Suspended for four years due to COVID-19, Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) President Leong Wai Man announced yesterday that the first post-pandemic Macau International Parade will take place on March 24, when about 1,800 local, mainland, Hong Kong and foreign performers will set off from the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Ruins of St Paul’s.
Leong delivered a speech during a press conference at the Macau Cultural Centre (CCM) in Nape, saying that this year’s parade will feature 64 local troupes and at least 15 troupes from Shenzhen and Hong Kong, as well as foreign troupes from Brazil, France, Italy, Mozambique, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Togo and the UK, amounting to about 1,800 performers, adding that the bureau has been keeping in touch with troupes from all over the world, striving to increase the number of participating groups to 20.
According to the press conference, the one-day parade, organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau in conjunction with the city’s six integrated resort (IR) operators, will set off at 3 p.m. on Sunday March 24 from the Ruins of St Paul’s, passing along the UNESCO World Heritage sites in Largo do São Domingos and Largo do Senado, as well as the Praia Grande waterfront, before arriving at Sai Van Lake Square, “creating an annual event with the core concept of ‘Love, Peace and Cultural Integration’ for residents and tourists alike”.
The upcoming parade is budgeted at seven million patacas, according to Leong, who said: “Joining hands with the six local IR operators, the budget set aside by the government for this year’s parade has been decreased from 2019’s 23.3 million patacas to seven million patacas.”
Unlike in the past when the parade was held in December, the annual event has been rescheduled to March this year. Leong explained that different to every December when many large-scale events are organised to celebrate the anniversary of the establishment of the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR), March is a month that consists of “relatively few large-scale celebratory events”, adding she hoped that “by organising the parade, there will be some annual celebratory events in Macau for residents and tourists alike to participate in during the quieter months of the year”.
In her speech, Leong said that as the grand finale of the parade, this year’s event will be newly conceived to present its spectators with a stage production integrating digital technology, creating an “unparalleled” immersive viewing experience.
New categories are added to the local parade troupes this year, namely the “Parade of Large-Scale Artistic Installations” featuring portable installations such as gigantic puppets and delivery backpacks, and the “Special Planning Parade” featuring a number of creative collaboration series by art groups in different artistic disciplines from Macau, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA) and other regions, according to the press conference, which noted that aiming to give the public a first glimpse into the “fascinating” parade, troupes with different styles will perform at various integrated resorts and neighbourhoods from March 17-22, while a street art carnival will be staged at Largo de S. Domingos and Praça de Jorge Álvares on March 23.
The Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) holds a press conference about the 2024 Macau International Parade, at the Macau Cultural Centre (CCM) in Nape yesterday. IC President Leong Wai Man (first row, centre) is flanked by other government officials as well as integrated resort (IR) and community association representatives. – Photo: Yuki Lei
