10 New Hobbies To Try In 2020

A new decade can bring in a whole new adventure!

Welcome to the ’20s, mamas! With the start of a new and wonderful decade, it’s time to make some different and fun resolutions for ourselves instead of the same old boring (and often disappointing) ones. Why not challenge yourself to try something completely new this year? Hong Kong is home to many unique and fun activities that you can do on your own, with your spouse, mama friends, or even the whole family. Sassy Mama has rounded up ten of the most interesting hobbies that you can try this year.

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This new year, why not challenge yourself to be fit and flexible at the same time? Increasingly sought-after for cross-training, conditioning and all-over muscle-sculpting, incorporating a pole fitness or dance workout into your weekly grind tones your arms, abs, legs and glutes while enhancing your mood, mindfulness and well-being. Overall, you can expect better posture, stamina, active flexibility and coordination as you journey toward strength and core gains you never thought possible.

Studio Chrome began as a labour of love by three avid polers who experienced the art form and sport’s transformational qualities in their own lives. Today, it is a premier studio that offers pole, aerial arts, movement and dance classes for enthusiasts of all ages. Whether you’re looking for a parent-child “Mommy & Me” experience, youth and teen classes, or training for personal best fitness or competition, consider this thriving and supportive community for one of the most unique fitness regimens in Hong Kong. Learn from world-class instructors on competition-standard equipment and begin the new year with just the right dash of adrenaline, challenge, camaraderie and fun.

Free trial pass for Sassy Mama readers, worth $240. Simply quote this article to book.

Studio Chrome, 18 Shing Yip Street, 10E, New East Ind Building, Kwun Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, www.studiochromehk.com

If you’ve ever envisioned yourself looking like a real-life Katniss Everdeen, it’s time to take up a bow and give archery a go. Whether you’re interested in trying the more traditional wooden recurve bow or you’re looking to try the more technical composite bow, Golden Trust Archery has a range (pun intended) of lessons for adults and kids, from beginner to advanced levels. They also offer equipment for purchase for when you’re ready to get your own gear, the largest practice range in Hong Kong, and for the super keen, they even offer bowstring-making courses. Beginner archery courses start around $650 for four lessons.

Golden Trust Archery, 2/F, Block C, Wing Hong Factory Building, 781 Yu Chau West Street, Lai Chi Kok, Hong Kong, 2370 2250, [email protected], www.archeryhk.com

Read more: Where To Take Sporty And Adventurous Kids In Hong Kong

Even if you can’t read a word of Chinese, the art of Chinese calligraphy is still easy to appreciate. The delicate strokes of the paintbrush create stunning pieces of artwork while also being a very meditative creative process for the artist. If you’ve ever wanted to try your hand at this art, you don’t need to know Chinese to give a try. Renowned Chinese Calligraphy master artist Miss Laisee Wong has won numerous awards for her calligraphy and offers one-on-one lessons in Wanchai, Tsuen Wan and Tuen Mun. For lesson schedule and prices, please contact [email protected].

Chinese Calligraphy Hong Kong, 6151 0028, [email protected], www.chinese-calligraphy.hk

If you’re a craft beer lover, nothing tastes as good as your own homebrew. Brewing beer, with the right equipment, isn’t as hard as it appears, meaning you’ll be sipping on your own brew in no time. HK Brewcraft offers home brewing workshops out of their location in Central. There’s a three-hour crash course on homebrewing that will give you all the information you need as well as a homebrewing kit to get you started. The course is available on the weekends but private classes of 12 people or more can also be booked during the week. If you’re going alone or with one more person, the course costs $680 per person (an additional $600 for the home-brewing kit). If more of your mum squad would like to join, there’s a discount on the course fee.

HK Brewcraft, 4/F, 15 Cochrane Street, Central, Hong Kong, 5925 2739, [email protected], www.hkbrewcraft.com

This isn’t a new hobby, but chances are that with all you have going on, you’ve let this one slide. The good news is that in Hong Kong, it is possible to access a huge variety of books through the public libraries here. If you don’t already have a library card, make sure you go out and get one now. The libraries in Hong Kong are completely free to those with an HKID card and offer a seemly endless amount of courses, workshops, resources, and of course books! Make a reading goal for yourself to finish a certain number of books this year from the library or better yet, attend one of the many workshops or talks that happen at the libraries all over Hong Kong. From language learning, Hong Kong history, art, culture, literature and more there is something for you at your local library. Check out the list of activities and programmes near you on the Hong Kong Public Library website.

