Under the patronage of the Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR Government and organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from the Portuguese acronym), the 2^nd Macao International Children’s Arts Festival will be held from July to August, aiming at brightening up children with arts, encouraging families and children to get close to the arts and from diverse perspectives using all their senses, presenting a performing arts festival. The event is divided into nine sections, featuring a total of 49 performances and activities in over 1,000 sessions, including world-class performing arts, large-scale musicals, art exhibitions, a film festival, large outdoor installations, art camps, music camps, workshops and an arts carnival.

The 2^nd Macao International Children’s Arts Festival is co-organised by Sands China Ltd. and MGM, and supported by the Macao Government Tourism Office and the Municipal Affairs Bureau, counting with the Bank of China (Macau), Air Macau Company Limited, Macau Fisherman’s Wharf International Investment Limited and Macau Coca-Cola Beverage Co., Ltd. as promotion partners.

A visual feast of international performances

In order to create an inspiring summer and in consonance with the programme of the “Culture City of East Asia 2025”, this edition of the Festival offers a rich array of performances to enhance exchanges with different regions: the ballet Cinderella by the Ballet of the National Theatre Brno from the Czech Republic features Sergei Prokofiev’s imaginative score and choreography by Markéta Habalová, resurrecting the wonderful journey of Cinderella; Slava’s Snowshow features the combination of physical artistry and tragicomedy to unleash creativity through numerous props such as balloons, falling snow and other elements; the theatre play for babies Bebeethoven by the Full Moon Theatre from Portugal takes babies to the world of music and light through Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata; in the multimedia theatre play Poli Pop by the Brush Theatre from South Korea, a kids’ bedroom is transformed into a magical playground through animated projections and a live band; the theatre play An Astronaut’s Day shows a cosmic environment in an immersive and interactive way, allowing children to explore an interstellar journey.

The “Disney The Magic Box Musical presented by Sands China Ltd., not only features a selection of classics and new Disney songs, but also combines magnificent dance, ingenious puppetry and stunning visual effects, presenting well-known touching stories.

A dazzling array of local creations take the stage

The puppetry theatre play Chong Chong's Hamsters, a selected project form the “Commissioning Performing Arts Productions 2024-2026”, combines puppetry theatre and sound effects to explore life through a gentle artistic language. Other highlights include: the Musical Magic Wand IV – Percussion vs. the Bull Demon King by the Macao Chinese Orchestra and the vocal a cappella group Water Singers, which combines Chinese music, a cappella singing and theatre to interpret the classic Journey to the West. The family choir musical theatre Whispering Zodiac: The Chinese Zodiac Choral Concert will be presented by the three schools of the Macao Conservatory of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, sharing stories about the “twelve small astro-animals,” focusing on the twelve Chinese zodiac signs, combining music, dance and theatrical elements.

“Wonderland of Picture Books” unveils the magic of lines and “Collection of the Public Library” promotes artistic experience

Jointly organised by IC and MGM, the exhibition “Magic of Lines: Serge Bloch’s Wonderland of Picture Books” presents the creative world of French artist Serge Bloch, using his vibrant lines and bright colours to create a space of innocence and freedom. With the combination of educational and artistic elements, the exhibition guides the children to experience arts and creativity through the changes of lines, exploring beautiful moments in life. The “Artful Explorers - Thematic Exhibition of Books from the Collection of the Public Library” will be held at various branch libraries, such as the Macao Central Library and Taipa Library, showcasing a collection of books covering the history of the symphony, of ballet, of puppetry, of Chinese and Western music and musical instruments, dialogues between music and literature, children and music, art therapy, as well as art for families. This will allow readers to experience the integration of art and reading in their lives and embrace happiness, kindness and love.

