Being Human Festival at HKU

 

Being Human Festival is a global celebration of humanities research, coming to Hong Kong for the first time in 2026. Events include workshops, walks, conversations, performances, and shared meals.

Started in the UK and now celebrated worldwide, with national festivals in the UK and the US and a growing network of international hubs, including Melbourne, Australia, Being Human Festival is a fixture of the global humanities calendar. In 2026, HKU is proud to join this global partnership and bring the festival to Hong Kong for the first time, under a theme shared by festival centres worldwide: Crossroads — a place of discovery, encounter and change.

Supported by:

Where It Began: Being Human Festival in the UK

Being Human Festival was founded in the UK by the School of Advanced Study, University of London, in 2014. Since then, the festival has grown into an annual event that engages hundreds of researchers nationally, partners with hundreds of community and cultural organisations and reaches diverse audiences and communities, and it is now at the heart of a global Being Human partnership.

It is now a long-running national public engagement festival taking academic research out into all corners of the community and providing new perspectives on research. The festival continues to be led by the School of Advanced Study, University of London, in partnership with the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the British Academy.

Learn more about Being Human Festival in the UK.