The Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from the Portuguese acronym) organizes the “Parade through Macao, Latin City” in commemoration of the 15th Anniversary of Macao’s Handover to China, on 14 December. VIVA, the Parade mascot, organizes a space party with a mysterious alien entity, allowing the world to benefit from the power of “Peace, Love and Cultural Integration”.

Opening with launch into space; local groups display their skills
This edition of the Parade takes place on 14 December, starting at 4 pm at the Ruins of St. Paul’s with a “Launch into Space”, a joint performance featuring amazing kites and bells, kicking off a fantastic journey under the guidance of VIVA. Foreign performing groups from all over the world join hands with local groups through streets and alleys of Macao, singing, dancing and sending positive energy to the Universe. The Parade starts at the Ruins of St. Paul’s and proceeds through Rua de S. Paulo, Largo de Santo António, Rua de D. Belchior Carneiro, Rua dos Artilheiros, Rua de Sanches de Miranda, St. Lazarus’ Church, the Old Ladies’ House (Albergue), Rua de São Roque, Rua Nova de São Lázaro, St. Lazarus Church, Rua do Volong, Rua do Tap Seac, Rua de Afonso de Albuquerque, culminating in a grand joint performance of “Peace, Love and Cultural Integration” at Tap Seac Square.

Over 50 local and overseas performing groups from all over the world were invited for this event, bringing the total number of participants to nearly two thousand. Local groups responded enthusiastically, with several groups participating in the Parade for the first time this year, presenting Cantonese opera, theatre, music, martial arts, traditional and oriental dances, among others. Artists will display their skills, showcasing performances with local flavours.

Foreign groups at their best; surprising closing joint performance
Several groups hailing from Romance-language countries participate in this space party, namely the Plasticiens Volants from France and the Cal y Canto Teatro from Spain with giant balloons and kites, respectively, transforming the sky into a realm of fantastic creatures. From Portugal comes the Pauliteiros de Miranda, accompanying traditional music and dance to the fast paced sound of drums. Likewise, drums by the Spanish group Batucada Villa Pipol from the Canary Islands will also excite the crowd, while French L.O.S interprets ancient traditional dances wearing very particular masks and lending the Parade a certain aura of mystery.

Additionally, from Hunan Province, more precisely from Yongshun, come the Maogusi dances of the Tujia ethnic group, inscribed in the first batch of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage list, which tell ancient stories of farming wearing boorish clothes. The programme also includes traditional dances by the Group Folklore Sun Argentina, indigenous traditional dances from Taiwan, typical batik attire from Indonesia and from Latin American peoples, creative puppets by Hong Kong’s Fantasy Puppet Theatre, as well as acrobatic clowns and performers on stilts.

All participating groups will gather at Tap Seac Square for the grand joint performance “Peace, Love and Cultural Integration”, which will feature the appearance of a spaceship and a giant dragon, among others, in a dazzling and surprising light and shadows, music and multimedia show that will bring the Parade to a resounding finale not to be missed. This edition of the Parade further includes Latin Face Painting at Largo de Santo António, Rua de Sanches de Miranda and St. Lazarus’ Church Square, from 3:30pm, where the public can get dolled up with free colourful facial paintings performed by Parade artists.

TDM will broadcast the event live and outdoor screens will be installed at several locations – Senado Square, Rotunda de Carlos da Maia, Areia Preta Garden and Rua de D. Belchior Carneiro – so that the whole population can enjoy the Parade. The popular Hong Kong TVB programme ‘Scoop’ will feature a foretaste of the event on 12 December, as well as a Parade Special Programme dedicated to the event’s highlights, to be broadcast on 20 December, at 3:30pm.
Alongside the cheerful atmosphere on the Parade day, the organiser is also holding a series of creative related events, including a photography contest and a Facebook lucky draw, among others. On the Parade day, crowd entry and exit control mechanisms will be installed and some streets will be temporarily closed to traffic. The public is thus advised to walk to the parade venues on foot or use public transportation. For more details about the “Parade through Macao, Latin City” and its programme, please visit IC’s website at www.icm.gov.mo/macaoparade or the Parade Facebook page at www.facebook.com/macaoparade.