Macao is celebrating the festive season with the largest display of lighting and three-dimensional mapping to decorate the city’s streets, squares and its fine examples of UNESCO World Heritage sites.
To further highlight the Asian city’s love of festivals, a giant fireworks display will light up the skies on Sunday, December 22 to commemorate the centre’s 20th anniversary as a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People’s Republic of China.
This significant fireworks display has been based on the theme of “Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Return of Macao to the Motherland,” and will be divided into four chapters, launched with the Sai Van Bridge as the central axis and spanning from Macao to neighbouring Zhuhai on mainland China.
Among the highlights will be 600 drones which will form the pictures of a Macao lotus, the iconic Ruins of St Paul’s, the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge, and a “handshake” between Macao and Zhuhai.
“The evening event will be something very special for the people of Macao,” said Helen Wong, general manager of the Macao Government Tourism Office (Australia and New Zealand), “As an indication of the scale and significance of the celebrations, 160,000 shots of fireworks will light up the sky over the 30 minutes,” she said.
As locals and visiting holidaymakers go in search of bargains on their annual Christmas shopping spree, much of the historic east-meets-west city has been brought to life at night through a kaleidoscope of colours for the largest Macao Light Festival to be held in event’s five years’ history.
This month-long festival – until December 31 – has been expanded to include four specially designed luminous walking routes. The overall program includes mind boggling projection mapping, light installations, interactive games and other forms of activities. Interest will centre on Nam Van Lake and its 30-metre Floating Wonder projection, a 12-metre high inflatable Mak Mak, Macao’s tourism mascot, and a projected Mak Mak Parade.
“The festival’s aim is to draw visitors to different districts of the city for an appreciation of Macao by night,” said Helen. “Everyone has a chance to learn about the local culture and history from innovative angles shaped by the light artistry,” she said. Last Sunday (December 8), Macao hosted its annual multi-cultural street fair – the Macao International Parade – featuring entertainment and colourfully decorated floats of all shapes and sizes.
Organised by the Macao Cultural Affairs Bureau and originally named “the ‘Parade through Macao, Latin City”, this free street event was created to provide local arts groups a performance platform alongside invited international performing groups. It was a time for them to express their creativity skills while showcasing a diverse culture.
While this month’s 9th Macao Shopping Festival carries the theme “Way to go Shopping”, be prepared to go in many directions in search of a bargain on Christmas goodies and the latest designer label items. There are surprises galore. Head across to Macao’s tiny Taipa Village and you will find a few surprises at a Christmas pop up store “My Merry X’mas! Taipa Village Christmas Fair.” The store features more than 100 locally sourced Christmas products and promotes local craftsmanship.
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