Zoe Lai Sim-fong, the festival’s project coordinator, said the team would release a list of six shows daily to the audience through the mobile number, withholding some details to retain an element of mystery. “There will be a lot of surprises for both the audience and artists,” she said.

Kwong Wai-lap, project manager of the festival, said this form of delivering artistic performances via mobile orders, in an organised way and on this scale, was a first for Hong Kong. Kwong said he was confident the new programme would attract audiences.

He added the idea originally came from a team of out-of-work Macau artists providing performances in people’s homes during the pandemic.

Kwong said the Hong Kong team spent about a year designing and honing the programme, while engaging local artists. “This new form brings much room for imagination for artists. It is a brand new experience for all of us, and we are all learning and growing.”

As part of the 49th Hong Kong Arts Festival, the Tai Kwun event presents several online and on-site programmes, with interactive art tech installations, site-specific creations, pop-up performances and real-time interactive improvisations. About 100 local and overseas artists are involved.

Tisa Ho, executive director of the Hong Kong Arts Festival, said in contrast to last year’s Tai Kwun event, which was entirely online because of the pandemic, this year’s event – the third of its kind – would combine both digital and physical activities.

“The hybrid form has already become a part of our lives,” she said. “We make use of our commonly used technologies to enable an arts experience.”