MACAU, July 21 - Under the patronage of the Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture of the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region, organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from the Portuguese acronym), and co-organised and supported by various entities, the 1^st Macao International Children’s Arts Festival was inaugurated today (21 July), and the exhibition “Fantastic Art World from Centre Pompidou” at the main venue and satellite venue were unveiled simultaneously. The Macao International Children’s Arts Festival is a new performing arts festival, brightening up children with culture and arts.

The opening ceremony was officiated by the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR Government, Ao Ieong U; the Chief of Office of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR Government, Ho Ioc San; the Director of the Department of Publicity and Culture of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao SAR, Wan Sucheng ; the Vice-Consul for Education and Culture of Portugal in Macao, Patrícia Ribeiro; 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 Vice President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR Government, Cheang Kai Meng; the Head of Department of Cultural and Recreational Affairs and Civic Education of the Municipal Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR Government, Patsy Ko Pui San; the Executive Vice Chairman and Executive Director of Sands China Ltd., Wilfred Wong; the President and Executive Director of MGM China Holdings Limited, Kenneth Feng; the President, Vice Chairman and Executive Director of Wynn Macau, Limited, Linda Chen; the Deputy Director for Visitors and Head of Education at Centre Pompidou, Selma Céline Toprak-Denis; the Deputy General Manager of Bank of China (Macau Branch), Ip Sio Kai; the Chairman, Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer of the Macau Legend Development Ltd., Li Chu Kwan and the General Manager of Marketing of Air Macau Company Limited, Un Lap Man. During the ceremony, two performers of the programme CRASSH_Duo Circus by WETUMTUM from Portugal, which is one of the performing entities of the Children’s Arts Festival, presented percussion performance.

The President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Leong Wai Man, addressed in her speech that in the year marking both the 75^th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and the 25^th anniversary of Macao’s Return to the Motherland, the 1^st Macao International Children’s Art Festival not only expands the cultural horizons of local children and youth, but also creates wonderful moments for families to enjoy the arts together. It also provides a selection of appealing performing arts programmes and innovative experiences for tourists in the summer, allowing more people to thoroughly experience the charm of Macao as a “City of Performing Arts”, where Chinese and Western cultures converge and share the joy and jubilation of Macao’s dual celebrations this year.

The Festival 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, music camp, workshops and an art carnival, which are centred at the Macao Cultural Centre and surrounding areas. The event seeks to brighten up children with culture and arts, encouraging families and children to get close to the arts and from diverse perspectives using all their senses, while helping to polish Macao’s “golden business card” as an international metropolis through culture.

Outdoor art installations are currently set up

Jointly organised by the IC and Sands China Ltd., the outdoor art installations and “MICAF Fun Day” Arts Carnival are being presented at the Cultural Centre Plaza. The outdoor art installations are currently set up at the plaza. Themed around the Festival’s MICAF elves, there are five exhibition areas, namely the “Joyful and Colourful Area”, “Whimsical Ideas Area”, “Sound Wave Area”, “Ocean Dream Area”, and “Painting Time Area”. A number of large installations are set up, including a giant octopus in 4-metre height, splash sprinklers and puzzle games, turning the plaza into a MICAF wonderland and allowing adults and children to have a joyful interactive experience. The closing programme “MICAF Fun Day” Arts Carnival will be held from 23 to 25 August and from 30 August to 1 September, featuring shows themed around “splash” and “bubbles”, stage performances such as street dance, clowning, and puppet demonstrations, as well as outdoor film screenings for families. Some participants in the workshops will showcase their artistic skills. At the plaza, there will also be a small fair with stalls selling delicious food and cultural and creative products, bringing residents and tourists a joyful summer.

Exhibition “Fantastic Art World from Centre Pompidou” presents a wonderful world, taking the public on a journey to explore arts

Jointly organised by the IC, MGM and Centre Pompidou from France, the exhibition “Fantastic Art World from Centre Pompidou” and related workshops will be held from 23 July to 27 October. This exhibition aims to provide an inspiring artistic environment with educational functions for young visitors. The Macao Museum of Art (MAM), as the main venue, features three thematic zones, namely “Rhythms, Shapes, Colours”, “Passing Through”, and “Laterna Magica”, which are limited to children aged 3 to 12, accompanied by an adult. “Rhythms, Shapes, Colours” explores Mondrian and geometric abstraction, “Passing Through” showcases colourful giants, and “Laterna Magica” features image projection devices to create moving images. As the satellite venue, the Former Barra Slaughterhouse Site houses the thematic zone “The Plantamouves”, which is suitable for individuals aged 3 or above (children aged below 12 must be accompanied by an adult). Participants can dance with magical characters and embark on a journey to explore the arts.

Music Camps to broaden the musical horizons of music students and to provide an opportunity to perform with great musicians

In the “Music Camp” integrated in the 1^st Macao International Children’s Arts Festival, jointly organised by the IC and Wynn Resorts (Macau), S.A. and produced by Macao Orchestra Company, Limited, participants will receive one-to-one instrument lessons given by string musicians from the Academy of St Martin in the Fields chamber orchestra. A string orchestra will be formed, in which the participants will rehearse with Joshua Bell and string musicians of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields orchestra, and will perform with the latter at the achievement presentation concert. The “Music Camp”, to be held in August, will also include cultural tours, allowing participants to visit Macao World Heritage sites, testimonies of the integration of Chinese and Western cultures and to learn more about the history and culture of Macao.

Broadway musical Annie to be staged in August; children’s musical Lu Duan by Palace Museum as the closing performance

A number of other shows will be successively presented, including the Broadway musical Annie, the closing performance Lu Duan – the first musical for children ever by the Palace Museum, the non-verbal puppet show Tic Tac, The Hero of Time by Omar Alvarez Titeres, Puppetry Arts Company from Argentina, the family concert Magical Symphony, the Cantonese opera by teenagers The Magical Lotus Lantern, the theatre for babies Sweet Dreams in the Woods, and a selection of film screenings integrated in the Macao International Children’s Film Festival. The Festival has been well received by the public since its launch of various programmes, drawing active participation of the public. Amongst programmes, the new programme Art Camps has been highly sought after, resulting to the launch of additional sessions in August. Promotion partners Bank of China (Macau), Air Macau Company Limited and Macau Fisherman’s Wharf International Investment Limited also launched MICAF promotion campaigns, enriching the event with rich cultural tourism experiences.

Tickets for the programmes and the “Fantastic Art World from Centre Pompidou” (at MAM) are on sale simultaneously from the Macau Ticketing Network outlets, telephone and online booking. Ticketing hotline: 2855 5555; online ticketing: www.macauticket.com. Tickets for the “Fantastic Art World from Centre Pompidou: The Plantamouves” (at the Former Barra Slaughterhouse Site) will be on sale through the mobile application GoGoGoat (app.sme-boardpro.com/gogogoat) from 10am on 22 July (Monday). Tickets for the Macao International Children’s Film Festival are on sale simultaneously through the Cinematheque・Passion and online booking (www.cinematheque-passion.mo).

The 1^st Macao International Children’s Arts Festival is organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau, under the patronage of the Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture of the Government of the Macao SAR, 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.

For more information about the programmes, ticket purchase and other discounts, please visit the website of the Macao International Children’s Arts Festival at www.icm.gov.mo/micaf.