The Leisure and Cultural Services Department wins at GovMedia Conference & Awards 2026
The East Kowloon Cultural Centre and Hong Kong ICH Month elevate the region’s arts scene through innovation and community engagement.
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department won Hong Kong Campaign of the Year - Culture and the Arts and Hong Kong Public Facility of the Year - Culture and the Arts in the GovMedia Conference & Awards 2026.
The inaugural Hong Kong ICH Month, held in June 2025, was a month-long, city-wide campaign that brought together carnivals, exhibitions, seminars, workshops, and district-based tours under a united platform. Organised by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Office of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the initiative was held in support of the country’s Cultural and Natural Heritage Day, designated on the second Saturday of June. It aimed to promote the safeguarding and transmission of intangible cultural heritage (ICH).
The campaign engaged a broad range of stakeholders, including practitioners from Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland, community organisations, schools, and tourists, and showcased over 100 ICH items. Its success was evident in strong attendance, active participation, and positive feedback.
The month-long event welcomed over 160,000 participants, with the opening carnival alone attracted more than 45,000 attendees. Meanwhile, the highlight tours received over 7,000 applications, with more than 90% of participants agreed that the tours enhanced their understanding of and interest in ICH.
Simultaneously, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department marked a milestone with the grand opening of the East Kowloon Cultural Centre (EKCC) in November 2025.
The EKCC’s opening season featured a variety of programmes and activities, highlighted by a landmark original Cantonese musical that honoured Nobel Laureate Professor Charles Kao through the integration of immersive sound and interactive stage design.
As a flagship performance venue for promoting arts technology and long-running performances, the EKCC is equipped with state-of-the-art stage equipment across five performing spaces. Its largest hall stands as the first performance venue in Hong Kong certified with Dolby Atmos, whilst a dedicated testbed studio provides artists with a platform to experiment and develop innovative, multimedia works.
The venue has also established an Academy for Arts Tech dedicated for nurturing local talents through trainee programmes and supporting research and development projects
GovMedia Conference & Awards gives recognition to the trends and best practices that transform the public sector in the Asia Pacific. The awards programme promotes excellence and provides a platform for exemplary government initiatives.
The GovMedia Conference & Awards is presented by GovMedia Magazine. To view the full list of winners, click here. If you want to join the 2027 awards programme and be recognised for your organisation's government projects and initiatives, please contact Marni Marco at +(65) 3158 1386 and [email protected].
