Be dazzled by the grand Christmas tree and spectacular contemporary circus shows in the heart of heritage.
Event details
Experience HKJC x Tai Kwun—Simple Gifts of Joy 2025, where festive lights, contemporary circus marvels, and heartwarming music turn Hong Kong into a living celebration of giving and togetherness.
Circus Plays
Returning as the shining star of Tai Kwun’s holiday line–up, Circus Plays continues to elevate Hong Kong’s festive calendar with international artistry and boundary-pushing performance. The programme features top circus performers from Hong Kong, Belgium, France, Korea, Denmark and the USA in a vast array of spectacular shows. Circus Plays not only presents the varied faces and extraordinary power of circus art, but also provides room for exchange and collaboration, nurtures young talent, promotes Hong Kong’s contemporary circus, and creates more possibilities for the art.
| Event information | Details |
|---|---|
| Date | 12 December 2025 – 1 January 2026 |
| Venue | Site-wide, Tai Kwun |
| Fee | Free admission (Ticket purchase required for selected programmes) |
Circus Plays
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De Cuyper vs De Cuyper
Two juggling brothers from Belgium, are crossing swords in fierce battles. On top of simple club juggling, the friends and foes spice up their game with elements from boxing to volleyball to remote–controlled car racing, plus their self–invented rules and daring stunts.
Top Down
La Triochka, the acclaimed all–female French trio, explores power, balance, and empathy through breathtaking acrobatics in Top Down. This intimate performance reimagines hierarchy as harmony, celebrating trust, reconciliation, and shared strength.
Tree, Trees, Tres
In Tree, Trees, Tres, a forest is to be built in the city to restore balance between the virtual and real worlds in Hong Kong. Wooden blocks and plates become the means, with which the acrobatic threesome deliver acts and play Jenga. Despite all the shakes and wobbles, the trio bond together and lend each other a hand whenever needed—all for the sake of creating a new balance.
Tree, Trees, Tres Family Workshop
The Korean team 64J guides participants in exploring the sense of balance, through basic acrobatic skills, balance activities using objects, and interesting hands–on exercises, they breathe and move together with participants, share multiple ways of achieving balance and connect with each other in moments between balance and imbalance—all in the present.
Circus Bootcamp—Time after Time
Tai Kwun becomes the ultimate training ground and incubator for aspiring young circus artists. Five young circus practitioners who stood out from the crowd attended a six–month special training programme and taking the stage and making their debut.
Circus Reels—Throw to Glow
In Circus Reels—Throw to Glow, five artists from Hong Kong and France will take turns delivering one mini work after another, with the theme of “Throw”, showing precisely to the audience their artistic journey and expertise.
The Genesis
Twelve world-class performers from the Copenhagen Collective make their debut at Tai Kwun with the Asian premiere of their acrobatic poem, The Genesis. Through intricate group formations and orchestration, carve mesmerising human sculptures with their flawless physiques.
Spiral Slide
Wes Peden turns juggling into pure spectacle with Spiral Slide. Inspired by Sumo, playgrounds, and pop culture, he fuses punk flair with dazzling precision such as swirling clubs, bouncing balls, and kaleidoscopic illusions create an electrifying world of motion and wonder.
Master Class—Contemporary Ball Juggling with Wes Peden
Juggling master Wes Peden will guide participants through the gist of his ball juggling and share the secrets to his success. From traditional techniques and simple ideas to eye–opening formations and formats.
Asian Circus Focus
Artists around Asia will gather again to shine in Tai Kwun. Hong Kong–born, England–based artist Louiseanne Wong’s ingenious mix of dance, circus, parkour and theatre; Beijingese mime performer Wang Zi’s blind box show; and Taiwanese juggler Huang Yi’s diabolo showcase offer together some glimpses into the vibrant landscape of Asian circus.
Kaleidoscope
Kaleidoscope features three veteran Korean mime artists portraying women’s lives through nine humorous, heartfelt sketches. Exploring love, marriage, aging, and family pressures, their wordless performance expresses the struggles and spirit of modern womanhood, proving that movement alone can reveal life’s deepest emotions and shared human experiences.
Ting Koo-ki Mad Skills Battle
Drawing the curtain on this year’s Circus Plays, circus and juggling wizards from all around the world will gather at Tai Kwun again to show their chops, raring to knock out their opponents—one at a time!
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