The Government Headquarters Open Day sessions will be held on Saturday and Sunday (21 and 22 October), from 9am to 6pm. The public can visit the Protocol Palace and the gardens of the Government Headquarters. The theme of this year’s floral arrangements is “Macao Food Festival”. Members of the public will also have the opportunity to enjoy live music and dance performances.
The Government Headquarters are on Avenida da Praia Grande. The public are directed to use the Travessa do Paiva entrance on the right-hand side of the Protocol Palace as visitors face the front of the main building. Once in the grounds, visitors should follow a designated route, which includes stops at the Multi-purpose Room and the Lotus Room on the ground floor of the Protocol Palace. Via the marble staircase to the first floor, visitors can explore the Grand Hall, the Green Hall, the Yellow Hall, and the Blue Hall.
There will also be an exhibition in the Multi-purpose Room featuring “Macao New Eight Scenic Spots”. Guided tours of the Protocol Palace will be available, offering visitors a deeper understanding of the interior settings of the Grand Hall on the upper floor, and of the building as a whole, a structure dating from 1849.
This year’s floral arrangements feature prominent use of a wide variety of coloured carnations. There are teacup-shaped displays featuring fresh flowers, as well as other floral exhibits shaped as various Macao food specialties such as pork chop buns, almond cookies, Portuguese egg tarts, doughnuts, and cakes.
The floral arrangements showcase Macao cuisine and its Chinese and Western characteristics, and promote Macao’s food culture and traditions. Visitors can take photos of the 15,000 pots of flowers used for the displays, which represent the charm of Macao as a Creative City of Gastronomy, and as a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure.
In conjunction with the Open Day sessions, there will be a series of performances by the Macao Police Band, as well as other musical instrument performances, plus performances by representatives of the School of Music and the School of Dance of the Macao Conservatory.
Additionally, the Macao Post and Telecommunications Bureau will set up a temporary postal counter near Nam Van Lake, offering a commemorative-postmark service and Open Day sessions-related philatelic products.
For the convenience of visitors, special traffic management arrangements relating to part of Travessa do Paiva will be in force during the Open Day sessions. Drivers are urged to pay attention to the temporary traffic signs and follow police advice.
The Government Headquarters Open Day sessions this weekend are the first such events since 2020, and all are welcome. To commemorate this special occasion, souvenirs will be offered to visitors, while supplies last. Visitors are advised to exercise care when navigating steps on their visit to the Government Headquarters. Selfie sticks, umbrellas, drinks, and food are all barred from the premises, as are pets.
For more information, please visit https://openday.dsasg.gov.mo/or telephone (853) 2872 6886 during office hours for enquiries. The website features a 360-panoramic photograph of the Government Headquarters, offering visitors a unique perspective of the complex. Members of the public can also download the "Macao Chief Executive's Office" mobile application, to view relevant information about the Government Headquarters Open Day sessions.