The government-appointed Cultural Development Consultative Committee yesterday held its fourth plenary meeting of the year, and after the closed door meeting, Macau Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) President Deland Leong Wai Man announced that a total of over 1,000 performances have been held this month or are slated for next month.
Yesterday’s meeting was held at the Macau Cultural Centre (CCM).
Briefing the media afterwards, Leong said that the meeting focused on three main agenda items: first, consulting the committee on proposed amendments to the bylaws concerning the cultural sector’s legal entities; second, presenting “Art Macao: Macao International Art Biennale 2025,” which started on July 18 and will run until October, featuring nearly 30 exhibitions across six sections; and third, introducing the two-month 2nd Macau International Children’s Arts Festival concluding at the end of next month, offering 49 programmes and over 1,000 events, including international performances, large-scale musicals, and art exhibitions.
Committee member Ieng Weng Fat cited fellow committee members’ views that both events feature rich and diverse content and, based on their popularity last year, have been well-received by the public. The members, Ieng said, expressed hope that these activities would gradually develop into internationally renowned events.
Leong also said that the current edition of the children arts festival operates with a budget of around 20 million patacas, noting that over 80 percent of the tickets have already been sold, with particularly strong public interest in programmes like “Family Art Camp”, “Children’s Creative Camp”, and special performances for infants.
She also said that as the kids’ arts-fest has just got off the ground, official participation figures for this year are not yet available. She noted that last year’s attendance reached about 210,000, with local residents outnumbering tourists.
When asked by the media about the government-owned outdoor performance venue in Cotai, Leong said no performance requests were received for next month and a performance originally scheduled for early September has been cancelled at the organiser’s request which was received on Friday, while requests have been received for performances in late September, late October, and December.
She also said that her bureau planned to use next month’s performance-free period to upgrade the outdoor venue’s facilities, including clearer entrance/exit signage and enhanced sanitation control by the relevant government entities, in order to prevent mosquito problems.
Cultural Development Consultative Committee Acting President and Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) President Deland Leong Wai Man (right) and committee member Ieng Weng Fat look on after the committee’s regular closed-door meeting at the Macau Cultural Centre (CCM) yesterday. – Photo: Armindo Neves
