The 2025 Macau International Parade is slated to take place on Sunday, March 23, and Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) President Deland Leong Wai Man said yesterday during a press conference she estimates that there will be about 150,000 online and offline spectators this time, which is similar to that of last year.
Organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau in conjunction with the city’s six integrated resort (IR) operators – Galaxy Entertainment Group (GEG), Melco Resorts & Entertainment, MGM, Sands China, SJM Resorts and Wynn Resorts, the parade will be held in the afternoon of March 23, setting off from the Ruins of St Paul’s at 3 p.m. and ending in Sai Van Lake Square at 6:30 p.m., featuring a total of over 1,800 performers from 60 local troupes and 23 troupes from around the world, including national ones from Hong Kong and Huzhou, as well as foreign ones from Argentina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Italy, , Morocco, Polynesia, Portugal and Spain, aiming to uphold the spirit of “Love, Peace and Cultural Integration”, with the theme of “East-West Encounter, Asia in Harmony” this year.
Leong said that the budget of this year’s parade will be shared by the city’s six IR operators, adding that about 90 applications had been received for the open call for local troupes, and 60 have been selected, the subsidies of which will be disbursed in accordance with the government’s established rules and regulations, mainly to be used for props and costumes.
According to Leong, the parade will be the opening ceremony of the “Culture City of East Asia 2025 – Macao, China” event, in celebration of Macau being designated as a “Culture City of East Asia 2025”, which will feature a series of activities, including the opening ceremony, the presentation of original musical compositions, art work from mainland China, Japan and South Korea, as well as an exchange programme targeted at youth.
During the parade, according to the press conference, before eventually arriving at Sai Van Lake Square for a closing performance to compete for a range of prizes, the performers will interact with residents and tourists alike in Largo do Senado and Avenida Panorâmica do Lago Nam Van, and a raft of artistes in dazzling costumes will stage a special show on Avenida Doutor Stanley Ho along the Praia Grande Bay (Nam Van) waterfront.
A wide range of games, workshops and interactive booths will be set up at the VIVA Carnival in Avenida Panorâmica do Lago Nam Van, with some of the troupes performing there, according to the press conference.
This year, the parade will feature several highlights, including world-renowned artistic groups, experienced in performing internationally as they have demonstrated high-level artistic competence, and all foreign performing groups will be participating in the parade for the first time, bringing new styles of performance and injecting new energy and multicultural elements into the event, the press conference pointed out.
Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) President Deland Leong Wai Man (centre, front) and other government officials, as well as representatives from the city’s six integrated resort (IR) operators pose during a press conference at the Macau Cultural Centre (CCM) yesterday. – Photo: Ginnie Liang
