Huayi – Chinese Festival of Arts Comes to Singapore in 2026

Dialects and dynasties are two aspects of Chinese culture and history that have provided inspiration for the programming of Huayi – Chinese Festival of Arts, which will be held from 27 Feb – 8 Mar 2026. Audiences can expect legends told through different art forms at the 24th edition of the annual festival, which continues to feature the works of top-notch Chinese artists from around the world and Singapore.

The opening show, Deling and Cixi, which has toured across China to much acclaim, marks the first time that one of the imperial courts of China—the late Qing dynasty in all its tumult—will be brought to life at Huayi. Living legend and the award-winning Taiwanese actor, King Shih-Chieh returns in Le Père (The Father), French playwright Florian Zeller’s celebrated play, staged by the acclaimed Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre. In collaboration with the Singapore Chinese Orchestra, Esplanade will also present Wukong’s 72 Transformation, a concert that looks at the many facets of Sun Wukong, featuring traditional Chinese music, multimedia projections, puppetry and storytelling.

Folk tales and legends of the region are often mined by artists to create new content for the stage. Sun Son Theatre from Taiwan presents A Little Goes A Long Way for the little ones and families, inspired by familiar folk tales that speak about resilience and grit. Also spurring from folk tales, is Tall Tales: Bananas and Ang Ku Kuehs, a work that Esplanade are co-commissioning with the Taipei Performing Arts Centre for the first time in Huayi. It is also co-produced by The Finger Players (Singapore) and Shakespeare’s Wild Sisters Group of Taiwan.

Another first for Huayi is a science fiction story on stage. Originally written by Japanese playwright/director Tomohiro Maekawa, and now reinterpreted by award-winning Taiwanese theatre director Tora Hsu, The Sun is a gripping work set in a post-apocalyptic world fractured by bioterrorist attacks, which is so prescient for the times we live in.