Macau welcomed yesterday its 10th VIVA Parade, and Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) President Leong Wai Man pointed out that the event was held for the first time in March and achieved its expected results.
“Viva!” is Portuguese for “hooray!”.
Previously, the one-day parade took place in December on a regular basis.
“It was a beautiful day, and the parade went smoothly, with foreign and local performing troupes giving their best so that the parade was very effective,” Leong said during a media wrap-up at the Macau Tower Convention and Entertainment Centre, adding that apart from the Ruins of St. Paul’s area, many residents and tourists along the route watched and enjoyed the parade, which achieved the expected results.
The “2024 Macao International Parade”, organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau in conjunction with the city’s six integrated resort (IR) operators – Galaxy Entertainment Group (GEG), Melco Resorts & Entertainment, MGM, Sands China, SJM Resorts, and Wynn Resorts, featured a total of over 1,800 performers from over 80 troupes from around the world, including national ones from Macau, Hong Kong and Shenzhen, as well as foreign ones from Brazil, France, Italy, Mozambique, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Togo and the UK, upholding the spirit of “Love, Peace and Cultural Integration”, in celebration of the 25th anniversary of Macau’s return to the motherland.
Macau reverted to Chinese administration on December 20, 1999.
After an opening ceremony at Macau’s UNESCO World Heritage-listed Ruins of St Paul’s landmark hosted by Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Elise Ao Ieong U, Deputy Director of the Department of Publicity and Culture of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) Yin Rutao, Counsellor of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the MSAR Lin Ruhai, IC President Leong Wai Man, Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes and Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) Director Kong Chi Meng, led by parade mascot VIVA, the colourful performers, including dancers, musicians, stilt walkers and clowns, set off from the Ruins of St Paul’s.
Before eventually arriving at Sai Van Lake Square for a closing performance to compete for a range of prizes, the performers kept interacting with residents and tourists alike along Largo do Senado and Avenida Panorâmica do Lago Nam Van, and a raft of artistes in dazzling costumes staged a special show on Avenida Doutor Stanley Ho along the Praia Grande Bay (Nam Van) waterfront.
A wide range of games, workshops and interactive booths were set up at the VIVA Carnival on Avenida Panorâmica do Lago Nam Van, with some of the troupes performing there.
“Now in its 10th anniversary, the parade has been well received by local arts groups wishing to join it,” Leong said, adding that among the 60-odd local troupes, 15 joined the parade for the first time.
This year’s parade included 20 non-local troupes, according to Leong, who said: “It is a relatively large number, and we hope that as many both local and foreign troupes as possible will take part in future parades if the conditions are such that our city can accommodate it so that residents and tourists can enjoy the show.”
The annual parade made a comeback after four years, and Leong said that after reviewing the past arrangements, the bureau believed that there existed the right conditions to organise a small-scale carnival in the vicinity of Avenida Panorâmica do Lago Nam Van, and at the same time, it also added special projects to allow the troupes to stage performances according to the theme each time, adding that in collaboration with the six local IR operators, there were more outreach activities this time than in the past, reaching out to the community and their respective revitalisation areas.
Leong said that the parade will be held, if possible, in the first half of the year in the future, considering that there are customarily more large-scale events taking place at the end of each year when, moreover, the weather is relatively cold which might affect the performing troupes.
In response to the parade, crowd control measures were implemented in the Ruins of St Paul’s area from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., with temporary vehicular traffic control measures implemented in Avenida da Praia Grande, Praça de Jorge Álvares, Avenida Panorâmica do Lago Nam Van, and Avenida Doutor Stanley Ho.
Prior to the opening ceremony, two students from one of the troupes felt ill and required paramedics’ assistance.
Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) President Leong Wai Man wraps up yesterday’s “2024 Macau International Parade” during a media briefing at the Macau Tower Convention and Entertainment Centre. – Photo: Yuki Lei
Crowds of people anticipate parade troupes as they make their way from the Ruins of St. Paul’s. – Photo: Rui Pastorin
