MACAU, October 4 - The 23^rd Macao City Fringe Festival, organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from the Portuguese acronym), will be held in March 2025. The call for proposals for programmes and performance venues is now open, and all local artistic and cultural associations, curators, producers, independent artists and those interested in artistic creation are welcome to submit their proposals. Applicants are encouraged to show an innovative spirit and risk-taking attitude to break the barriers of traditional venues and to create works that highlight the characteristics and cultural connotations of the city. All those responsible for local venues are also invited to submit proposals for performance venues so as to provide exhibition or performance spaces for the Fringe Festival. The call for submission is from today until 5pm on 6 November 2024.

The open call for this year’s Fringe Festival accepts applications from non-profit art and cultural associations registered at the Macao Identification Services Bureau or holders of a valid Macao SAR Resident Identity Card aged over 18. The open call includes two programme categories: “Programme Showcase” and the “Crème de la Fringe” Curatorial Project. In order to further deepen the ties between the Fringe Festival and the city and to encourage artists to make use of the small city’s characteristics in their works, proposals for the “Programme Showcase” must be steeped in the culture of the local community or connected with the context of local community development. They can be an individual programme or a series of programmes and related outreach performances or activities, and the budget for the production of each selected programme ranges from MOP70,000 to MOP130,000. In addition, in order to encourage more artistic and cultural associations and artists to break the barriers of traditional theatre venues, explore the possibilities of different venues, and boost the synergistic effects of culture and tourism, the “Programme Showcase” which is presented at a commercial venue will be granted a venue rental subsidy of up to MOP10,000. For the “Crème de la Fringe” Curatorial Project, a “mini-festival” integrated in the Fringe Festival, must integrate no less than three programmes and two outreach activities. The maximum budget for the entire project is MOP500,000. Priority will be given to site-specific artistic performances, outdoor performances, and new productions which are neither a revival or sequel nor have been staged in Macao and will be premiered at the Macao City Fringe Festival.

The regulations, application forms for programme proposals, and the Fringe venue registration form can be downloaded on IC’s thematic website at www.icm.gov.mo/en/CallForFringe2024. Applicants may submit the completed application forms and relevant documents in person at the Cultural Affairs Bureau Building located at Tap Siac Square during office hours, by post, or by email to fringe@icm.gov.mo, with the following indicated on the envelope or the subject: “Attn: Division of Performing Arts, Cultural Affairs Bureau, Call for Proposals of Programmes for 23^rd Macao City Fringe Festival”. Applicants who propose performance venues may also submit the completed Fringe venue registration form to the abovementioned email address.

For enquiries, please contact Mr. Lam (tel. no.: 8399 6877; email: KamHonL@icm.gov.mo), or Ms. U (tel. no. 8399 6660; email: mcu@icm.gov.mo), staff members of IC, during office hours.