Hong Kong Public Libraries, locations all over Hong Kong

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Maybe you took drama back in secondary school and are looking to rekindle your lost passion? Or perhaps acting is something you’ve always wanted to try? The Hong Kong Theatre Association has a spot for you. Offering three 10-week courses each year, the Hong Kong Theatre Association offers intensive acting workshops that are led by professional acting coaches. With performances at the end of each term, the coaches help with character and vocal work, as well as improvisation, and body exploration to bring the best out of each actor regardless of experience. The Association doesn’t have a fixed performance space, preferring to rent different studios throughout the year. Many of the courses are taught in French but English ones are offered as well, bringing both the English and French-speaking communities together in Hong Kong. For information on English courses, please contact [email protected].

Hong Kong Theatre Association Ltd. (HKTA), 2851 0091, [email protected], www.hkta.org.hk

Tea is one of the most popular drinks in the world with many of the best teas in the world coming from Asia. If you love tea and have always wanted to learn more about the specifics about tea, then Homeland Tea Garden has the course for you. The two-hour tea appreciation course will teach you how to identify six different types of Chinese tea, show you how to use basic Chinese tea wares, different brewing methods, as well as how to select and pick quality tea.

You know you’ll be learning from the best as the teacher, Ms May Chan Siu-Mei, is a Hong Kong local tea master and her qualifications include graduating from the School of Chinese Medicine at the Hong Kong Baptist University with a major in Tea Therapy & Nutritional Study for Health Preservation. If that’s not impressive enough, she’s also a China National Tea-Appraiser (Technician/First Level) and a China National Tea-Artist (Technician/Second Level). If you’re looking to attend a course by yourself, prices start at $850 but if you can round up some of your mama friends, the price per person is lower. Classes are in Cantonese, Mandarin or English.

Homeland Tea Garden, Shop No. 9, G / F, Animation Base, No. 7 Mauro Street, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, 2127 7928, [email protected], www.homelandteagarden.com

Want to learn how to cook Cantonese food? Home Cooking Studio is prepared to give you the full immersive experience in cooking Cantonese food. Not only does Home Cooking Studio teach you how to prepare delicious home-cooked Cantonese food, but they also start you off by taking you to a local wet market so that you can buy your ingredients first, just like a local! Classes are available during the week with morning and afternoon sessions starting at $750 per person.

Home’s Cooking Studio, [email protected], www.homescookingstudio.com

Read more: Midweek Meals: Warming Winter Recipes

I’m sure you’ve heard all about kombucha (fermented tea) and its list of extensive benefits such as being a natural source of probiotics and as an antioxidant. If this is a drink that you find yourself drinking frequently or have always wanted to try, did you know that it’s easy to make your own?

Food Craft has a class that will show you how for $680 a person and you get to take home your starter kit with your S.C.O.B.Y. (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast, for the kombucha-uninitiated!). Food Craft specialises in crafting healthy food for purchase as well as showing you how to do it. Among making kombucha, they also offer a variety of bread-making courses, as well as how to make miso, kefir, tofu and more!

Food Craft, Flat A, 21/F., Yiuga Factory Building, 62 Victoria Road, Kennedy Town, Hong Kong, 2884 1299, [email protected], www.foodcraft.hk

Capoeria is a form of Afro-Brazilian martial arts that mixes acrobatics and dance. The art was formed in Brazil in the 16^th century. The roda is the circle in which fighters will play music on various African-type instruments as well as sing which sets the rhythm of the fight for two or more fighters within the roda. This martial art is fast-paced, graceful, highly social and a ton of and fun. It’s a great way to get fit, strong, agile outside of a boring old gym class. Axé Capoeira is an international capoeira company that have trainers that are directly from Brazil with plenty of experience and training. They also have two locations on Hong Kong Island with classes available for both adults and kids.

Axé Capoeira Hong Kong Causeway Bay, G & 1/F, Cameron Commercial Centre, 458-468 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

Axé Capoeira Hong KongKennedy Town, G/F Shop A1 & LG/F Shop 14 Luen Tak Apartments, 45 Smithfield Road, Kennedy Town, Hong Kong, [email protected], www.axecapoeira.hk