Tai Kwun, Hong Kong’s celebrated heritage and arts centre, is set to host the fifth iteration of its signature light art festival, InnerGlow, transforming the historic Central police station compound into an immersive, nightly spectacle. Running from February 6 to 22, 2025, the InnerGlow 2025 event, themed “Discotheque Dreams,” will utilise the stunning neoclassical architecture as a canvas for dynamic visual projections and, for the first time, introduce real-time audience interaction. This year’s programme, running nightly from 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM, aims to blend historical elegance with vibrant, contemporary technology, offering free public access to a dynamic experience in the heart of Hong Kong.
Neoclassical Architecture Meets Disco Era
The meticulous revitalisation of the former Central Police Station, Barracks, and Magistrates’ courts has established Tai Kwun as a leading cultural hotspot. InnerGlow leverages the compound’s architectural assets—the imposing Barrack Block façade and the expansive Parade Ground—to stage a journey back to the revolutionary disco era.
Design and technology studio The Collective has been commissioned to create “Discotheque Dreams,” a production that pays homage to the cultural impact of disco’s arrival in Asia. The show will project a neon dreamscape, weaving together imagery that reflects Hong Kong’s unique East-meets-West identity. Viewers can expect to see cinematic references, spanning from 1970s Hollywood classics to local cultural touchstones like lion dance and martial arts films, all synchronised to pulsating rhythms.
Audience Takes Center Stage
A significant development for the 2025 edition is the integration of interactive elements. For the first time in InnerGlow’s five-year history, the event will employ technology allowing visitors to step directly into the light show. This innovation encourages real-time engagement, placing the audience alongside the projections and accompanying live performers, thereby transforming the traditional viewing experience into a shared, kinetic event within the main courtyard.
The successful blending of historic architecture—characterized by its elegant masonry, grand arches, and signature Doric columns—with high-tech visual media underscores Tai Kwun’s commitment to making heritage accessible and relevant to modern audiences.
Elevating Emerging Local Talent
Running concurrently with InnerGlow is the return of the Searchlight mentorship programme showcase. Now in its third year, Searchlight provides a vital platform for the next generation of visual artists. Alumni of the programme will present new, 30-minute light presentations. These emerging artists’ works will be projected onto the façades of F Hall and the adjacent Prison Wall, offering parallel, compelling narratives alongside the main InnerGlow activities.
Both the light festival and the mentorship showcase are scheduled to run across the two weeks in February, ensuring that the Central district buzzes nightly with cultural activity.
A Free Nightly Celebration
While the full detailed programme and specific live performance schedules are slated for announcement next month, the core promise of InnerGlow 2025 is a series of free nightly parties infused with energetic disco vibes. This accessibility ensures a wide demographic of local residents and tourists can experience the intersection of history, technology, and art. The event solidifies Tai Kwun’s role not just as a preserved landmark, but as a vibrant, constantly evolving cultural hub that contributes robustly to Hong Kong’s artistic landscape. Visitors are encouraged to monitor Tai Kwun’s official channels for the forthcoming detailed schedules to plan their visits to this must-see spectacle.
