The Fifth Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Culture and Arts Festival Opens in Guangzhou

GUANGZHOU, China--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The fifth Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) Culture and Arts Festival opened on September 16 at the Guangzhou Opera House. The event is co-sponsored by China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Guangdong Provincial Government, and the Governments of the Hong Kong and Macao SARs.

Spanning a month across 11 cities, the festival features more than 100 performances, 19 exhibitions, and over 150 community events. Programs fall into five categories: the “Arts in the Bay” performance series, “Resonance in Arts” lectures, “Shared Aesthetics” exhibitions, “Art in Daily Life” public activities, and the “Radiance of Arts” performing arts fair.

The opening concert, “Symphony of the Greater Bay Area,” presented seven original compositions showcasing Guangdong’s recent symphonic achievements. International highlights include the Greek National Opera’s debut in China with La Traviata and Matthew Bourne’s groundbreaking all-male Swan Lake. Russia’s Vakhtangov Theatre brought Eugene Onegin and Uncle Vanya, while five renowned musical theatre stars, including Brad Little, performed 26 classic numbers.

Upcoming performances will further enrich the program: the French musical Molière in October, China National Opera & Dance Drama Theater’s Confucius, the National Theatre of China’s The Yellow Storm, and Shanghai Yue Opera House’s adaptation of A Dream of Red Mansions. Guangdong Yue Opera Theatre will stage Samsui Women, celebrating female resilience, while the Southern Song and Dance Troupe’s I Like You blends Yingge Dance with contemporary theatre.

A central component of this year’s edition is the “Radiance of Arts”—the 16th China (Guangzhou) International Performing Arts Fair, scheduled for September 25–28. Nearly 300 institutions from 20 countries and regions will participate, presenting close to 1,000 productions and fostering international exchange.

By combining world-class productions with community engagement, the festival not only enriches cultural life in the Greater Bay Area but also strengthens the region’s position as a hub for international performing arts.