Calendar of events in Macau
Macau is a city of year-round events, and chances are whenever you visit, there will be plenty of colorful activities to enjoy. Here are some highlights of what's coming up this year.
Lotus Flower Festival
June 17-July 2
Every year, Macau's major parks and squares are dotted with blooming lotuses during this 30-day festival. Last year some 8,000 pots of more than 260 varieties of lotus flowers were on display. A series of cultural and recreational activities including art performances, a photo exhibition and a painting match are held to mark the festival, which is significant because the lotus is the emblem of the Macau SAR.
Feast of Hungry Ghosts
August 7
In residential streets of Macau, paper offerings are burned on this day to appease the ghosts of departed ancestors and free them from the underworld. Chinese operas are staged outdoors to commemorate the special day.
FIVB Women's Volleyball World Grand Prix
Aug 25-27
Wynn Macau 18th International Fireworks Display Contest
September 2, 9, 16, 23 and October 1
Every autumn Macau invites the best of the worldís fireworks teams to come to display their work in the nighttime skies over Nam Van Lakes and vie for cash prizes while keeping a colorful tradition alive. The spectacular displays can be seen from the shores of Taipa Island and most of the Macau peninsula.
FIM - UAM Asian Motocross Championships
September 16-17
7th Asian Dragon Boat Championships
September 22-24
Macau International Trade and Investment Fair
September 24-27
This international exhibition organized by the Macau SAR government at Macau Tower Convention and Entertainment Center includes economic and trade negotiations, product displays, business networking and the exchange of information.
MIF features a special area for Portuguese-speaking countries and booths are set up in themed areas both indoors and outdoors. Exhibits cover items as diverse as tourism and travel accessories, IT, health products, sports goods, textiles and clothing, toys and games, gifts and premiums, food products, hotel equipment, and innovative industry products.
Macau A-Ma Cultural and Tourism Festival
September
The Goddess A-Ma Foundation of Macau will again organize a series of activities for the Macau A-Ma Cultural and Tourism Festival, including ceremonies and performances staged at the spectacular A-Ma Cultural Village on a hilltop overlooking Hac Sa beach. Other events, like photo exhibitions,
traditional rites, and cultural
performances, will take place around town.
National Day of the Peopleís Republic of China
October 1
Banks and government offices will be closed on this day, but there will be special events to mark the holiday.
Luso Festival
October 6-8
The Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau and the Portuguese-speaking communities of Macau get together each year to organize three days of outdoor fun from noon to midnight on the historic Taipa Praia. Highlights include concerts, a food fest, games and handicrafts at this very popular festival.
Mid-Autumn Festival
October 6
Macau comes ablaze with lanterns of all colors, sizes and shapes at this time of the year. Very much a family occasion, the festival is celebrated with special shows in Macau, Taipa and Coloane. ≠Activities feature performances, lantern riddles and Chinese tea tables. The following day is a public holiday.
Festival of Ancestors (Chung Yeung Festival)
October 30
This is a holiday for people to visit the graves of their ancestors and pay their respects. Many people spend the holiday hiking or
having a picnic in the countryside,
enjoying nature and spending time
with their families.
Macau International
Music Festival
October
The Macau International Music Festival is aptly dubbed ìthe jewel in the city's cultural crown.î The festival brings artists from around the world to perform in many local historic monuments as well as at the Macau Tower, Cultural Center and other modern auditoriums.
Each year the program includes a Western opera as well as traditional and contemporary Chinese music, dance, musical comedy and outdoor and street performances, many of them free, and the rest at very reasonable prices.
53rd Macau Grand Prix
November 16-19
The Macau Grand Prix been run annually on the world-famous Guia street circuit for more than 50 years, and every year its organizers tout it as being "better than ever." And every year it really is bigger and better, adding on new events like the Food Festival, Grand Prix Carnival, and fireworks displays.
Today the Grand Prix is the biggest and most exciting event on Macau's calendar, and the worldís only street circuit race featuring both car and motorcycle races. It is also a stepping-stone in driversí careers; at least 16 of the current World Formula One Championship drivers have competed in it.
Galaxy Resort Macau International Marathon
December 3
The annual Macau International Marathon gathers long distance athletes from all around the world. The race starts on Taipa Island and extends through Macau and Coloane.
Anniversary of the Establishment
of the Macau SAR
December 20
This public holiday starts with an official flag raising ceremony at 8 am in Lotus Square, followed by special events to mark the day, which ends with a bang, literally, as fireworks light up the sky.