The “2019 Macao International Parade”, organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau, in celebration of the 20th anniversary of Macao’s handover to China, will be held on 8 December. The participating groups have been staging a series of outreach performances in various districts since 18 November, seeking to have interaction with the public and spread the festive atmosphere of the Parade. Starting from 5 December, a number of foreign art groups will bring excellent performances to various local districts for three consecutive days.
On 5 December at 6:30pm, art groups from various countries, including Italy, Kenya, Russia and Cyprus, among others, will present the “City Art Surprise” and warm up at Senado Square, bringing stilts, acrobatic and dance performances; on 6 December at 1pm, The Giant from Chile, the Jumping Robots from Russia in shiny costumes and the gorgeous Ladies’ Moon from Italy, among other art groups, will turn Jorge Álvares Square into a “Colourful Garden”, interacting with residents and tourists closely; on the same day, at 8pm, Acrobatic Kenya from Kenya and other music and dance ensembles from Hungary, Cyprus and Angola will dress in their folk costumes and thrill spectators, singing and dancing in the “Dance of the World” at the Iao Hon Market Garden.
On the day prior to the Parade (7 December), the popular 4-metre giant puppets from Chile will show up at 10:30am in the Areia Preta Urban Park, and all parents and children are welcome to join the “Chile Puppets’ Party”; the stilt theatre When the Lotus Garden Meets the Tea Island will be held at 3 pm at St. Dominic’s Square, telling the history of tea plantation on the São Miguel Island in Portugal, during which the audience may also enjoy a cup of freshly-brewed Portuguese tea; on the same day, the Pichet Klunchun Dance Company founded by Thai dance maestros will present the “MI(X)G” Inflatable Puppet Dance Theatre at 2:30pm and 4pm at Senado Square and Anim’Arte NAM VAN, respectively, telling the stories of migrants and cultural exchange through 20 inflatable puppets in the shape of deep-sea creatures and aliens with beautiful and vivid scenes.
Themed around the cultures of countries and regions along the initiative “One Belt, One Road”, this year’s Macao International Parade features nearly 1,800 artists in a total of 80 groups from home and from these countries and regions. The artists will jointly present a distinctive annual celebration for residents and tourists with their best performances on 8 December. For more information about the activities, please visit www.icm.gov.mo/macaoparade, or follow the ‘Macao International Parade” page on Facebook and IC’s official WeChat account “ICmacao”.