5 of the best things to do this weekend in Hong Kong, October 18-20

From the Hong Kong Ballet to the Asian Film Festival and World Shochu and Awamori Festival, our pick of the best things to do this weekend

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A Negroni cocktail made with Hachi mugi shochu at Mizunara: the Library in Hong Kong. The city is hosting the World Shochu and Awamori Festival, one of our five picks of the best things to see or do in Hong Kong between October 18 and 20. Photo: Mizunara: the Library

SCMP Reporter

Published: 3:15pm, 18 Oct 2024Updated: 4:09pm, 18 Oct 2024

There are two festivals you may want to check out this weekend in Hong Kong, plus three hang-out ideas.

1. Hong Kong Asian Film Festival

This year’s Hong Kong Asian Film Festival (HKAFF) promises to be one of the most ambitious yet.

Beyond showcasing many of 2024’s most highly anticipated titles from across the region, as well as a number of acclaimed hits from the global festival circuit, this year’s programme shines a spotlights on New Kazakh Cinema, has a sidebar examining how Palestinian filmmakers are documenting the Israel-Gaza war, and a New Talent Award section elevating new filmmakers from the region. Read our recommendations

Dayo Wong (left) and Michael Hui in a still from The Last Dance, one of the two opening films of the Hong Kong Asian Film Festival 2024.

The HKAFF runs until November 10 at various venues.

For more films and shows to watch this weekend in Hong Kong, click here.

2. Hong Kong Ballet: The Butterfly Lovers

The Butterfly Lovers is based on a classical Chinese romance between modest scholar Liang Shanbo and proud heiress Zhu Yingtai, who meet while studying in the same school – one that Zhu could only enter by pretending to be a man.

Choreographer Ricky Hu Songwei directed the dance programme for The Butterfly Lovers.