Cultural Development Advisory Committee Acting President-cum-Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) President Deland Leong Wai Man said on Saturday that the trial concert at the newly-built open-air venue on December 28, which is expected to draw an audience of 15,000, will feature “Tickets Exclusive for Macau Residents” at the heavily discounted price of 50 patacas.
The concert, entitled “Macao Outdoor Performance Venue: Warm-up Party” and organised by a Hong Kong TV station, will be part of a trial run ahead of the facility’s full launch. It will feature artistes from Hong Kong, Macau, mainland China and South Korea with a raft of singers and artistes, including Hins Cheung (張敬軒), Julian Cheung (張智霖), Pakho Chau (周柏豪) and Janice M. Vidal (衛蘭), according to Leong, who gave a speech at a ceremony marking the year-long trial operation, which is slated to start on January 1, of the open-air performance venue on Saturday.
Leong did not reveal the name of the TV station, but TVB anchors and officials were seen at the ceremony.
Leong noted that regular tickets are priced at 480, 780, and 1,080 patacas, while “Tickets Exclusive for Macau Residents”, priced at 50 patacas each, will be sold through pre-registration and a lucky draw.
The opening ceremony was also officiated by Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Elsie Ao Ieong U and Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raimundo do Rosário, among other local officials.
The facility, which broke ground in August, covers an area of 94,000 square metres with an audience capacity of 50,000, but it can accommodate up to 80,000 if needed.
According to Leong, the venue is equipped with basic facilities suitable for large-scale events, including portable function spaces such as toilets, event team offices, and lounges. At the same time, sufficient space will be reserved for the organisers to set up stages of different shapes, functions, and effects, according to the scale and design of the respective performance, she said.
Leong noted that the budget for the venue’s first concert is more than 20 million patacas, not including revenue from ticket sales. She also noted that the Cultural Affairs Bureau is currently accepting proposals for events to be held during the trial operation next year, adding that it has already received letters of intent from a number of non-local impresarios. She did not elaborate.
Cultural Development Advisory Committee Acting President-cum-Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) President Deland Leong Wai Man speaks to reporters after Saturday’s ceremony marking the forthcoming start of the year-long trial operation of the government-owned open-air performance venue in Cotai which will be leased to impresarios both from Macau and elsewhere. – Photo: William Chan
