The West Kowloon Cultural District is the largest cultural project in Hong Kong to date.

Among its numerous visions is the cultivation of a fertile ground for t he arts that will catalyze professional development of local arts groups, foster mature growth of the local arts ecosystem and enrich Hong Kong's cultural conte nt by bringing more quality arts and cultural events to the community. Organic Facilities Development The mix, size, location and phasing of the performing arts facilities is the res ult of close collaboration with the Hong Kong arts community. This sizeable proj ect will be developed in two phases. It is hoped that such gradual development w ill contribute to the District's organic growth and foster synergies among facil ities. To be completed by 2020, Phase 1 consists of the three centres: Xiqu Centre, Mus ic Centre, Centre for Contemporary Performance, plus the Lyric Theatre, Medium T heatre, Freespace with the Music Box and the Outdoor Theatre, and the Resident C ompany Centres. Find out more about Performing Arts Phase 1 Facilities. Two commercially oriented venues, namely the Mega Performance Venue and the Musi cal Theatre, will be commissioned through additional investment through alternat ive funding schemes. Read more about these two venues. The utilisation of Phase 1 facilities and new demands generated will advise the development of Phase 2 facilities. Tentatively, they include the Great Theatre, Xiqu Small Theatre in Xiqu Centre and Medium Theatre II/Chamber Hall. Find out m ore about Performing Arts Phase 2 Facilities.

Research, Stakeholder Communication and Activities A sustainable and vibrant cultural district requires much more than building sop histicated facilities. Building audience, nurturing cultural workforce, finding optimal governance models, setting up right venue policies, rich research resour ces in arts and culture are just a few things among our top priorities. We have been working with researchers, cultural organisations and artists on var ious research projects to identify local needs and plan for the measures needed to support sustainable artistic growth of the Cultural District. Go to the Perf orming Arts Resources page. Meanwhile, we have been organising and supporting different interim events like music festivals, community cultural participation projects, forums, workshops an d more to build talents and audience. 1. Freespace (Music Box, Freespace and Outdoor Theatre) Situated inside the Great Park, Freespace is a concept facility that will provis ionally include a live music venue for up to 300 audiences, a larger performance space for experimental theatre and live music, and an outdoor theatre with seat ing for 500 people. With a raw and rusty environment, Freespace aspires to becom e a hip hub for live music, theatre, dance and other cutting edge cultural event s. Top

2. Xiqu Centre (Phase 1 includes Main Theatre, Teahouse and Arts Education Facil

ities) Housing a 1,100-seat Main Theatre and a Teahouse featuring traditional Chinese p erformances, this signature facility is designed to attract and present the fine st examples of Cantonese operas and other xiqu forms. Equipped with sufficient a rts education facilities for up to 400 students, it will become the home base fo r the development and preservation of Xiqu in the region. Top

3. Centre for Contemporary Performance (3 Blackboxes with Arts Education Facilit ies) This facility includes three differently designed and equipped blackboxes with 4 00, 250 and 150 seats respectively to suit various scales of professional perfor mances including theatre, dance and multimedia arts. Implemented with substantia l arts education facilities for up to 400 students, the Centre will also become a popular location for performing arts educational activities in the District. Top

4. Lyric Theatre Eclectic, diverse and international in character, this versatile 1,200-seat thea tre aims to fulfill the needs of ballet, opera, dance, musicals and other theatr ical performances. This facility is clustered with an outdoor cinema, a free pub lic space presenting a range of short films, screenings of major international e vents and simulcasts of events in other District venues. Top

5. Medium Theatre I Home for mainstream Hong Kong theatre and dance, this proscenium theatre with 60 0 seats is designed to meet the needs of spoken word theatre and various forms o f dance. This dedicated facility will enhance artistic exchange in the local sce ne and stimulate the growth of local arts groups in terms of their audience size and artistic standard. Top

6. Music Centre (Concert Hall, Recital Hall with Arts Education Facilities) This cluster is composed of a 1,800-seat signature Concert Hall with world-class acoustics for unamplified performances, plus a 300-seat Recital Hall well suite d for chamber music and recitals. Similar to the previous two Centres, the Music Centre will also house its own arts education facilities that can accommodate u p to 200 students. Top

7. Resident Company Centres The Resident Company Centres will provide as much as 120,000 square feet of spac e for administration, creative work and rehearsals to facilitate partnership, ex changes and professional development for local arts groups. Professional compani es will be invited to be our district residency partners. Other various residenc y schemes will also be offered in all major performing arts venues above.