Hong Kong Arts Festival — Celebration of Spanish Dances

The Challenge

The Hong Kong Arts Festival, the city's most celebrated arts festival, sought to mark its 54th edition with a public-facing experience for one full month in the lobby of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre – a high-traffic cultural landmark.  

With the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust as the sole sponsor, the ambition was to celebrate the richness of Spanish dance while drawing in passersby and introducing new audiences to the festival’s Spanish programme. The brief required an engaging and educational exhibition within a highly compact footprint, where visibility, accessibility and storytelling needed to work hand in hand. Within these spatial and logistical constraints, the goal was clear: capture attention instantly, immerse visitors meaningfully, and leave a lasting impression. 

The Approach

LORE imagined and beautifully designed the exhibition to bring the vibrant energy of a traditional Spanish town square to life. It was the first-ever public display of costumes and musical instruments from the Ballet Nacional de España, offering a rare and intimate glimpse into the artistry behind one of Spain's most iconic dance institutions.

The festive, open-air plaza, with cobblestone-patterned flooring and colourful bunting garlands, had distinctive architectural facades that mimicked typical Spanish shopfronts and cultural venues: the immersive gateway transported visitors from the bustle of Tsim Sha Tsui into the passionate rhythm, colour and emotion of Spain.

Conceived as a narrative journey, the experience unfolds from two striking entrance arches into a series of curated invitations of exploration and interaction. Radiating around a kiosk, which traditionally serves as a focal point for music and community gatherings in a Spanish town square, are several beautifully stylised "facades", each dedicated to a distinct genre of Spanish dance: the Flamenco Tavern, the Bolero School, the Folklore Café, and the Theatre of Stylised Dance.

Beyond the visual spectacle, playful touchpoints included tactile props, thoughtful details and an interactive mirror installation that transforms visitors into flamenco dancers for spontaneous, shareable moments of joy. Custom-designed trivia cards allow visitors to carry the stories of Spanish dance beyond the physical space. The space suits audiences of all ages and abilities, with QR codes for more information online (https://2026-exhibition-artsfestival.org/en). In the compact footprint, every inch was carefully orchestrated to maximise the experience and engagement and create a seamless flow between discovery, interaction and reflection.

LORE managed the project end-to-end, from spatial concept and design development to fabrication, content integration and on-site execution — delivering a unified environment that combines storytelling, interactivity and operational precision.

Result

This public exhibition’s location, duration and timing led to a reach of tens of thousands of visitors across its run – many encountering Spanish dance for the first time. They took their time to visit, and the space was packed prior to every live performance at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Trivia cards were replenished daily. The selfie mirror generated a continuous stream of organic social content throughout the festival period.

Accolades

"Most sincere gratitude to you all for the contributions you and your team made. This has been an amazing journey, and I think we accomplished something more beautiful than we initially expected, not just in terms of the design and outcome, but also the trust and confidence we built together.  The exhibition indeed received great compliments; most of them were verbally conveyed to us.  I hope we can work together again in the future!"

Project Manager, Hong Kong Arts Festival Society

"Thank you again for your team’s vibrant creativity and continuous efforts looking after the exhibition"

Consultant, Hong Kong Arts Festival Society