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 (MICAF) continues to offer a series of exciting events. From 5 July to 17 August, the weekend parties of  “Little MICAF’s Paradise” will be held at the end of every week, while the “Macao International Children’s Film Festival” will present two community screenings at Iao Hon Park in August. Meanwhile, the “Thematic Book Exhibition of the Public Library Collection” and a “Pop-up Bookshop” will be also set up to invite children and families to enjoy a vibrant summer immersed in the artistic ambience. Due to public demand, an additional performance of the multimedia puppet play Chong Chong's Hamsters will be offered on 11 July at 7:30pm, and the tickets will be on sale from 10am on 6 July through the Enjoy Macao Ticketing.

From 5 July to 17 August, every Saturday and Sunday, the weekend parties of  “Little MICAF’s Paradise”, co-organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau and Sands China Ltd., will be held at the CCM Plaza. The square will be transformed into a family playground featuring a number of competitive games and large inflatable installations incorporating sports elements, in echo of the competitive spirit of the 15^th National Games. Activities on site will include pop-up interactive experiences, outdoor film screenings, as well as arts and crafts workshops. The weekend party competitions of  “Little MICAF’s Paradise”,  “Parent-Child Bean-Bag Relay Race” and “Dynamic Five Rings Challenge” are suitable for children aged 3 to 10 and their parents. Registration will open from 12pm on 3 July through the official MICAF website. A limited number of walk-in quotas is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Winners will also receive prizes. For more details, please visit the website www.icm.gov.mo/micaf.

To bring arts and culture closer into the community, the Macao International Children’s Film Festival will host two “Outdoor Screening Parties” on 9 August as a grand finale. The screenings at Iao Hon Park will present Trolls, a magical animated film crafted by the creative team behind the film Shrek, as well as Inside Out, the globally acclaimed animation that has won both the Academy Award and Golden Globe Awards for Best Animated Feature. Admission is free. Ticket registration will be available on 3 July at 3:00pm via the Cinematheque • Passion website: www.cinematheque-passion.mo, also on a first-come, first-served basis.

The “Artful Explorers - Thematic Exhibition of Books from the Collection of the Public Library” is currently on display until 27 July at Bairro da Ilha Verde Library and Wong Ieng Kuan Children’s Library in the Areia Preta Urban Park, while from 30 July to 31 August also at the Taipa Library and at the Macao Central Library, respectively, welcoming readers to explore the beauty of integrating arts and reading into daily life. The Children’s Fun Book House (Pop-up Bookshop) will operate every Saturday and Sunday from 5 July to 31 August, from 11:00am to 08:00pm at the ARTmusing Room of the Macao Cultural Centre. The bookshop will offer over 400 selective books from more than ten countries and regions, along with a variety of cultural and creative products for friends of all age groups to enjoy their wonderful reading time.

The MICAF has also set up a wide range of workshops for different age groups, including “Golden Voices for Seniors” and “Happy Seniors Rhythm”, which showcase the musical and dance talents of seniors, as well as “Star Magic House”, specially designed for children with special educational needs. Workshop registration is open online through the “Activity Applications” of the Macao One Account (activity.mo.gov.mo/activity-h5/activity-list-web). The number of places is limited, and admission is charged for some activities.

Tickets for the rich array MICAF programmes are now on sale via the Enjoy Macao Ticketing (ticketing.enjoymacao.mo). On 6 July, ticket purchases for the additional performance of Chong Chong’s Hamsters, which will be presented at 7:30pm on 11 July, will be limited to a maximum of 10 tickets per performance per person. A “Children’s Package” is available for some programmes, and Family packages are available for most of the programmes. A 40% discount will be offered when purchasing two tickets for the same performance, while a 50% discount will be offered when purchasing three or more tickets for the same performance.

For more information about the programmes and discounts, please visit the Festival’s website at www.icm.gov.mo/micaf. For enquiries, please call the 24-hour ticketing hotlines at 2840 0555.