This spring, arts fans visiting Macao can enjoy unprecedented choices throughout the city. Whether they want to rock out on the sand at the HUSH!! Full Music festival, take in one of over 100 performances during the Macao Arts Festival – a number of which take place at Macao's World Heritage sites – or discover global and local cinema at the new Cinematheque・ Passion in beautiful Travessa da Paixão, there's something for everyone. And many performances don't cost a single penny (or pataca!).
Here are details of the choices on offer:
New Cinematheque・Passion
Opened at the end of March, Cinematheque・Passion is a brand-new cinema, film centre and library designed to promote film culture to film lovers from Macao and around the world. Taking its name from its location in famed Travessa da Paixão – known as 'Love Lane', next to the iconic Ruins of St. Paul's – the centre will hold different thematic film festivals or programmes every month – as well as two or three films shown in Macao for the very first time!
In addition, visitors can discover the local film industry for free thanks to the Cinematheque・Passion's “Discover Macao: Local Indies Revisited” programme, which will be showing two short or feature films 'Made in Macao' for two weekends a month – free of charge!
28th Macao Arts Festival - 28th April – 31st May 2017
The Macao Arts Festival brings together theatre, dance, music, circus, multimedia and visual arts from performers from around the globe – including the US, Germany, Spain, Japan and Iceland – as well as local artists. This year's festival, now in its 28th year, is themed around 'heterotopia', exploring the diverse possibilities of space, with a number of items in the programme free-of-charge and several taking place at some of Macao's atmospheric UNESCO-listed World Heritage sites.
The month-long festival sees over 100 activities and performances, including modern dance, Cantonese Opera and theatre. This year's event will kick off with the show “Play and Play: An Evening of Movement and Music” by acclaimed US artistic director Bill T. Jones.
Other notable choices include the “Performing Arts Gala” – featuring rickshaws, percussion, fire dance, clowns and puppets; “Remote Macao” – an unconventional walking-tour theatre performance through the streets of Macao; and closing event “The Seagull” – a modern and humorous twist on Anton Chekhov's masterpiece by the Reykjavik City Theatre.
HUSH!! Full Music – Macao's Beach Party
30th April – 1st May 2017
Macao's Hác-Sá Beach, in beautiful Coloane, is ready to welcome this year's popular HUSH!! Full Music festival, which is totally free of charge! The two-day musical extravaganza sees 25 singers and groups performing on a beach stage for 15 hours as they play a variety of music genres from pop and rock to electronic and metal. International artists including Hanjin Tan, Ellen Loo and Supper Moment; and local groups such as Jun Kung, Forget the G and WhyOceans are part of the line-up.
