Help us fund the 2026 Festival.

Like the very first tai lo yau ferry that plied the inter-island sea in the 1970s, you’re getting us started on our mission to connect the outlying islands. Donations to this tier are likely to help us cover small but important costs like transportation and supplies. For your support, you’ll get our eternal gratitude, expressed through a thank you shout-out on our website (see note 1). 

The era of the tai lo yau ferry is coming to an end, and you’re taking us into the 1990s with style and class. Donations to this tier are likely to help support design and documentation initiatives for the festival, so that we can record the Festival for posterity and share our research and lessons-learned through print and web publications. For your support, you’ll get your choice of tote bag or t-shirt bearing the IIF logo. We’ll also give you a thank you shout-out on our website (see notes 1,2,3).

For most of the islanders currently living along the inter-island ferry route, the Ming River is THE OG—thirty years plying the sea, day-in-and-day-out, getting the job done. Much like our Festival staff: We’re chugging along, getting the job done on minimal resources. Donations to this tier will likely help us continue paying our staff fairly and boost casual hires during the festival, so everything stays smooth sailing and on schedule. For your support, we’ll send you a Festival t-shirt AND tote bag. You’ll also get priority booking for Festival events and a thank you shout-out on our website (see notes 1,2,3,5).

We know, we know—many kaifong were devastated when the Ming River went out of commission and still bemoan the loss of outdoor seating. But here’s the thing: when the alternative was belching black smoke or nothing at all, the Xin Chong was the one keeping the show running. So that’s what donations to this tier are likely to do—keep the show going by increasing the number of small programmes and community engagement events. For your support, we’ll arrange an exclusive donor tour of one of the four inter-island ports. On top of that, you’ll get a festival t-shirt and tote bag, an illustrated map, and a shout out on our website and printed materials, where space permits. Plus—Priority+ Booking for up to 4 people per event, two weeks before the booking opens to the general public (see notes 1,2,3,5,6). 

Spacious, clean, organised, smooth—when people board this brand-spanking-new vessel, it’s easy to forget all the grumblings about indoor-only seating. That’s what donations to this tier are likely to do—help us sail on in peace, ensuring higher quality visitor experiences, more deeply researched feature projects, and happy, well-paid staff and collaborators. It may even help tide us over as we plan for future iterations of the festival. For your generous support, you’ll receive a special edition T-shirt decorated by an artist living in the inter-island region, as well as the festival tote bag, and illustrated map. During the Festival period, you’ll also receive priority booking and a ‘behind-the-scenes’ pass, which includes invites to the opening and closing parties for Festival staff and collaborators, as well as a private tour of one of the ports during the Festival period. And, of course, an expression of our gratitude by acknowledgement on our website and printed materials, where space permits (see notes 1,2,3,4,5,7).