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.

Held each year in cities from London to Melbourne to North Carolina, Being Human Festival is a fixture of the global humanities calendar. In 2026, HKU is proud to bring it 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:

Past Festivals 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 to an annual event that engages hundreds of researchers nationally, partners with hundreds of community and cultural organisations and reaches diverse audiences and communities.

It is a successful large-scale, national public engagement festival taking academic research out into all corners of the community and providing new perspectives on research. The festival is 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.