Hong Kong’s first Being Human Festival runs from 5 to 15 November 2026, but it is not one large exhibition on the HKU campus. This selection offers three ways to participate: brainwave-responsive art in Sheung Wan, a family-themed zine workshop in Admiralty, and spoken-word poetry in Tai Hang. Choose one by language, booking time and access requirements, then build a relaxed half-day around it.
Three different kinds of participation
The HKU Faculty of Arts announcement confirms the theme, “Crossroads”. The programme brings humanities research into workshops, artistic experiences and community conversations at venues on and off campus. It suits visitors willing to pause, participate and hear other people’s stories. It is not a single all-day venue accessed with one universal pass.
Checked on 27 October 2026, this guide selects three projects. It does not include the Guangzhou programme or treat registration for one project as admission to everything. All times below are Hong Kong time. Places require the organiser’s confirmation; an accessible webpage is not evidence that a session still has availability.
| What you want to do | Selected project and time | First check |
|---|---|---|
| Explore the relationship between thought and art | Resonant Reveries open hours: 6 and 9–13 November, 12:00–19:00; 7–8 and 14–15 November, 12:00–16:00 | Book a 60-minute slot; open hours do not mean unrestricted walk-in entry |
| Make a zine and discuss family stories | Our Families: 7 or 14 November, 10:00–13:00 | Select one workshop, rather than booking both days |
| Listen to poetry as an audience member | Spoken Word: 15 November, 17:00–19:00 | Register separately; attendance at the 8 November writing workshop is not required |
Sheung Wan: open experience or a language-specific group session
The Resonant Reveries project page describes Chris Cheung’s (h0nh1m) installation, which uses a portable EEG sensor to translate participants’ brainwave changes into the movement of suspended pendulums. This is an artistic and research experience, not a treatment or medical screening service.
The venue is Peace Lane Studio, 1 Ping On Lane, Sheung Wan. Open sessions are booked in 60-minute slots for up to twelve people; participants may arrive and leave within their registered slot. The last bookable weekday slot starts at 18:00 and the last weekend slot at 15:00. Closing at 19:00 or 16:00 does not mean that is the latest time to begin an experience.
Separate weekend group meditation sessions run from 17:00 to 18:00 for a maximum of eight people. They include guided meditation, an interactive artwork experience and an artistic-team Q&A. 7 and 14 November are in Cantonese; 8 and 15 November are in English. For an English-speaking visitor who wants to join the discussion, selecting the right date matters. An open-session booking and a group-session booking are distinct arrangements.
Visitors are asked to remove shoes before entering the floor-mat area, silence devices, avoid food and drink, and move slowly around the pendulums. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Crucially, the project page says Ping On Lane is accessible only by stairs and directs visitors to the Hollywood Road staircase entrance. Anyone needing a fully step-free route should ask the organiser whether participation is feasible; an indoor event does not imply lift access.
Admiralty: spend three hours making a family-themed zine
Our Families: Myths, Truths, and Futures combines family history with hands-on making. Using historical Family Planning Association of Hong Kong posters as discussion material, participants cut, rearrange and assemble zines to consider the many forms and stories of family beyond an idealised conventional image.
The venue is Asia Society Hong Kong Center, 9 Justice Drive, Admiralty. Choose 7 or 14 November, 10:00–13:00. The organiser asks each participant to attend one session; the registration form specifies doors at 09:45 and light refreshments. Allow the full three hours, then plan lunch and a break before another stop. Light refreshments are not a complete day’s meal plan.
This is more than collecting a souvenir from a craft stall. It suits visitors happy to examine images, share family perspectives and experiment with collage. If you only want a short photo stop, the other options’ clearer viewing or audience format may fit better. The project page does not give a single language standard for all workshop participation; tell the organiser about English or Cantonese needs, a child’s intended participation, or requested assistance when registering.
A follow-up printing session is mentioned for 15 November, with details to be announced during the workshops. This is not an invitation for someone who missed the workshop to arrive at a guessed time. Travellers leaving Hong Kong should plan around their confirmed 7 or 14 November session, rather than rely on an unpublished follow-up schedule.
Tai Hang: hear poetry on the 15th without attending the writing class
The Writing and Performing Poetry page distinguishes two events. The 8 November writing and performance workshop is designed for young women in Hong Kong, working primarily in English while drawing on Cantonese or other languages. The 15 November Spoken Word event welcomes the wider public, including people who did not attend the workshop.
