The Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) announced in a statement yesterday that the newly-renovated Red Market will reopen on Thursday next week.
The Red Market, a listed building, temporarily closed in late March 2022 for renovation when its stalls were moved to a temporary wet market building, which is located near the high-rise Patane Market Municipal Complex, for continuous business operations. The government said at that time that a revamp of the Red Market was needed due to its ageing structure and facilities.
The Red Market’s renovation project got off the ground in May 2022.
The bureau announced early last month that the Red Market’s renovation had been completed and that the newly-revamped building’s final survey inspection and formal acceptance was underway. The bureau said at that time that it was aiming to reopen the Red Market in early June.
Yesterday’s statement said that since early this year, i.e., in the run-up to the scheduled completion of the Red Market’s renovation, the bureau has been carrying out various preparation tasks with the aim of enabling the stalls to move back smoothly.
Yesterday’s statement said that about 120 stalls will move back to the Red Market from the temporary building.
The statement said that the bureau will arrange for the stallholders to relocate their equipment to the Red Market on Tuesday and Wednesday next week, before the renovated wet market reopens next Thursday.
According to the statement, the temporary Red Market, which has been operating since late March 2022, will operate until next Tuesday night.
The bureau said early last month that 127 stalls were slated to move back to the Red Market from the temporary wet market building, but its officials said late last month that 124 stalls were scheduled to move back. Yesterday’s statement only said that the bureau would arrange for “nearly 120 stalls” to move back.
The Red Market, officially known as Almirante Lacerda Market, is located on the corner of Avenida de Horta e Costa and Avenida do Almirante Lacerda.
The Red Market, which opened in 1936, was listed as a heritage site under the category of “buildings of architectural interest” in the 1990s. It is the only wet market building in Macau listed as a cultural heritage site.
The government has reaffirmed that the Red Market’s renovation project turned out to be difficult because of the need to strike the right balance between the protection of the building’s architectural characteristics as a heritage site and ensuring that its structure would be well consolidated.
The renovation has improved the market’s lighting system and installed a central air-conditioning system and barrier-free lifts. In addition, the renovation has also enlarged the market’s public toilet facilities and increased the number of female toilet cubicles in relation to the male ones.
These undated handout photos released by the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) yesterday show the renovated Red Market and several stalls.
