French May Arts Festival, French GourMay Food and Wine Festival starts March 16 – see programme

From March to June, two highly-anticipated cultural festivals join forces to forge cultural connections between East and West, inspiring Hong Kong with the best of French arts, wine and gastronomy

The French May Arts Festival (French May) and French GourMay Food and Wine Festival (French GourMay) 2024 are delighted to co-announce the launch of this year’s programmes. This year, French May presents over 100 arts and cultural programmes,spanning photography, circus, music, dance, and theatre.

From May 1 to 31, the 15th edition of French GourMay will also take Hong Kong and Macau on a culinary voyage, bringing delicious delights from the south of France in collaboration with the Occitanie region. Throughout May, partnering restaurants, retailers and learning centres will celebrate this region’s gastronomic culture with dedicated menus, special offers and thematic workshops. Highlights include special events such as the French GourMay Markets offering an array of French delicacies at Central Market and Nina Mall.

French May Arts Festival

This year, through partnerships with M+, Tai Kwun, and others, French May is reaching out to the community to share the best of French arts and culture. Programmes include:

The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Noir & Blanc – A Story of Photography
Co-presented by French May and M+, in collaboration with the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF), and exclusively sponsored by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. As the first public presentation of BnF’s collection in Asia, this exhibition features over 170 internationally acclaimed photographers and showcases more than 250 important photographs from BnF’s collection, complemented by over 30 photographs from the M+ Collections. This is the first exhibition at M+, French May Arts Festival dedicated to exploring the medium of photography and is also the opening programme of the 2024 French May Arts Festival.

An encounter between global music and dance styles: Symphony of New Worlds
Celebrating the electrifying encounter between music and movement styles from around the globe, conductor Zahia Ziouani leads France’s Divertimento Orchestra and the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong in Symphony of New Worlds, performing classical dance masterpieces from Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America. As they weave a tapestry of buoyant brand-new rhythms and smash through the boundaries of tradition, choreographer Mourad Merzouki and his Compagnie Käfig unleash a medley of movement, fusing hip hop, breakdance, martial arts, and contemporary dance into breathtaking
spectacle.

Beautiful Harmony – Piano and Flute Duo by Niu Niu and Cocomi
In this concert sponsored by the First Initiative Foundation (FIF), internationally renowned pianist Niu Niu and rising star flautist Cocomi, weave melodies together and present a captivating performance. With Niu Niu’s masterful interpretations of the piano, Cocomi’s sensational touch on the flute, and a mesmerising poetry reading, Beautiful Harmony takes the audience on an extraordinary musical journey, immersing them in a world of captivating melodies and the sublime beauty of poetry.

Two-year Hong Kong—France theatre exchange programme: Let the Mirror Speak
Now entering the final phase of the Hong Kong-France theatre exchange project, both playwrights and directors Wu Hoi Fai (Hong Kong) and Nicolas Kerszenbaum (France) will present their new works onstage. Nicolas Kerszenbaum’s Good Fortune depicts the living conditions of city dwellers by interweaving folklore beliefs with theatrical imagination; while the ethno-drama Pas de deux à Hong Kong, which was developed from a play reading performance last year into an on-stage production this year, sheds light on the lives of the French community in Hong Kong. Altogether, these two original theatre productions present mirror notions of a city’s authentic character.

Other programme highlights include Möbius in May at French Rendezvous in Tai Kwun, exclusively sponsored by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, contemporary dance performance LoveTrain 2020, jazz music performance The Two Sides of Thierry Maillard, and more.

Tickets for featured programmes are available at URBTIX www.urbtix.hk. The festival runs from 16 March 16 to June 30.

French GourMay Food and Wine Festival

From May 1 to 31, 2024, French GourMay is celebrating the Tastes of the South of France from Occitanie through an extensive network of partners. From the verdant mountains to magnificent seas, this vibrant land offers a wide range of culinary specialties. As the largest wine-growing region in France, Occitanie’s wines deliver a diverse palette of flavours just like the region’s distinct landscapes. This region of France is also well-known for its quality agriculture, cattle, and fishing products that nurture the region’s splendid gastronomic traditions. With exceptional wines and delicacies, these regional specialties will delight all gourmets in Hong Kong and Macau.

Restaurant offers
From casual dining to Michelin-star offers, visitors can try out carefully curated menus and promotions at participating restaurants. Culinary specialities from Occitanie such as foie gras, Roquefort cheese, duck magret, or the region’s seasonal fruits and vegetables will inspire chefs to create unique dining experiences.

Retailer promotions
Celebrating the festive month, numerous online and physical shops will provide special offers on French wines and gourmet products. Wine merchants, in particular, will mark the occasion with special selections of wines from Occitanie, which covers appellations from Languedoc, Roussillon, Southwestern France, and Rhône Valley.

Educational events
Food lovers will have the opportunity to participate in thematic wine tastings and cooking lessons at specific learning centres, where they can discover an array of aromas and flavours provided by the regional specialities from the Occitanie region.

French GourMay Markets
In partnership with Chinachem Group, the festival will hold a 4-day event at Central Market (May 2 to 5) and Nina Mall (June 7 to 10), where connoisseurs can shop for various French delicacies. Coinciding with this special occasion, French contemporary dance company Kham will also take over the premises with live performances and tailored workshops for all.

More detailed information for individual programmes and activities is available on the websites of the French May and French Gourmay.

Also see: Hong Kong’s ‘wuxia’ literary giant Jin Yong who captivated generations, commemorated