Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) President Deland Leong Wai Man and committee member Ieng Weng Fat announced yesterday that the Macao International Children’s Arts Festival will be expanded this year.
The government-appointed Cultural Development Consultative Committee held this year’s second plenary meeting yesterday at the Macau Cultural Centre (CCM) in Nape. The meeting was chaired by Leong in her capacity as the acting president of the committee.
Leong introduced the preparations for the upcoming festival alongside updates on the cultural and artistic activities being held at Anim’Arte NAM VAN, noting that the latter had attracted around 6,000 participants so far.
Leong said the bureau hopes that these kinds of community events can be expanded into other outdoor spaces under its management. This would provide residents with more venues to engage with culture and the arts during public holidays.
According to Ieng, building on the experience of the previous two editions, the festival will increase in scale. Around 1,000 programmes are expected to attract about 300,000 participants, Ieng said.
At the end of the first quarter of this year, Macau had a population of 688,100, according to official demographics.
Leong added that the 3rd Macao International Children’s Arts Festival will run from July to August. While the framework and types of activities will remain similar to previous editions – including performances, art exhibitions, film screenings, family art camps, and a children’s bookshop – the number of places available for the camps will be increased.
The organisers also intend to screen films in libraries and bookshops, rather than limiting screenings to traditional cinemas or outdoor squares, Leong said.
Meanwhile, Ieng spoke about fellow committee members’ feedback regarding the “Read Macau – National Reading Campaign Week”. He quoted committee members as saying that they believe that promoting reading across different levels will help gradually popularise reading among the general public.
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
