Organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from the Portuguese acronym), the 33^rd Macao Arts Festival (MAF), themed “The Long Artistic Journey”, will be held from 28 April to 28 May, featuring 20 selected programmes covering theatre, opera, dance, music and the visual arts. Tickets will be on sale simultaneously through the Macau Ticketing Network outlets, telephone and online booking from 10am on 26 March (Sunday). The public is welcome to purchase tickets online or by telephone to facilitate the purchase process.

This year, the MAF will kick off with the Rite of Spring by renowned Chinese dancer Yang Liping who seeks to make artistic breakthroughs through combining inspiration from East and West. In On Substance of Time, dancers from the Portuguese Contemporary Dance Company make life sparkle through their bodies and movements. Chinese stage director Liu Fangqi, known for his highly successful plays, brings his heart-warming theatrical adaptation of one of the three masterpieces by Keigo Higashino – The Miracles of the Namiya General Store. In addition, the Festival will also feature programmes including I Am a Moon by young playwright Zhu Yi, which unfolds the desires and secrets of urbanites; the ancient Greek tragedy Electra, jointly produced by the national drama company Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre and a Greece-based production team; Xiao Ke, a dance collaboration between Chinese and French artists; New Dragon Inn presented by the Shanghai Jingju Theatre Company with an equal emphasis on tradition and innovation; and the Experimental Cantonese Opera Farewell My Concubine (New Adaptation) produced by the Xiqu Centre, West Kowloon Cultural District.

Marking their 30^th anniversary this year, the Dóci Papiaçám di Macau Drama Group will bring the Festival to a close with the Patuá theatre play Carnavaland, inviting the public to savour the vitality of this item of national intangible cultural heritage from multiple perspectives in the new era. The Festival also includes a series of local productions, including the Multimedia Full-length Cantonese Opera Bonds of Hato, the concert Drunken Strings by the Macao Orchestra, the dance theatre Club Loneliness, as well as a wide variety of theatre productions such as m@rc0 p0!0 endg@me 2.0, Lift Left Life Live and The Dress Looks Nice on You. This year’s MAF also offers an array of “Family Entertainment” programmes, including family theatre On This Side of Macao – The quest for Verónica, Paper Puppet Theatre Paperbelle, and the toddler musical theatre The Ocean.

Tickets for the 33^rd Macao Arts Festival are on sale simultaneously through the Macau Ticketing Network outlets, telephone and online booking from 10am on 26 March (Sunday). On the first day of  sales, ticket purchases for each show are limited to a maximum of 10 tickets per performance and per person, with ticket limits and special ticket arrangements applied to some shows. An early bird discount of 30%, subject to certain criteria, is available from 26 March to 2 April, and a 20% discount will be offered from 3 April onwards. Members of the public who purchase their tickets with BOC Credit Card or BOC Card will receive a 30% discount on tickets for the opening performance Rite of Spring and the closing performance Patuá Theatre Carnavaland, as well as a 20% discount on tickets for other shows. A 20% discount will be offered for holders of MasterCard, Visa or UnionPay card from Luso International Banking Ltd., BNU, BCM Bank, Tai Fung Bank or OCBC Wing Hang. A 50% discount will be offered to holders of Macao Senior Citizen Card or Disability Assessment Registration Card. Each cardholder can only use one discounted ticket per performance. For every ticket purchase over MOP500 (net price after discounts), purchasers will receive one discount voucher for the exhibition “Visiting the Ruins of St. Paul’s in Space and Time” – Exhibition of Virtual Reality at the Ruins of St. Paul’s and one MGM dinning voucher. Those who purchase two tickets for the virtual reality theatre m@rc0 p0!0 endg@me 2.0 will receive one discount voucher for the exhibition “Visiting the Ruins of St. Paul’s in Space and Time” – Exhibition of Virtual Reality at the Ruins of St. Paul’s. Vouchers are limited and subject to availability. Air Macau customers may enjoy a 20% discount on ticket purchases at the Macau Ticketing Network outlets by presenting their respective boarding pass (flight code NX) within 7 days upon their arrival in Macao.

This edition of the MAF features 22 programmes of outreach activities. Tickets for the “Selected Screenings of International Stage Performances” will be on sale through the Macau Ticketing Network from 10am on 26 March. A 30% discount on tickets for two different performances in the “Selected Screenings of International Stage Performances” will be offered. For other programmes, registration can be made online through the Activity Application System (activity.mo.gov.mo/activity-h5/activity-list-web) in the Macao One Account from 10am on 27 March. Seats are limited and subject to availability. A fee is required to participate in some activities. Successful registrants will be notified by SMS or email.

For more information about the programmes, ticket purchase and other discounts, please check the 33^rd MAF’s booklet, visit the MAF’s website (www.icm.gov.mo/fam); follow the respective page on Facebook (search “Macao Arts Festival”), or subscribe to IC’s official WeChat account (IC_Art_Macao). Ticketing hotline: 2855 5555. Online ticket reservation is available at www.macauticket.com.