The Municipal Affairs Bureau’s (IAM) auction for next year’s Chinese New Year (CNY) markets was hosted at the Activity Centre of the Patane Municipal Market yesterday, and the highest bidders paid 29,000 patacas for their booths.
Next years’ CNY Market will be hosted from January 25 to February 1. For the CNY Market in Praça do Tap Seac, 34 booths were on offer in the auction with 70 people taking part in the bidding. Two dozen of the booths were for selling CNY-related dry goods, while six booths were for flowers and four booths were for cooked food. One of the flower booths was auctioned off for 29,000 patacas, while there were 10 dry goods booths that no one bid for and, therefore, were recalled by the bureau.
The flower booths were auctioned off for between 20,000 and 29,000 patacas. According to media reports, last year, the most expensive flower booth was auctioned off for 20,500 patacas. Moreover, there was only one food booth last year with a hammer price of just 10,000 patacas, yet this year all food booths attracted bids of between 15,500 and 18,000 patacas. However, this year the 24 dry good booths only drew 14 bids, six of which were auctioned off at the asking price of 5,000 patacas. The most expensive booth was auctioned off for 10,000 patacas, which is 10,000 patacas lower than last year’s highest bid.
Meanwhile, the auction for 10 incense and windmill booths at A-Ma Temple was also held yesterday. There were 14 people attending the auction and seven booths were auctioned off at their asking price, which was 5,000 patacas while there were three booths that no one bid for so they were recalled by the bureau.
IAM Vender Division Chief Kam Chi Wai told reporters after yesterday’s auctions that for the incense and windmill booths in front of A-Ma Temple the number of booths were the same as last year, adding that under the COVID-19 pandemic the “enthusiasm” from the bidders was “as expected”. He underlined that the bureau will strictly abide by the Health Bureau’s (SSM) novel coronavirus prevention and control guidelines, including urging booth owners and their staff to wear their facemasks at all times, and they must have been inoculated at least once against COVID-19, or have a negative nucleic acid test (NAT) valid for seven days.
Lee, a man who has been bidding for the incense and windmill booths at A-Ma Temple for many years said that the hammer price matched his expectations. He added that as Macau’s COVID-19 pandemic situation has stabilised, he was hoping for an “ideal amount” of sales.
Bidders attend yesterday’s auction for the incense and windmill booths outside A-Ma Temple at the Activity Centre of the Patane Municipal Market. Photo courtesy of TDM