The selected reading takes place on 15 November, 17:00–19:00, at Villa Haw Par, 15A Tai Hang Road, Hong Kong. It features poet Bonnie Wai-Lee Kwong and work shared by participants, with optional open-mic slots. Being an audience member does not require performing. Anyone hoping to share writing should confirm its thematic fit and arrangements instead of assuming unlimited open-mic places.
The writing workshop is at Nose in the Books, 3/F, 54 Yun Ping Road, Causeway Bay: a different date and venue, with staircase access only. The project page states that Villa Haw Par has a lift and accessible bathrooms. If you are attending the reading, save the Villa Haw Par address rather than assuming that the shared project name means the same building.
The reading registration form gives conflicting door-opening information: one statement says fifteen minutes before the event, while another says 16:30. The 17:00 start, 19:00 finish and address agree. Use the final confirmation email for sign-in instructions. Our planning suggestion is to be nearby with a thirty- to forty-five-minute buffer; this does not promise early admission.
Registration, costs and photography consent
Start from the organiser’s registration directory and enter the chosen project, checking date and venue again. The forms examined ask for names, email and participant group; the zine workshop also requires choosing one session. Keep the actual organiser confirmation. Submitting a form alone should not be treated as guaranteed admission.
The selected project pages reviewed do not publish a single common fee schedule. Do not assume that the whole festival is free or that one price includes every experience. “Free seating” on the reading form refers to unreserved seating; those words alone do not establish whether there is an admission charge. Confirm any charge, materials and separate companion registration with the organiser. Budget for meals and city transport separately.
The zine and reading forms also include consent language covering photography or filming and future promotional use. If you have concerns about appearing in images, ask beforehand whether an arrangement is possible. Read the form as well as the event title.
Build a half-day around one activity
An editorial suggestion for 7 or 14 November is the morning zine workshop in Admiralty, followed by lunch and rest. A confirmed Sheung Wan Cantonese group session can be a separate evening option if the walking and travel suit you. The 13:00 finish in Admiralty does not place you at the next venue: include the city connection and the final walk.
English-speaking visitors could choose the 8 November Sheung Wan group session at 17:00–18:00. On 15 November, however, that English session overlaps with the Tai Hang reading at 17:00–19:00. Choose one rather than treating them as consecutive events. Spend the remaining time in the selected neighbourhood. If a session has no space, use an ordinary walk or visit as your alternative, rather than an unconfirmed workshop.
The Asia Society walkway photograph is a historical view of the site. It helps explain the campus-like setting, but does not establish today’s opening, event entrance or an entirely step-free route. Asia Society and Villa Haw Par have the facilities described on the project pages; still confirm the actual approach and assistance needed. The Sheung Wan staircase is a constraint to consider when selecting an activity, not at the last minute.
The last event in this selection finishes at 19:00 on 15 November, after which this guide remains a record of the edition. This does not mean every other festival activity ends at 19:00. Recheck project pages and confirmation emails before travelling; an old programme, a summary table or a promotional headline is not a substitute for the current arrangement.
Your pre-journey checklist
- Choose interactive art, zine-making or poetry, then check language and date.
- Distinguish open hours from a booked sixty-minute slot and weekend group meditation.
- Choose one zine workshop; the 15 November reading can be booked independently.
- Confirm the address, stairs, lifts and any requested access assistance.
- Keep the organiser’s confirmation and check costs, materials and photography consent.
- On 15 November, choose between the overlapping Sheung Wan English meditation and Tai Hang reading.
Sources & further reading
This article draws on the media coverage and public information below. Event and transport arrangements can change; check the latest details before travelling.
- HKU Arts: inaugural Hong Kong festival announcementarts.hku.hk (Opens in a new tab)
- Organiser: Resonant Reveries sessions and accessbeinghumanfestival.hku.hk (Opens in a new tab)
- Organiser: Our Families zine workshopsbeinghumanfestival.hku.hk (Opens in a new tab)
- Organiser: writing workshop and Spoken Wordbeinghumanfestival.hku.hk (Opens in a new tab)
- Organiser: 2026 registration directorybeinghumanfestival.hku.hk (Opens in a new tab)
Make it your journey
Confirm the activity you most want to attend, then build a half-day around it. Keeping its precise address, confirmed time and your accommodation together in one itinerary is more useful than simply writing “HKU humanities festival” in the diary.
