Kai Tak Sports Park | Endless Sheng – International Sheng and Reeds Festival 2026 Thousand Reeds in Harmony Marathon

Description

Together, let’s set a new Guinness World Record and SDG World Record

International Sheng and Reeds Festival 2026

The sheng, a living relic of three millennia of China’s ritual musical tradition, which sounds are activated by airflow and vibrating reeds. After its introduction to Europe, the sheng wielded great impact on the development of global musical instruments. Belonging to the same reed instrument family as the harmonica and bagpipe, the sheng’s repertoire and style developed very differently because of its cultural roots.  

International Sheng and Reeds Festival was conceptualized by Yan Huichang (Artistic Director and Principal Conductor for Life). The Festival will be held both in-person and online, with Hong Kong as the main hub and with connecting events in different regions. It is an event that integrates culture, sports, and tourism.  The Festival will be inaugurated by the large-scale event, the “Endless Sheng, Thousand Reeds in Harmony Marathon”. Other activities include an International Symposium and an International Chinese Sheng Competition, organized in collaboration with a preparatory committee formed by music conservatories and orchestras from mainland China. The Festival will culminate in the Opening Concert of HKCO's 50th Orchestral Season, entitled "Thousand Reeds, One Universe", scheduled for September 2026. This finale will feature performances by renowned sheng performers and ensembles from around the world, alongside representatives from the Sheng Marathon and HKCO.

Thousand Reeds in Harmony Marathon

As the opening event of the “Endless Sheng – International Sheng and Reeds Festival”, “Endless Sheng, Thousand Reeds in Harmony Marathon”, is a programme that truly combines culture, sports and tourism, drawing global music enthusiasts to experience the charm of East-West musical fusion in Hong Kong.  

HKCO will bring together around one thousand enthusiasts of reed instruments from both East and West, including the sheng, lusheng, hulusheng, hulusi, harmonica, bagpipes, and more to set two World Records. The Event will commence at the “Nine Dragons” sculpture in Kai Tak Sports Park.  Ensembles formed by different instruments will give flash performances at various landmarks across the Kai Tak Sports Park, culminating in a grand gathering at the East Village for a joint performance with the HKCO. The evening will conclude with an outdoor concert, broadcast live worldwide through 5.5G technology, inviting global audiences to share in the splendour and witness the world record-setting moment together.

Sign up here: HKD 160 per person

The registration fee includes a World Record for Sustainable Development certificate and a commemorative pin.

Application deadline: 30 November 2025

Venue: Kai Tak Sports Park, Hong Kong

Rehearsals & Final Rehearsal: 21–22 March 2026 (tentative)

Event: 22 March 2026 (evening, time TBC)