The Hong Kong Fringe Festival is held in January and February every year. It is an "alternative" art event that emphasizes artistic creativity and live performances from local and international artists, which is refreshing. It is usually held in several different places in Hong Kong, but the Fringe Club in Central is the main venue. The Hong Kong Fringe Festival took over this colonial-style building in 1984 and transformed it into a free art platform. The Hong Kong Fringe Festival is a non-profit organization and charity established in 1982. Based on the principles of openness and creative freedom, it is committed to creating an environment for local and foreign artists engaged in different art forms to display their works in Hong Kong and overseas, and actively establish a channel of communication between them and Hong Kong culture. In addition to hosting the large-scale urban cultural event City Festival every year, it also includes core activities such as venue operation, leading artists to exchange overseas, cultural heritage projects and creation, and training art administrators. The Hong Kong Fringe Festival has two small theaters, three book galleries, rehearsal rooms and a ticketing system. There are more than 500 exhibitions throughout the year, including 350 performances in performing arts, 75 exhibitions in visual arts, 120 performances in Live Music, and other lectures, interest group outreach and community projects. Artists and performers can borrow the exhibition and performance venues of the Hong Kong Fringe Festival for free without being subject to artistic review and restrictions. The venue is a historic building located in the most prosperous Central District of Hong Kong. This three-story brick building, built in the late 19th century, is one of the very few buildings that can be preserved to this day. When the building was built, it was designed for a variety of uses, including industrial, commercial and residential aspects; therefore, the building's architecture is very unique, reflecting its original multi-functional purpose and also exuding the nostalgic color of the colonial period. When the Fringe Club took over the building in 1984, it had fallen into disrepair, dilapidated and leaking. The founder of the Fringe Club, Tse Chun-hing, and a group of enthusiastic volunteers and renovation workers worked together to renovate the ice house that had been abandoned for more than ten years in just four weeks, transforming it into the Fringe Club today. Initially, the Fringe Club operated for five years without a fixed lease, and later signed a contract with the government. After years of maintenance at different stages, the Fringe Club has well preserved the building and given it a new look. In addition to saving it from the developers' chiseling, it has also given it new life. Today, the Fringe Club has been recognized as a vibrant and dynamic contemporary art space in Hong Kong and the Asia-Pacific region, and has become a successful example of the valuable reuse of abandoned buildings and the revitalization of dilapidated communities.