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2025 Rugby Championship

SANZAAR has today confirmed the match schedule for the 2025 Rugby Championship that will be played from 16 August to 2 October.

The Rugby Championship (TRC) mini-tour format will remain in place, with each team playing six matches comprising three home matches and three away matches. Each team will host a two-match tour, will play an away two-match tour, and play a one-match home and away series against the third remaining team.

This year, South Africa will host Australia for two matches before heading to New Zealand for two away matches. New Zealand will head to Argentina for its away mini-tour prior to hosting South Africa, while Australia will host Argentina for two matches.

The Bledisloe Cup home and away Tests between Australia and New Zealand will take place in Perth and Auckland this year, with South Africa and Argentina meeting in Durban and London. The London fixture will be only the second time a Rugby Championship match has been played outside of the four core territories of Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

SANZAAR CEO Brendan Morris stated, “The Rugby Championship is the pinnacle of southern hemisphere rugby and one of the world’s most prestigious tournaments. This year will be no different as some of the best Test teams in the world do battle across 11 cities across the four nations.”

“Anticipation is again high for the 2025 edition of TRC as the top talent from Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa do battle for southern hemisphere supremacy. South Africa are the current World Champions and incumbent Rugby Championship champions, while Argentina are now fifth in the world rankings. New Zealand will warm-up with a Test series against France while the Wallabies have a big series against the British & Irish Lions to prepare for the Championship.”

“This year the tournament finishes with a match at Allianz Stadium Twickenham in London when Argentina host the Springboks. This is an exciting opportunity to showcase The Rugby Championship in the UK.”

Additional reporting and images: SANZAAR

Cultural Beat Drone Show, 1 May 2025

The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) launched a new seasonal thematic promotion Hong Kong Cultural Beat with a drone show over Victoria Harbour on 1 May.

Themed around Hong Kong’s cultural festivals—the Tin Hau Festival, the Tam Kung Festival, and the iconic Cheung Chau Bun Festival—the 12-minute show featured a fleet of 1,000 drones. And while beautiful, if we’re being honest, the drone show sadly paled in comparison to some recent ones seen north of the border.

Click on any image for the full gallery

image: HK Tourism

Rugby Week 2025

After the individual creativity of Art Week, the wonders of team creativity are on display as Rugby Week 2025 scrums down.

The traditional rugby week curtain-raiser Kowloonfest celebrates it’s twentieth-anniversary tournament!

A new addition to Hong Kong’s Rugby Week is the Hong Kong International Touch Championship 2025. Touch rugby’s increasing popularity sees a move for the tournament to ‘Rugby Week’ with the hope of attracting new players and more fans. At last years

The best ‘rugby’ of the week, the Hong Kong 10s at Hong Kong Football Club, proper scrums and brutal power forward play are features of the Tens – especially on Thursday night. It’s perhaps the closest we in Hong Kong can get to seeing modern rugby up close and personal. Select teams packed with talent and big names, new and old, from around the world bring a physicality and rawness to the rugby images seen on television that really needs to be experienced in person.

Amidst the Sevens partying, a rugby tournament takes place… And this year it’s going to be at the new 50,000 seater Kai Tak Stadium… The main question among Sevens fans is will the move to the new stadium allow the HK Sevens to recover its allure as one of the world’s great sporting/social events? Tickets are still available, which is not a good sign…

Here are the dates for your Rugby Week 2025 diary.

Hong Kong International Touch Championship 2025
When: 23 March, 2025
Where: Happy Valley Recreation Ground
How much: tbc
More info: www.facebook.com/hktouch

Kowloon Fest – Twentieth Anniversay
When: 27 March 2025
Where: Kings Park
How much: Free
More info: www.rugbyfest.org

Hong Kong Tens
When: 26-27 March, 2025
Where: Hong Kong Football Club
How much: tbc
More info: www.hkfc10s.com

HK Sevens
HK Sevens
Date: 28-30 March 2025
Venue: Kai Tak Stadium
Tickets: $1,950
More info: www.HKsevens.com

Hong Kong Art Week 2025

The art world again focuses on Hong Kong this March with several exhibitions bringing thousands of art pieces from emerging and established artists to the SAR.

As the old cliche goes ‘one man’s art though is another’s trash’ and you’ll wonder exactly what the attraction of some pieces are – but there’s enough variety that you’ll likely find a few things to discus, enjoy and perhaps even buy.

Art Central
A contemporary art fair in the heart of Hong Kong with over 100 exhibitors showcasing the next generation of talent alongside some of the most established galleries from across Asia.

Art Central
Date: 26-30 March 2025
Venue: Central Harbourfront
Tickets: $540, $340, $260 HKTicketing
More info:
26 March: 12nn-5pm / 5-9pm
27 March: 12nn-7pm
28 March: 12nn -7pm
29 March: 11am-7pm
30 March: 11am-5pm

Art Basel
Many of the world’s leading modern and contemporary art galleries display paintings, drawings, sculptures, installations, prints, photography, film, video, and digital art by over 4,000 artists.

Art Basel
Date: 27-30 March, 2025
Venue: HK Convention and Exhibition Centre
Tickets: $4,880, $1,180, $980, $990, $620, $550, $420, $350 from HKTicketing
More info:
27 March: 4-8pm
28 March: 2-8pm
29 March: 2–8pm
30 March: 12 noon–6pm

Chinese New Year Night Parade 2025

The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) annual Chinese New Year Night Parade lit up the streets of Tsim Sha Tsui to celebrate the first day of the Year of the Snake.

The, Unfold a Year of Good Fortune, themed parade featured nine floats and 46 performing groups representing 14 countries: including K-pop girl band, Kep1er, and Thai boyband, LYKN.

Find out more events to celebrate the start of the Year of the Snake at the HKTB Guide to Chinese New Year in Hong Kong website.

International Chinese New Year Night Parade 2025
Date: 8pm, 29 January, 2025
Venue: Tsim Sha Tsui
Tickets: Free

Hong Kong New Year Countdown 2024-25

The Hong Kong New Year Countdown fireworks display, organised by the HKTB, welcomed in New Year with a “Symphony of Happiness” theme that offered blessings for 2025 by revealing the myriad states and stages of the five natural elements – metal, wood, water, fire and earth – over Victoria Harbour.