Do you remember when we were kids and we used to run off to play in nature with our friends? This is what we are going to recreate in Causeway Bay! Hysan Development and Xplore, Lee Gardens Children’s Academy are set to bring back the simple happiness of exploratory play in nature with the first-ever “Lee Gardens Street Art Festival” between 22 to 23 October 2022. Organised by Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation, Lee Gardens Street Art Festival will take place over the weekend along the private driveway of Lee Garden One. With The Wonder of Insects as the theme of the event, the festival encourages children to co-create a pastel masterpiece with their insect drawings on the 20-metre-long canvas, totaling an area of 140 square metres, along Causeway Bay’s bustling thoroughfare. Participants will get to know animals up close, take part in various arts and crafts booths, as well as enjoy large-scale live chalk drawings by on-site artists, which will be displayed for a limited time only. Lee Gardens Street Art Festival aims to put the spotlight on Hong Kong’s unique, diverse and colourful kingdom of insects, bringing them to life on the streets of Causeway Bay to promote the importance of biodiversity. Registered participants who are also members of Club Avenue / Lee Gardens Club / Xplore will receive a limited-edition pastel crayon set for free.
1.“Insect Drawing Corner” — Co-create Street Art Insect Guide Together
Hong Kong may be a tiny place, but it is home to over 5,000 insect species, many of which are rare, endangered, and unique to the city. Children will experience the wonders of nature through the “Insect Drawing Corner” street art co-creation area. Thousands of participants will have the chance to capture the beauty of mainly locally-found insects in their canvases, unleashing their creativity. Hundreds of these pieces will be brought together to create a giant piece of artwork of 20-metre-long, with a total area of 140 square metres, spreading out along the private driveway of Lee Garden One. With our guidance, participants can use the provided pastel crayons to draw all sorts of wonderful and colourful insects such as butterflies, fireflies, dragonflies, crickets, honeybees, and many more.
2.”Meet & Greet Animal Friends” — Get Closer to Animals
Those who have grown up in the city will no doubt love to get in touch with animals and nature. Join us on an encounter tour! At “Meet & Greet Animal Friends”, participants will get to know animals closer, understand their characteristics and habits, and the way to get along with them. Participants will also discover the diversity of life and learn to live in peace with nature. Simply spend HK$400 or more in a single electronic transaction at Lee Gardens retailers to participate in “Meet & Greet Animal Friends”. (“Meet & Greet Animal Friends” will take place between 1:00–5:00 PM on 22 and 23 October.)
3.“Street Art Performance: Live Painting” (free) — Large-scale Pastel Masterpieces by 3 Artists
Get creative and add a dose of art into your daily life by viewing the live street art performance of three artists, including professional scenic artist and creator of hand-painted cinema billboards Jimmy Keung, local artists Candice Keung and Nakao Michiko. The artists have been invited to create two large-scale pastel paintings exclusively for this event, featuring rhinoceros beetles and dragonflies. Come along and see the process of art creation, from birth to completion!
4.“Insect Tattoo Station” (free) — Learn about Hong Kong’s Unique Insects
Hong Kong is home to many special insects that come with funny names and the “Insect Tattoo Station” will be a perfect corner to let us appreciate their uniqueness! Collect all six free tattoo stickers, each featuring one Hong Kong insect, which include the Leptogomphus hongkongensis, a dragonfly named after Hong Kong; Horniolus hisamatsu, the yellow-spotted ladybug unique to the city; Apis cerana, a Hong Kong-native honey bee; Troides Helena, a common bluebottle butterfly; Pyrops candelarius, a weird and wonderful insect found across the Asian tropics; and Hymenopus coronatus, orchid mantises that look exactly like the flower they are named after.
5.Three Arts and Crafts Booths (free) — Create Your Own Insect-themed Art
There will be three arts and crafts booths (free): the “Pipe Cleaner Praying Mantis”, “Butterfly Clip” and “On the Wings of a Dragonfly”, for visitors to unleash their creativity. Under the guidance of artists or partnering education centre, the public will craft insect-themed artwork and can take them home to further appreciate the beauty of nature.
