The United Association of Food and Beverage Merchants of Macau held a briefing session yesterday about its upcoming “2025 Macao Food Festival” in Praça do Lago Sai Van from November 14 to November 30.
The briefing session was held at Plaza Restaurant in Zape.
The chairman of the Macao Food Festival Coordination Committee, lawmaker-cum-restaurateur Andrew Chan Chak Mo said that in order to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Macao Food Festival, this year’s event will be accompanied by a “City of Gastronomy” series of activities held concurrently at the Galaxy International Convention Centre.
Chan said that the celebration will feature two major highlights, namely the “International Master Chefs Competition for Chinese Cuisine” and the “International Smart Catering Equipment Expo”. The competition will feature teams from over 40 countries and regions worldwide, aiming to foster culinary exchange and mutual understanding among diverse food cultures.
Chan underlined that the expo will showcase the latest products, equipment, technology, services, and innovations in the catering and hotel industries. He said it would bring together high-quality domestic and international brands from the catering equipment and supplies sector, fostering exchange and collaboration among global industry players across the entire supply chain.
Chan told reporters on the sidelines of the briefing session that the number of stalls will remain unchanged at around 150, and consistent with previous editions, the organisers have once again selected vendors based on inspections of their restaurant environment, food quality, sales performance, and service ratings, while also maintaining a waiting list for vendors wishing to participate. The festival will also support the government’s consumption programmes, which are expected to further boost local spending, Chan said.
Regarding whether the culinary festival would finally become a regular or permanent event, Chan said that it was difficult to evaluate the situation as there are concerns that regularising the event could negatively impact businesses in districts elsewhere in the city.
For now, the focus remains on the 17-day short-term event model, aiming to attract visitors to try the various delicacies at the festival and then visit the vendors’ physical stores elsewhere in the city afterwards, Chan said.
Food Festival Coordination Committee Chairman Andrew Chan Chak Mo speaks to reporters at Plaza Restaurant yesterday about the culinary event’s upcoming 25th anniversary edition. – Photo: Armindo Neves
