A four-day event, called “MONG-HA VILLAS CULTURAL AND CREATIVE MARKET SERIES ACTIVITIES”, started yesterday, and the event organiser, Otto Ieong Hong Wai, CEO of 369 Co-op Town Ltd., said that the market aims to boost the cultural tourism and economic vitality in the neighbourhood.
The market is being held at Mong-Ha Villas on Avenida do Coronel Mesquita (美副將大馬路).
The market opening ceremony was also attended by Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, director of the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO).
The market, according to a statement posted on the organiser’s social media account, themed “Traditional New Year Meets Trendy Fun,” features 40 booths offering quality products and unique cultural and creative goods. The products on sale include handicrafts, woven items, cocktails and snacks, alongside coffee booths, as well as song and dance performances, the statement said.
Ieong also said that is company has engaged more than 60 local businesses in the surrounding area, including several traditional time-honoured shops and small and micro enterprises, adding that these establishments are offering discounts and photo ops, known as “da kat” in Cantonese.
The market aims to provide residents and tourists alike with an ideal destination for the ongoing Chinese New Year (CNY) festivities, while also striving to stimulate cultural and tourism integration and boosting economic vitality within the neighbourhood.
Customarily, the Chinese New Year period, also known as Spring Festival, ends on the 15th day of the lunar calendar, i.e., next Tuesday.
Drone display to precede fireworks: MGTO chief
MGTO Director Helena de Senna Fernandes told reporters yesterday that Macau’s government-organised drone and firework display sequences have been readjusted, featuring drone displays first before the conventional pyrotechnic displays.
Senna Fernades talked to reporters at Mong-Ha Villas on Avenida do Coronel Mesquita on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of a four-day community market in the area.
Senna Fernades said that, based on public opinion about the first time that the readjusted display sequences were held on Thursday, lasting just 15 minutes, the duration of the two remaining drone and firework shows – one of which took place last night, while the other is slated to be held next Tuesday on the evening of the Lantern Festival – has been extended to around 25 minutes each.
“The drone and pyrotechnic displays will be presented separately. The drone show will go first, followed by the fireworks, to ensure that the drone formations are clear,” said Senna Fernandes.
She underlined that the display includes 3,888 drones, forming patterns on an exceptionally large scale. Spectators do not need to gather near the Macau Tower, she said, as they can enjoy the clear display even from the Taipa water front.
Visitors attend the “MONG-HA VILLAS CULTURAL AND CREATIVE MARKET SERIES ACTIVITIES” on its opening day on Avenida do Coronel Mesquita (美副將大馬路) yesterday. – Photo: Armindo Neves
