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Vivian Au

Event organisers should ensure they have sufficient funding before they sell tickets, Hong Kong authorities have said following the Digital Art Fair cancelling next month’s 2025 edition for “reasons beyond its control”.
The event was scheduled to be held at the West Kowloon Cultural District from March 26 to 30, coinciding with a string of other signature “Art March” events such as Art Basel and Art Central.
“Due to reasons beyond our control, we are forced to cancel the fair,” the organiser said on its website on Monday.
“Please be assured that all ticket holders will receive a full refund automatically – no further action is required on your part.”
The team also apologised for any disappointment its decision had caused.
The organiser told the Post last month that it had applied for government funding for the event.
In a reply to the Post on Monday night, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau said the Digital Art Fair had applied to the Mega Arts and Cultural Events Fund but could not provide enough information to evaluate its artistic level, tourism appeal and economic benefits. So funding was not provided, the bureau said.
It said when the fund received its application, tickets for events had already gone on sale.
The bureau called on any “event organiser to try to prepare sufficient funds for the event before selling tickets to avoid refunds due to a lack of resources to implement the event”, a spokesman said.
The event had been promoted on the websites of the Hong Kong Tourism Board and InvestHK. The board removed an advert for the event from its website. A promotion appeared on InvestHK’s site until it was removed on Tuesday.
The Post has contacted the board for comment. In a reply to the Post on Tuesday, InvestHK said it did not “have any comment on individual events”.

The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority said it was told on Monday that the organiser had cancelled the event.
“We will not comment on the venue rental arrangement of individual events and are of the view that the organiser should properly handle the aftermath of the cancellation,” the authority said.
Sources said the authority was told in the morning that the cancellation was not related to the venue.
The first edition of Digital Art Fair Asia took place in Central in 2021, showcasing 200 pieces of art, including NFTs, as well as augmented and virtual reality experiences.
The 2025 edition was expected to introduce an expanded programme featuring both indoor and outdoor experiences.
Last week, the Hong Kong edition of one of the world’s largest electronic dance music festivals, Creamfields, was cancelled ahead of its March 8 and 9 dates.
Organiser Live Nation said the cancellation was due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
The festival was also earlier ­promoted as a mega-event by the Tourism Board, which later removed the advert from its website.


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The first edition of Digital Art Fair Asia took place in Central in 2021, showcasing 200 pieces of art. Photo: Nora Tam

A visitor takes a selfie with an art installation titled “Stamp Beauty” by Sophia Hotung at the 2022 Hong Kong Digital Art Fair. Photo: Yik Yeung-man

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An aerial view of the main stadium of Kai Tak Sports Park, which will be officially launched on March 1. Photo: Eugene Lee

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A visitor poses for photos next to a Astroboy-themed Porsche at ComplexCon in AsiaWorld-Expo in March last year. Photo: Eugene Lee

Creamfields dance festival in Hong Kong, slated for March, abruptly cancelled

Organiser Live Nation has announced the cancellation of the Creamfields dance festival, originally slated to take place in Hong Kong in March. Photo: Facebook

Creamfields has said in a social media post on Weibo that the dance festival in March will be cancelled due to “unforeseen circumstances”. Photo: Weibo

News

Hong Kong

Society

Organiser of Digital Art Fair 2025 cites ‘reasons beyond its control’ for decision to cancel event


Organiser of Digital Art Fair 2025 cites ‘reasons beyond its control’ for decision to cancel event.


Art Basel

Hong Kong tourism

West Kowloon Cultural District

Hong Kong culture