Macau’s annual food-fest will run for 17 days, from November 19 to December 5, the United Association of Food and Beverage Merchants announced at a meeting at The Plaza Restaurant yesterday with the press and restaurant owners about the upcoming 21st Macau Food Festival
The chairman of the United Association of Food and Beverage Merchants, Andrew Chan Chak Mo, told reporters on the sidelines of the meeting that this year’s festival will be very similar to the one last year, noting that there will be about 120 booths at the event. However, he pointed out that there were 20 to 30 more restaurants showing an interest this year. He said that the COVID-19 pandemic situation did not prevent restaurants from participating in the event, stressing that many of the restaurateurs just hoped that they could get more exposure at the event.
Chan, an indirectly-elected lawmaker, said he expected even fewer people this year as there are still uncertainties about the COVID-19 pandemic. He pointed out that even though Zhuhai has scrapped its 14-day mandatory quarantine for arrivals from Macau, he did not “not have high expectations” about the number of people coming to the festival.
When asked about the government’s COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control measures, Chan said that it would be the same as last year – festival-goers must wear facemasks, get their temperature checked, display a valid Macau Health Code and can only take off their facemasks in designated areas. The statement also said that all staff members and participating restaurants’ workers must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and undergo the nucleic acid test (NAT) at least every seven days. He underlined that if there’s any instability in Macau’s novel coronavirus pandemic situation, the festival would be suspended immediately. He also said that the organisers will strictly abide by the government’s health guidelines. He also warned that if the festival is cancelled suddenly due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, the organisers will not refund the participants’ deposits, urging them to think twice before signing up.
As in previous years, the festival will be held outside Macau Tower.
United Association of Food and Beverages Merchants Chairman Andrew Chan Chak Mo talks to reporters on the sidelines of yesterday’s meeting about the 21st Macau Food Festival, at The Plaza Restaurant. Photo courtesy of TDM
