keng Tin, Fu Nga Wai, Eric Ho, Rebecca Hon Ngan Ting and Tony Ng Kwun Lun. The series celebrates creativity, accessibility and the forward-looking spirit of the city’s flourishing art scene.

When: From December 19, 2025 to April 2026
Where: Dream by the Sea, Kai Tak Sports Park
What: Multimedia artist Chris Cheung transforms Kai Tak’s harbourside into Hong Kong’s first‑ever immersive art dome in FutureScope. The 12‑metre structure invites visitors into a 360‑degree realm where digital art and celestial cosmos converge through light, sound and motion. Inside, audiences stand beneath panoramic projections suggesting galaxies, dreams and the curves of waveforms. Asserting Hong Kong’s status as a pioneer for immersive new media, Cheung’s creation redefines public engagement with art. Outside, the open sky mirrors his theme of union between the man‑made and natural, inviting visitors to contemplate our bond with technology, art and the universe.

When: From December 18 to 20, 2025
Where: Concert Hall, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
What: Fans of Disney’s award‑winning animation will delight as the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra brings Frozen in Concert to life this December. The orchestra’s lush arrangements of Christophe Beck’s score, together with Kristen Anderson‑Lopez and Robert Lopez’s instantly recognisable songs, immerse audiences in Arendelle’s frosted landscapes. Highlights include live‑to‑film performances of Let It Go and Do You Want to Build a Snowman?, melodies that capture the power of love, courage and sisterhood. This perfect family outing combines cinematic grandeur with orchestral brilliance, ensuring that this much‑loved story feels as magical on stage as it does on screen.

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