HKAF presented top international artists and ensembles, such as Cecilia Bartoli, José Carreras, Yo-Yo Ma, Philip Glass, Kurt Masur, Riccardo Chailly, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Sylvie Guillem, Kevin Spacey, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Mariinsky Theatre, Bavarian State Opera, New York City Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch, Cloud Gate Dance Theater, Zingaro, Royal Shakespeare Company, Moscow Art Theatre, and Beijing People's Art Theatre.

These include films, lecture demonstrations, masterclasses, workshops, symposia, backstage visits, exhibitions, meet-the-artist sessions, and guided cultural tours.

[3][4] The HKAF is very active at promoting and engaging homegrown creative talents and emerging artists through commissioning producing and publishing new works in theatre, chamber opera and contemporary dance.

[5] In 2013, the 41st HKAF commissioned the New Stage Series, Heart of Coral, by YiHeng; a chamber opera about the life of Xiao Hong, one of the most celebrated female Chinese writers.

[citation needed] 邵逸夫爵士 史迪敦先生 鄭新文先生 鮑磊先生 吳球先生 梁紹榮夫人 高德禮先生 李業廣先生 何嘉坤女士 夏佳理先生 查懋成先生 Festival Opening Festival Finale Los Angeles Opera A Midsummer Night's Dream Edward II Raise the Red Lantern Boris Godunov Raise the Red Lantern The Abduction from the Seraglio Nijinsky The Merry Widow under Gennadi Rozhdestvensky Conductor: Jacek Kaspszyk Director: Mariusz Trelinski Tenor: Richard Decker Tenor: Krzysztof Bednarek Director: Jose Antonio Soloist: Lynn Harrell Mozart's Don Giovanni Conductor: Howard Arman Director: Willy Decker Soloist: Konstantin Lifschitz Soloist: Boris Belkin Soloist: Shen Wenyu Choreographer: John Cranko Soloist: Nikolaj Znaider Soloist: Jean-Yves Thibaudet Third Symphony of Gustav Mahler AD: Kevin McKenzie Conductor: Michele Mariotti Choral Director: Salvatore Caputo the Hong Kong Arts Festival - Dream of the Red Chamber Estonian National Male Choir The World of John Neumeier (Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic) (Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic) Igor Moiseyev Ballet Special