Mediterranean Arts Festival

Venus Lam, Assistant Manager
Festivals Office
Level 5, Adm Building,
Hong Kong Cultural Centre,
10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui,
Kowloon, Hong Kong China
Phone: +852 2741 1054
Fax: +852 2371 4171

The Latin description Mare Mediterraneum or “sea in the middle of the earth” vividly conveys the Mediterranean’s enclosed position and its central importance to the lands surrounding it. Bordering Europe, Africa and Asia, the Mediterranean region has been a major cradle of civilisation, nurturing sea-faring adventurers and trade, together with cultures and artistic performances that are both steeped in tradition and wonderfully diverse.

The program of the Mediterranean Arts Festival heads first to Italy, where splendid, 17th century-style Venetian carnivals and masquerades continue to be celebrated. It then moves east to Greece. Here, the influence of the Byzantine and Ottoman empires is still evident in the country’s music, and the theatrical arts extend back 2,500 years to the Greek tragedies that remain as significant today as when they were first performed. The exhilarating journey next proceeds to Turkey, where the whirling dervishes and a mystical, 800-year ceremony await. Heading south to North Africa, the Festival takes you to Egypt, land of the belly-dancer, and on to Morocco and Tunisia to listen to the modern-day musical explorers who fuse Gnawa and Sufi music with contemporary sounds. Rounding off the dynamic tour is a visit to the Iberian Peninsula, home of soulful fado and the intoxicating rhythms of Flamenco. Come and discover this enchanting world of music, dance, sound and colour right here in Hong Kong!

http://www.medifestival.gov.hk