Organized by Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), the festive event “Light up Macao 2024 in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Macao Special Administrative Region” (referred to as the “event”) will be staged from 7 December 2024 to 28 February 2025. Themed as “Symphony of Time and Space”, the event will dazzle the city across 2024 and 2025 for 84 days. Overseas, Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao artists will join international teams to create a symphony of exquisite light art across time and space, weaving a kaleidoscope of flagship installations, artistic installations, illuminations, interactive installations as well as mapping shows into one dazzling cityscape. It will be a string of glittery immersive experiences for Macao residents and visitors to enjoy at nighttime in celebration of both anniversaries. The event is set to spur community tourism and nighttime economy, enriching what the city has to offer as a world centre of tourism and leisure.
Mega event into New Year + cross-sector integration for synergy
The press conference for “Light up Macao 2024” was held today (21 November). MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Deputy Director Ricky Hoi, and representatives of various co-organizers and event partners, attended the occasion together with several artists who participated in event design.
MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes expressed in her speech that since Macao’s designation as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy in 2017, the Office has begun the endeavor to promote the development of “tourism + gastronomy”, capitalizing on the UNSECO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) to foster cooperation among member cities in different creative fields and tap into the integrated development across “tourism +”. Light up Macao 2024 is a major event into the New Year and a platform that propels cross-sector integration. The teams in charge of installation design and mapping shows this year embrace both local creative power and international vision. They comprise 18 artists and design teams, some of whom are from eight UNESCO Creative Cities of Design in the Mainland and overseas. She hopes that the creative talent from Macao and worldwide can jointly create an illuminative feast for the eyes across time and space, brightening Macao’s golden calling card as an international metropolis.
International expertise + local talent reach new pinnacle of creativity in cultural exchange
The artists and design teams of Light up Macao 2024 came from Macao, Hong Kong, the Mainland, Asia, Oceania, Europe, North and Latin Americas. There are artists and teams from eight Creative Cities of Design — Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Shenzhen, Nagoya (Japan), Mexico City (Mexico), Montreal (Canada) and Sydney (Australia) — as well as Macao, Hong Kong, Portugal and New Zealand. Under the theme of “Symphony of Time and Space”, they paint creative artworks with light, pouring great creativity and passion into a dazzling cityscape as a tribute to both anniversaries.
Some of the artists and representatives of design teams, including Zhu Xi (Shanghai – Creative City of Design), Lei Wei (Beijing – Creative City of Design), Miss Elephant (Hong Kong – Sustainability Art Hub) and João Jorge Magalhães (Lisbon, Portugal), also shared the design concept of their artworks at the press conference today (21 November).
Dazzling stroll into New Year for 84 days and major festivities
In collaboration with various co-organizers and event partners, MGTO will unfold Light up Macao 2024 in early December. Lasting for 84 days, the event will take spectators on a mesmerizing journey of light art that transcends time and space over three months. In a blend of “tourism +”, the event promises memorable nights with residents and visitors on major festive occasions, including the Anniversary of the Establishment of the Macao SAR, Winter Solstice, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, Chinese New Year, Chinese Lantern Festival and Valentine’s Day.
6 subthemes + 6 districts = 31 installations + 3 mapping shows
Delivering six subthemes under the main theme of “Symphony of Time and Space”, the event will cover six districts on Macao Peninsula, Taipa and Coloane as follows: “Pulse of the Future” in Praia do Manduco District, “Interlude of the Ocean” in Nam Van District, “Glorious Epoch” in Zona Nova de Aterros do Porto Exterior (NAPE), “Realm of Fantasy” in Northern District, “Fusion of Arts and Culture” in Taipa, and “Nostalgic Aura” in Coloane.
There will be 6 flagship installations, 4 art installations, 12 light installations, 9 interactive installations and 3 mapping show venues at 23 locations on Macao Peninsula, Taipa and Coloane. The installations will be illuminated and open to the public from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. during the event period. Various elements of the event will unfold at different stages, within limited time periods and in the form of pop-up. Spectators can visit and enjoy the light art at different districts for multiple times. Weaving together a wondrous symphony of installations and themed mapping shows, the event is perfect for everyone, whether with families, friends, lovers and besties, to enjoy a glittery stroll and take pictures for check-in. The event is set to boost tourism and spending in the six districts and the vicinity.
Local talent and Japanese teams present mapping shows
Three themed mapping shows will be staged at two locations. The Japanese mapping team will present “Create the Future” at the front square of Macao Science Center. On the other hand, MGTO called for submission of local 3D mapping projects months ago. Acclaimed as outstanding entries, “Connect” and “100 FUN” will be projected at Largo dos Bombeiros in Taipa (the façade of Cozinha Pinocchio Taipa) in different periods.
The mapping shows will be staged every 30 minutes from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. every night throughout the event period. Each mapping show will span about five minutes.
Themed gifts attract spectators for check-in at each district
Spectators can take photos of any installations at the six districts to share with the hashtag #lightupmacao2024 or #iluminarmacau2024 on social media in exchange for a themed souvenir for the district at the information station after garnering sufficient likes. They can also join the stamp collection game and “MAK MAK Catch” in exchange for a glowing diffuser. The event will feature more games this year, such as “Flagship Installation Treasure Game” and “Blissful Cake Tower”– a special game (held exclusively at the Northern District) in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Macao SAR in December, that will give out flagship installation phone stands and small gifts limited for the Northern District. Gifts will be available while stocks last.
Pop-up events add lively vibes
Between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. every Saturday during the event, pop-up events will enliven designated locations in the six districts with festive air, such as giant inflatable doll, electronic keyboard performance, funny balloon show, parent-child workshop, cartoon painting, Mini band, parent-child drumming interaction, guitar show and electronic cello performance.
Night at Travessa do Armazém Velho boosts spending
A parallel activity “Luminescent Night at Travessa do Armazém Velho 2024” will take place during Light up Macao 2024. In addition to online games and offline workshops, Travessa do Armazém Velho and the vicinity will be embellished with illuminations in different styles and infused with unique charm as night falls.
Online and offline promotions widen publicity
MGTO has unfolded a series of online and offline promotions to spotlight the event widely in the form of forwarded broadcast, graphic and written posts, short videos on MGTO’s official platforms on social media such as WeChat, Weibo, Douyin, Xiaohongshu, Tiktok, Line, Kakao, Facebook and Instagram, as well as through Mainland and overseas KOLs. The event will also be promoted through offline media and outdoor advertisements among other channels. The promotional campaign will continue for the three-month event.
Fruition of public-private partnerships
Organized by MGTO, Light up Macao 2024 is a collaborative project between different governmental entities in partnership with integrated resort enterprises with the aim to create a prestigious nighttime event, promote the concerted development of “tourism + events”, widen the offerings of Macao as a world centre of tourism and leisure and brighten Macao’s golden calling card as an international metropolis.
The co-organizers of Light up Macao 2024 include Municipal Affairs Bureau, Economic and Technological Development Bureau, Cultural Affairs Bureau, Sports Bureau, Marine and Water Bureau and Macao Science Center. The event partners include Wynn Resorts Macau, SJM Resorts, S.A., MGM, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, Galaxy Entertainment Group and Sands China Ltd.
For more information, please visit the website for Light up Macao 2024 (https://lum.macaotourism.gov.mo/index_en.html) and follow MGTO (MGTOweixin) on WeChat.
