Cover Bubble Planet makes its Hong Kong debut at Kai Tak Cruise Terminal
Bubble Planet makes its Hong Kong debut at Kai Tak Cruise Terminal
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Dragon boat drums, European football giants, and a city that knows how to put on a show: here's why Hong Kong is the only summer escape worth booking right now
Some cities save their best for winter. Hong Kong is not one of them. Come summer, the city shifts into a higher register entirely—the harbour alive with dragon boats, the stadiums filling with football fans, the museums and theme parks and waterfront terminals buzzing with the kind of programming that takes months to pull together and looks, from the outside, entirely effortless. This year, with the Hong Kong Summer Fun campaign running until August 31, the city has assembled one of its most ambitious seasonal calendars yet: a 50th-anniversary dragon boat festival that has outgrown its own weekend, four of Europe's most decorated football clubs arriving at Kai Tak, an M+ exhibition that reframes the logic of everyday life, and enough travel rewards stacked into the Hong Kong Tourism Board’s Summer Deals programme to make the case for booking sooner rather than later.
Read more: Why Hong Kong should be on every art lover’s calendar this year
The drums are beating on Victoria Harbour
Above The Sun Life Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Festival marks its 50th anniversary this year
The Sun Life Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Festival marks its 50th anniversary this year
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Start at the water. The Sun Life Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Festival (June 19–July 1) marks its 50th anniversary this year, and the occasion has been used well: what was a races weekend has expanded into a 13-day festival along the Avenue of Stars. More than 220 teams from 16 countries compete across 21 races in Victoria Harbour on June 27–28, but the draw extends well beyond the finish line. A Dragon Boat Food Lane, Beer Garden, and a 22-metre traditional wooden dragon boat installation give the waterfront the texture of genuine celebration. Heritage workshops—fishing net plaiting, blown sugar making, traditional lye rice dumpling making—offer the kind of cultural encounter that no tour package can manufacture.
Four clubs, two matches, one unmissable weekend
In late July, Hong Kong makes its case as Asia's premier live sports destination. The Hong Kong Football Festival (July 31–August 5) brings Manchester City, FC Internazionale Milano, Chelsea FC and Juventus to the state-of-the-art 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium for two blockbuster fixtures. Manchester City and Chelsea will also hold open training sessions—a rare opportunity to watch top-flight European clubs at close quarters outside their home grounds. For football fans who have spent the early summer tracking the World Cup, the timing could hardly be better calibrated.
Wonder, by the harbour
Above Bubble Planet makes its Hong Kong debut at Kai Tak Cruise Terminal
Bubble Planet makes its Hong Kong debut at Kai Tak Cruise Terminal
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A short distance from the stadium, Bubble Planet makes its Hong Kong debut from June 29 at Kai Tak Cruise Terminal. The globally acclaimed immersive experience—digital art, optical illusions, virtual reality and multi-sensory installations—transforms a harbour terminal into something considerably stranger and more absorbing. It is the sort of attraction that earns its keep precisely because it resists easy categorisation.
The design is in the details
Above ‘Design Ah! Experience the Wonder of Everyday Design’ opened at M+ on June 27 (Photo: Keisuke Kitamura)
‘Design Ah! Experience the Wonder of Everyday Design’ opened at M+ on June 27 (Photo: Keisuke Kitamura)
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For those who prefer their summer programming with intellectual scaffolding, ‘Design Ah! Experience the Wonder of Everyday Design’ opened at M+ on June 27 and runs through January 2027. The exhibition turns the mundane geometry of daily life into interactive discovery—the hidden design logic behind eating, walking, sitting. Hands-on games, immersive audiovisual environments and interactive installations make it as engaging for children as for adults with a professional interest in the subject.
Happy birthday, Jia Jia and De De
Above Giant panda twins Jia Jia and De De turn two this summer
Giant panda twins Jia Jia and De De turn two this summer
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Giant panda twins Jia Jia and De De turn two this summer, and the Pandastic Summer Birthday Celebration (June 26–August 31) brings all six of Ocean Park's giant pandas—Ying Ying, Le Le, An An, Ke Ke and the twins—into a programme of themed installations, photo moments and character experiences. It is unabashedly joyful, and correctly so.
Pixar takes the park
Above Hong Kong Disneyland’s first Pixar Summer Fest takes place from June 12 through August 31,
Hong Kong Disneyland’s first Pixar Summer Fest takes place from June 12 through August 31,
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From June 12 through August 31, Hong Kong Disneyland’s first Pixar Summer Fest centres on an all-new eight-minute nighttime spectacular, Pixar Pals Spectacular, combining drones, fountains and projections across the Castle of Magical Dreams. The largest-ever Friendtastic! parade, the returning Pixar Water Play Street Party!, and a full roster of character encounters give families something to do at every hour of the day.
Full details on events, offers and the Summer Getaway Pack are at discoverhongkong.com/eng/events/summer-fun.html.
