Under the patronage of the Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture of the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region and organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from the Portuguese acronym), the 1st Macao International Children’s Arts Festival will be held from July to August. The event is divided into nine sections, featuring a total of 45 performances and activities in over 1,000 sessions, including world-class performing arts, a Broadway musical, an art exhibition, a film festival, large outdoor installations, art camps, masterclasses, workshops and an art carnival, which are centred at the Macao Cultural Centre and surrounding areas. A variety of diverse activities will be launched, brightening up children in their childhood with culture and arts, encouraging families and children to get close to the arts and from diverse perspectives using all their senses, and presenting a new performing arts festival.
The 1st Macao International Children’s Arts Festival is co-organised by Sands China Ltd., MGM, Wynn Resorts (Macau), S.A., and supported by the Macao Government Tourism Office and the Municipal Affairs Bureau, with the Bank of China (Macau), Air Macau Company Limited and Macau Fisherman’s Wharf International Investment Limited as promotion partners.
A dazzling array of outstanding international and local shows
The 1st Macao International Children’s Arts Festival’s mascot MICAF will spend the wonderful summer with the families during the event. The Festival features a selection of programmes for families presented by art groups from Macao and all from over the world. The Broadway musical Annie the Musical is a perfect family-friendly programme telling the uplifting adventures of a brave little orphan. Staged to the sound of a most memorable score, it features classic tunes such as Tomorrow and It’s the Hard Knock Life. The Closing Performance, The First Musical for Children ever by the Palace Museum Lu Duan, presents an immersive journey across the historical relics of the Imperial Palace through an innovative and perfect integration between theatrical arts, traditional culture and modern technology. Created by the Xirriquiteula Theatre from Spain, the show Laika offers the audience a captivating visual aesthetics through various art forms such as shadow play, puppets and film montage. The show CRASSH_Duo Circus by WETUMTUM from Portugal, renders melodious tunes and intricate rhythms with percussion instruments made of everyday objects, complemented with acrobatics and awe-inspiring stunts.
The non-verbal puppet show Tic Tac, The Hero of Time by Omar Alvarez Titeres, Puppetry Arts Company from Argentina combines exquisite puppets made from everyday objects with stop-motion projections, allowing the public to have a delicate experience to human emotions. In the Family Concert Magical Symphony, renowned Hong Kong children’s TV host Harry will join hands with the Macao Orchestra to transform the theatre into a children’s wonderland with melodious music. In the Cantonese opera by teenagers The Magical Lotus Lantern, students from the School of Theatre of the Macao Conservatory will present a beautiful mythical story.
The Moon in a Pot by La Petita Malumaluga from Spain, leads families and children to get close to the play which combines music, dance, theatre and special effects, in order to explore the emotional corners of a moon and enjoy the pleasant moments with families. Sweet Dreams in the Woods, jointly created by local producer Chan Si Kei, a choreographer residing in Austria, Wendy Choi and local choreographer Annette Ng, leads babies to explore every wonderful creature in the magical “forest” through physical movement. The abovementioned two programmes are suitable for children to experience theatre with their parents for the first time.
Exhibition “Fantastic Art World from Centre Pompidou” presents a wonderful world; the first art camps allow the public to enjoy the fun of art
The “Fantastic Art World from Centre Pompidou” is an exhibition presented by the world-renowned Centre Pompidou in France that features educational functions, inspiring children to explore and create arts through interactive means, thus enabling them to enjoy the fun of creativity and broaden their perspectives on contemporary art. Thematic workshops will also be held. More information about the exhibition and ticket purchase for the activities will be announced in due course.
The Art Camps Mysterious Art Playground - Children’s Creative Camp and Fantastic Creative Door - Family Art Camp are the new programmes that allow participants to camp at the Macao Cultural Centre for two days, where they will join the interactive workshops to have a storytelling experience in a small theatre and enjoy the fun of art. In addition, the Festival will feature over 20 art workshops in a total of 60 sessions, covering music, theatre, painting and dance, suitable for people of all ages.
Film Festival invites children to explore the cinematic world and experience the warmth of family from stories
The Macao International Children’s Film Festival features a selection of over 20 outstanding films in four sections, including the films Shrek, I Not Stupid, The 400 Blows and The Spirit of the Beehive; local animated shorts Mui, The Lighthouse and On His Back; as well as outdoor screenings such as Little Nicholas – Happy as Can Be, allowing the audience to experience the warmth of the family from stories and the ups and downs encountered during the growth, as well as the wisdom and the power of the ancestors, exploring the future through the cinematic world.
The Festival also invited Grammy Award-winning violinist Joshua Bell and various musicians of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields from the United Kingdom to hold the “Music Camp – Master Class” in August. Participants will also have the opportunity to perform with the masters on stage. Some outstanding participants will be personally coached by the masters. More information will be announced in due course.
Children’s Fun Book House to be held during the weekends in July and Art Carnival to be held in August
The Children’s Fun Book House (Pop-up Store) will be held during the weekends in July at the “‧ART Space” on the first floor of the Macao Cultural Centre. Incorporating the elements of playground in design, the book house will feature over 200 exquisite picture books, books for teenagers, colouring books, educational materials, and other related cultural and creative products from more than 10 countries and regions. Various installations will be available for the public to take photographs, while a family reading area will be set up for adults and children to enjoy reading together.
The “MICAF Fun Day” Arts Carnival will be held in the evening from 23 to 25 August at the Cultural Centre Plaza, featuring an array of street performances presented by a number of artists, including street dance, clowning and puppetry displays. Some participants in the workshops will also showcase their artistic skills. Special decorations and stalls selling food and cultural and creative products will be available. The Carnival will also feature outdoor art installations, large-scale splash sprinklers and outdoor film screenings for families.
Tickets for the programmes will be available through the Macau Ticketing Network outlets, telephone (2855 5555) and online booking at www.macauticket.com (local and overseas) from 10am on 9 June (Sunday). Tickets for the Macao International Children’s Film Festival will be on sale simultaneously through the Cinematheque・Passion and online booking from 10am on 9 June (Sunday). Registration for the workshops will also made available through the “Activity Applications” of the Macao One Account (activity.mo.gov.mo/activity-h5/activity-list-web) from 10am on 9 June. Number of places are limited, and some activities are charged for admission. For more information about the 1st Macao International Children’s Arts Festival, please visit www.icm.gov.mo/micaf or email to micaf@icm.gov.mo. For enquiries about the programmes, please contact IC through tel. no. 8399 6699 during office hours.
The press conference of the 1st Macao International Children’s Arts Festival was held on 7 June at the Conference Room of the Macao Cultural Centre, and a number of media outlet and representatives of art groups from the Greater Bay Area participated in the live broadcast. The press conference was attended by the President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR Government, Leong Wai Man; the Director of the Macao Government Tourism Office of the Macao SAR Government, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes; the Adviser of the Office of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR Government, Lo Hou Chi; the Vice Presidents of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR Government, Cheong Lai San and Cheang Kai Meng; the Executive Vice Chairman of Sands China Ltd., Wilfred Wong; the Senior Vice President of Brand Marketing of MGM, Catarina Lio; the Chief Marketing Officer of Wynn Macau, Limited, Zoe Zou; the Chief Executive of the Bank of China (Macau), Chan Hio Peng; the Vice President of the Air Macau Company Limited, Anabela Rosa; and the Chairman, Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer of the Macau Legend Development Ltd., Li Chu Kwan; as well as the participating art groups and artists, among others.
