Initially, unable to find a sponsor as she had no track record in Hong Kong, she took out a personal overdraft to cover the costs of the first two-week festival.

McAlister sent a copy of the festival brochure to everyone she had approached for sponsorship, including Po Chung, the then-head of DHL (Asia).

[3][4] After Chung’s donation, “word about the festival was spreading like wildfire” and other sponsors joined including Morgan Stanley, MTR Corporation, ABN Amro, Standard Chartered Hong Kong and Swire Properties.

[8] In 2006 HKYAF was considered “the world’s largest arts programme for young people”, at which point 94% of participants were from 800 local schools, with most projects conducted in Cantonese.

Locations for performances have included Hong Kong Arts Centre’s Shouson Theatre, the Queen Elizabeth Stadium, the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, ArtisTree, the Fringe Club and Free Space, West Kowloon Cultural District.

HKYAF’s annual Pull Back the Curtain series, showcasing local playwrights and actors, began in 2014.