The busiest time of the year for the performing arts is the month-long Hong Kong Arts Festival, held every year in February and March. This international 3-week affair features artists from around the world performing with orchestras, dance troupes, opera companies, and chamber ensembles. Appearing at past festivals, for example, were the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Philharmonic, the Empire Brass from Boston, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, the Stuttgart Ballet, the Paul Taylor Dance Company, and the Georgian State Dance Company from Russia. City Hall, located in Central, just east of the Star Ferry concourse, sells tickets to performances, which are priced from HK$60 to HK$650 (US$7.80-US$85). For information about the Hong Kong Arts Festival programs and future dates, call tel. 852/2824 2430 or visit www.hk.artsfestival.org/.

To obtain tickets for the Hong Kong Arts Festival, as well as tickets throughout the year for classical-music performances (including the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra), Chinese opera, rock and pop concerts, theatrical productions, dance, and other major events, contact the Urban Council Ticketing Office (URBTIX), the ticketing system run by the government's Leisure and Cultural Service Department. There are convenient URBTIX outlets in City Hall, Low Block, 7 Edinburgh Place in Central, open daily from 10am to 9:30pm, and the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, 10 Salisbury Rd. in Tsim Sha Tsui, open daily from 10am to 9:30pm. Simply drop by one of the outlets, or reserve a ticket in advance by calling URBTIX at tel. 852/2734 9009. Tickets reserved by phone must be picked up within 3 days of the order. You can even reserve tickets before arriving in Hong Kong by calling the URBTIX overseas hot line at tel. 852/2734 9011, from 10am to 8pm Hong Kong time. A booking form will be faxed to you to be completed and returned within 3 days (payment by Visa or MasterCard is accepted). Reservations will then be confirmed by fax and tickets can be collected at the performance venue on arrival in Hong Kong. Note that a HK$20 (US$2.60) processing fee is charged for the service.

Tickets are also sold through Ticketek, with an outlet at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, 1 Gloucester Rd., Wan Chai (tel. 852/3128 8288; www.ticketek.com.hk/eng/), open daily from 10am to 6pm.