One of Hong Kong’s best-known outdoor classical music events is returning this November. Swire Symphony Under The Stars will bring the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra back to Central Harbourfront for an evening of live music under the open sky. The concert takes place on Friday, 13 November 2026 at 7:30pm, with a programme spanning classical favourites, Broadway influences and film music. Admission is free, although visitors will need to secure tickets through an online ballot before attending.
Returning To Central Harbourfront
Swire Symphony Under The Stars has become a regular fixture in Hong Kong’s cultural calendar, combining a full orchestral performance with the setting of Victoria Harbour.
This year, new HK Phil Music Director Tarmo Peltokoski will conduct the event for the first time. He will be joined by pianist Aristo Sham, HK Phil Principal Clarinet Andrew Simon and vocalist Talie Monin.
Tarmo Peltokoski and Aristo Sham will also perform together on two pianos for Saint-Saëns’s The Carnival of the Animals.
The programme includes Wagner’s Prelude to Act III from Lohengrin, Gershwin’s It Ain’t Necessarily So and I Got Rhythm, Yao Chen’s Waltz of the Rolling Giants and John Williams’s Star Wars Suite.
The concert will end with the finale of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, accompanied by a fireworks display over the harbourfront. The full performance is expected to run for around two hours, including an intermission.
More About This Event
Admission is free, but anyone planning to attend must register for the online ticket ballot.
Registration opens at 10am on 16 October and closes at 7pm on 20 October. Each person can submit one registration and request up to four tickets. Each ticket admits one person, regardless of age.
Ballot results will be available from 23 October. Successful applicants will also receive an email notification, while e-tickets will be sent to winners by 30 October.
The event will have free seating in a picnic-style arrangement, with gates opening at 6pm. Visitors can bring their own mats, food and drinks, although glassware is not allowed inside the venue.
Those who cannot attend in person will also be able to watch the concert live online. The performance will be streamed through the HK Phil website and its social media channels, and will also be broadcast live on RTHK TV 31.
Swire Symphony Under The Stars takes place at Central Harbourfront on 13 November at 7:30pm. Registration for the free ticket ballot runs from 16 to 20 October.
Official event page: https://www.hkphil.org/concert/swire-symphony-under-the-stars-2026
Header Image Credit: HK Phil