What’s life like on Hong Kong’s outlying islands? Inter-Island Festival gives an insight from people who love to live on them

Photo: Inter-Island Festival. Retrieved from scmp.com

Hong Kong has more than 250 outlying islands, with many providing a much-needed escape from the city’s crowded concrete jungles.

Some are sparsely populated and mostly rural. Others, such as Peng Chau, Lantau and Cheung Chau, have thriving communities connected by ferry routes.

Shining a light on these islands – and “borrowing” their transport routes – is the Inter-Island Festival, which will be held every weekend until November 26.

With a strong grass-roots focus, the festival unites artists, architects, biologists, poets, craftspeople, musicians and writers, who express their love for island life through workshops, performances, installations, exhibitions and screenings.

“The relationship between these islands is inextricably linked by the ferry routes, and the festival helps strengthen these connections,” says festival co-organiser Kit Chan, who is fully aware of the ebb and flow of island life. He moved from the hustle and bustle of Sham Shui Po in Kowloon to Peng Chau a decade ago.

“Since I moved to Peng Chau I have married and now we are raising our child here.”

The sense of community, he says, adds to the relaxed island vibe. “It’s very easy to get to know your neighbours.”

Now in its second edition, the festival, he says, provides an insight into island living – past and present – with a focus on nature and community.