More than 130 senior artists from Hong Kong and beyond are set to participate in the second Hong Kong Creative Aging Arts Festival, which will run from September 9 to 20 at the Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre in Kowloon. The event aims to highlight the positive impact of creative arts on the well-being and quality of life of older adults.
Organized by Arts’ Options, a non-profit charity founded in 2011 to promote artistic opportunities and training for seniors, the festival will feature over 40 performances and exhibitions. Among the highlights is the opening drama titled "Measuring Love," directed by UK theatre director Alan Lyddiard, as well as a production by Guangzhou’s Third Act Theatre. The program also includes visual art displays and talks concentrating on creativity and health in later life stages, primarily presented in Cantonese.
Rebecca Po Wan-ting, executive director of Arts’ Options, explained that the organization seeks to foster wider public understanding of the social and psychological benefits of elderly participation in the arts. Since 2019, the charity has run a “Train the Trainer” program, enabling seniors with drama experience to teach others, aiming to build confidence for performing in professional settings.
Participants in Arts’ Options programs have cited significant personal and social benefits. Lucy Siu May-yee, a former university lecturer, began taking acting classes five years ago after spending years caregiving for her terminally ill husband. She reported that the arts helped her regain a sense of purpose and self-care, stating that acting encouraged full sensory engagement and emotional liberation. Siu has since become a scriptwriter and drama instructor for other seniors. She describes her involvement in the arts as instrumental in overcoming grief following her husband’s passing and notes that performing has lessened her fear of death by providing meaning to her life.
Similarly, retired businessman and former television actor Bobby Chow Chun-ming found renewed social connections and mental stimulation through Arts’ Options. After a brief acting career in the late 1970s, Chow spent decades in business but experienced loneliness upon retirement. Returning to acting helped him improve memory and mood, while offering a break from isolation.
The festival aligns with a growing international recognition of the therapeutic power of the arts. For instance, the National Gallery of Singapore recently became the first museum globally to be designated a Healing Arts Centre of Excellence. The gallery offers specialized programs for individuals with dementia, neurodivergent visitors, and those seeking mindfulness through art, emphasizing the role of cultural institutions as inclusive spaces for emotional well-being and community connection.
Ong Zhen Min, director of learning and public engagement at the gallery, emphasized that while museums do not replace clinical care, they provide inviting settings where individuals can express themselves and find social support through creative engagement.
The upcoming festival underscores a broader global movement acknowledging the health and social benefits of arts participation among older adults, illustrating how creativity can contribute to happier, more fulfilling later years.