First Chinese music camp for children to be held and Children's Film Festival bring joy to families

The four-day “Little Chinese Music Troupe” Music Camp by the Macao Chinese Orchestra, specially designed for children aged from 5 to 10, introduces children to traditional musical instruments at an early age, encouraging them to increase their interest in traditional culture through games, role-playing and interactive ensembles under the theme “Journey to the West”. The Music Camp will also feature a “DIY Mini Instrument Workshop” and an “Achievements Sharing Session”. The well-received programme Art Camp includes the Children’s Creative Camp and the Family Art Camp that allow participants to camp overnight at the Macao Cultural Centre, where they can join the art workshops and make a visit to the museum.

The Macao International Children’s Film Festival showcases a selection of 25 outstanding films in five sections, including the film Where the Wild Things Are, the global bestseller with over 19 million copies sold, and the classic animations Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The Film Festival also spreads its festive atmosphere to the community, featuring screenings at various locations and post-screening outreach activities which allow families to explore the fun of the cinematic world.

Outdoor installations and an Arts Carnival return and Children’s Fun Book House offers reading time for families

Jointly organised by IC and Sands China Ltd., the outdoor art installations and an arts carnival will once again be held at the Macao Cultural Centre Plaza. This year, large inflatable installations, splash sprinklers and special check-in sports themed around the Children’s Arts Festival mascot MICAF and its friends will be available onsite, turning the Plaza into a fantastic summer wonderland. Adults and children are welcome to enjoy and have fun in the summer. In what concerns the Outdoor Arts Carnival, this year’s Festival will specially include weekend parties, where a series of competitive games will be held during the weekends from July, promoting the spirit of the 15^th National Games through joyful interactions, injecting vitality and laugher in summer. The grand finale programme, the “MICAF Fun Day” Arts Carnival will be held during the last two weekends of August, featuring artistic and cultural performances, a food market, craft workshops and game booths, as well as the popular splash and bubble parties, drawing a perfect end to the summer with vibrancy and creativity.

The “Children’s Fun Book House” (Pop-up Bookshop) will be open on weekends in July and August, at the ARTmusing Room of the Macao Cultural Centre. Incorporating the elements of a playground, the book house will feature over 400 exquisite picture books, books for teenagers, colouring books, educational materials, and other related cultural and creative products from more than 10 countries and regions, allowing adults and children to enjoy reading together.

Since its first edition in 2024, the Macao International Children’s Art Festival is committed to building a platform for cultural exchanges through children's festivals and diversified models, highlighting the positioning of Macao as “a base for exchange and cooperation where Chinese culture is the mainstream and diverse cultures coexist”, and expanding the local audience of arts and culture and encouraging children and youth to develop art appreciation and aesthetic sense from an early age.

Tickets for the performances will be available through the Enjoy Macao Ticketing outlets, 24-hour booking hotline (2840 0555) and online booking at ticketing.enjoymacao.mo (local and overseas). Tickets for the Macao International Children’s Film Festival will be available simultaneously through the ticket office of the Cinematheque・Passion and online booking. The Children’s Arts Festival will also feature various workshops, covering Chinese opera, picture books and physical artistry. Registration and random draw for some of the workshops has been completed. Registration for workshops with vacant seats can be made through the “Activity Applications” of the Macao One Account (activity.mo.gov.mo/activity-h5/activity-list-web). For more information, please visit the 2^nd Macao International Children’s Arts Festival’s website at www.icm.gov.mo/micaf.

The press conference of the 2^nd Macao International Children’s Arts Festival was held on 19 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, Leong Wai Man; the Deputy Director of the Macao Government Tourism Office, Jennifer Si Tou; the Vice President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Choi Kin Long; the Acting Vice President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Ho Hong Pan; the Head of Division of Cultural, Recreational and Association Affairs of the Municipal Affairs Bureau, Au Chan Weng; the Vice President of Corporate Communications and Community Affairs of Venetian Macau Limited, Catherine Kong; the Senior Vice President of Brand Marketing of MGM, Catarina Lio; the Managing Director of Bank of China Macau Branch, Xu Zhiyu; the Vice President of Air Macau Company Limited, Anabela Rosa; the Chairman, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Macau Legend Development Ltd., Li Chu Kwan; and the Group Marketing Director of Coca-Cola Macau Limited, Sonia Vong; as well as the participating art groups and artists, among others.