Organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from the Portuguese acronym), the 23^rd Macao City Fringe Festival will be held from 5 to 28 September. Aimed to take the public on a “leisurely stroll around the city”, the Fringe Festival this year will stage 18 extraordinary programmes and 13 outreach activities, transforming ordinary streets into vibrant stages and leading the audience to wander through the city’s corners, thus allowing art unfolds with every step.

“Crème de la Fringe”: breaking the boundaries of conventional theatre to explore different artistic imageries

Upholding the concept of “All around the city, our stages, our patrons, our artists”, the Fringe Festival encourages a citywide participation to share in the fun of art altogether. In this edition, the Fringe Festival will feature two Crème de la Fringe series: “TOMATO” Interactive Digital Theatre Showcase and “Clowns for Complicité Festival”. The former is directed by Erik Kuong and comprises four programmes and two outreach activities, namely “The Monster” – A Personal Immersive Adventure Theatre, “Drifting Dairies” Urban Roaming Theatre, Veiled Gleams: City Micro-sensation Installation Exhibition, and Adventure Book “A Hidden Window in Macau” – Music Companion Version, all of which redefine the boundaries of traditional theatre through digital platforms. The “Clowns for Complicité Festival”, curated by Chan Lai Nei, will present three programmes and two outreach activities, namely Kung Food: Vegetarian Martial Art, Menu of the Day and You or Me? With a diverse and highly interactive clown theatre experience, these performances guide the audience to discover precious moments that resonate deep within their heart.

Promoting mutual appreciation and exchange of diverse cultures through an immersive performing arts feast

As Macao has been designated as a “Culture City of East Asia 2025”, and in order to strengthen the exchange and mutual appreciation of East Asian cultures, this year’s Fringe Festival has invited the Japanese art troupe Co.SCOoPP to stage Survival in the City! With a combination of aerial acrobatics, interactions, and acrobatic elements, this performance will present a street show full of comedy and excitement. There are also some not-to-be-missed programmes that integrate creativity and experimental elements: Swinging Deck by Ao Ieong Pui San and Zhang Hui, which presents the Inner Harbour full of memories and dreamlike visions through a combination of augmented reality (AR) and reality; Thanks for Being Here presented by Suzuki Cheng will dissect motherhood by engaging in a dialogue across time and space in an immersive theatre; Dreamless Machine, Useless Class presented by PO Art Studio, in which the members of the audience will become judges and test various self-service machines in malls; Wendy & the Wonderland, brought by the Own Theatre, will narrate a story that reclaims a childlike heart by incorporating body acrobatics, stilt-walking and aerial dance; Congregation presented by the British sound artist Ray Lee in collaboration with the Tempest Projects, offers an interactive experience that combines environment, music and technology, inviting participants to wander along familiar yet strange paths and alleys through a “metal ball” that expresses sentiments through sounds.

Appreciating historical charm through multi-scenario arts

Moreover, this year’s Fringe Festival will take audiences on a journey where history and modernity intertwine. Chow T. II by Un Iat Hou, Cai Jiajie and Lin Xiaoran, employs marionettes from Quanzhou, to create a contemporary puppet theatre in the form of a monologue, staging a cross-temporal dialogue between mother and son; The Old House of Orchids by Dirks Theatre Arts Association recounts the story of “coolie trade” through music and storytelling. A Reunion in Solitude by Chan Si Kei delicately unfolds to the audience generations of reunion dinners through a solo performance in a timeworn Chinese restaurant; Herbal Tea Cultural Development Association by Jason Fong, a performance “treating” “the seven sins” suffered by urban people with “herbal tea”, a traditional health drink;  Jazzés & the Blackbird by Casa de Portugal em Macau, will present a live jazz concert given by three musicians on the balcony of the Casa de Portugal em Macau headquarters in Portuguese style. The three singers will render a number of jazz classic songs under the backdrop of a giant artistic bird installation.

This edition of the Macao City Fringe Festival ingeniously creates links between the performing arts and the community by presenting performances at 28 venues across the Macao Peninsula, Taipa and Coloane. These venues include not only traditional cultural attractions but also tea houses, bookstores, shopping malls, and herbal tea stores. The Festival spans across various locations such as Praça dos Lótus in Bairro da Ilha Verde in the northern district, the Inner Harbour Ferry Terminal, and the Lai Chi Vun Shipyards in Coloane, among others, seeking to attract the audience to more districts in Macao though culture and art, connecting it with the communities through visits’ experiences, in order to reinforce the synergy between culture and other sectors and support Macao’s current development direction.

Tickets for the 23^rd Macao City Fringe Festival will be on sale starting 10am on 10 August (Sunday), simultaneously via the “Enjoy Macao Ticketing” network, ticket outlets, online booking, or by phone. The 24-hour ticketing hotline: +853 2840 0555, and online ticket reservation is available at ticketing.enjoymacao.mo. A 10% discount will be offered to holders of CCM Friends, Friends of OM (Macao Orchestra), Friends of OCHM (Macao Chinese Orchestra), Friends of MAM (Macao Museum of Art) and Macao Teacher Card. Macao residents who hold a full-time student card, Macao Senior Citizen Card or Disability Assessment Registration Card are entitled to a 50% discount.

Registration for the outreach activities will open at 10am on 11 August (Monday) 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. Those who are selected for participation will receive a notification by SMS or e-mail. For enquiries, please call 8399 6872 during office hours. For more information about the programmes, please visit the Fringe Festival’s website at www.macaucityfringe.gov.mo, the “Macao City Fringe Festival” page on Facebook, or IC’s official WeChat account “IC_Art_Macao”.

The presentation of the 23rd Macao City Fringe Festival  programmes was held on 1 August at the Conference Room of the Macao Cultural Centre and was attended by the President of IC Leong Wai Man;Vice Presidents Cheang Kai Meng and Choi Kin Long; the Head of the Department of Performing Arts Development, Kuok Mio U; the Head of the Division of Performing Arts, Chan Shuk Mei, as well as participating arts groups and artists, among others.