After three years of travel restrictions and social distancing measures during the global pandemic, the annual International Arts Carnival (IAC) finally returns to full strength this summer! Top-notch artists from Hong Kong and abroad present an array of performances covering dance, music, theatre and acrobatics all injected with interactive, arts-tech and multimedia elements to delight, excite and inspire children and families. Combined with workshops, guided tours and online programmes, we aim to curate a multifaceted and fun-filled cultural experience, both within and beyond the theatre.

Kicking off IAC 2023 is a special guest from a prehistoric jungle — a dinosaur! The dinosaur is a protagonist in Sam and Her Amazing Book of Dinosaurs, a long-awaited international collaboration. The award-winning UK-based design powerhouse 59 Productions sets the stage for Hong Kong Ballet’s consummate dancers with lively animation and imaginative scenography, bringing the Dinoworld to life. Four years after their sold-out debut in Hong Kong, the Orthemis Orchestra from Spain returns with their mission to debunk conventional notions of classical music in their latest production Disconcerto, Australia’s Slingsby Theatre presents Emil and the Detectives, an interactive adaptation of the eponymous detective story beloved by children for a century — Emil is calling for children’s help to outwit the criminal!

Likewise, there is never a lack of creativity among local artists. In Living Creatures, young creators Alice Ma, Ronly Tong and Mary Jane Tang team up to craft an immersive dance theatre experience for newborns up to 24-month-olds, carefully designed to stimulate their sensory development. For music-loving children, don’t forget to check out Voice of the Woods by Yat Po Singers. An ingenious plot combined with the choral theatre company’s virtuosic a cappella singing guarantees a feast for the eyes and ears.

This summer, we invite you and your children to join us in stage programmes by local and overseas artists, as well as film screenings and parent-child activities organised by LCSD museums and libraries.