3rd Macao International Children’s Arts Festival brightens up children and youth through the arts and culture

MACAU, May 29 - Organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from the Portuguese acronym), the “3^rd Macao International Children’s Arts Festival” will be held from 30 June until August. The event features a wide range of cultural and artistic activities, including performances, art exhibitions, a film festival, art camps, workshops, an arts carnival and children’s reading sessions, aiming at brightening up children with arts, encouraging children, youth and families to get close to the arts and moving forward in the nourishment of arts. Moreover, the Children’s Arts Festival brings a wealth of cultural and family entertainment experiences, allowing children and adults create unforgettable and thrilling memories with their families during the summer vacations.

Delightful family theatre plays and local performances with distinctive characteristics

This edition of the Children’s Arts Festival offers a rich array of performances, including the Giant Puppetry x Science “Erth's Dinosaur Zoo” by Erth Visual & Physical Inc. from Australia, which features stunning large puppets to bring the audience close to prehistoric giants; the puppet play Stone Wolves by the Trupe Fandanga from Portugal, features ingenious puppetry and an exquisite small stage to reinterpret the classic story Peter and the Wolf; the children’s variety show Peace and Future by the Soong Ching Ling Angel of Peace Art Troupe from Chinese Mainland, a premiere in Macao, features Peking opera, music and choral performances to highlight the diverse charm of traditional Chinese culture. Local productions are also highly anticipated: the theatre play for babies Sounds of WOODerland by Miracle Lab, for babies between 8 and 18 months, allows babies to experience the forest and explore the nature; the puppet play Chong Chong's Hamsters, explores life education through gentle artistic language. The above two productions are part of “Commissioning Performing Arts Production 2024-2026”. The family musical Musical Magic Wand V –Journey to the West Wind Music Festival presented by the Macao Chinese Orchestra and the vocal a cappella group Water Singers, combines Chinese music and a cappella singing to interpret the classic Journey to the West; the original children's dance theatre piece Growing up with Dance 2026 – My City, My Dreams by the School of Dance of the Macao Conservatory, depicts a touching story of the city and dreams from the perspective of children.

Children’s film festival and an interactive exhibition explore growth and cultural transmission

In the visual arts field, the exhibition “Echo the Wind Wanderer” by artist Ekokaxi Wang, crafts a landscape that can be entered, touched and explored by using clay, paper, yarn and sponge. Focused around the enigmatic “Echo”, a mysterious creature who spans the Macao Museum of Art and MGM Cotai’s Lion Lobby to embark on an adventure with children and adults.

Themed “Growth, Communication and Heritage”, the “Macao International Children’s Film Festival” presents heart-warming and touching films that explore life with children and adults. Various “outdoor screenings” and “community screenings” are also presented in libraries, museums and bookstores, with post-screening chats to allow families to enjoy the pleasant moments through films.

“Weekend Party with MICAF” starts in July

The “Weekend Party with MICAF” will be held on Saturdays and Sundays from July to August at the Macao Cultural Centre Plaza, featuring a series of group games, splash play and art workshops, sharing happy moments with children. The grand finale programme, the “MICAF Fun Day” Arts Carnival will be held during the last two weekends of August (Friday to Sunday), featuring a costume corner, interactive performances, backstage tours, craft workshops, food stalls and game booths, as well as the popular splash and bubble parties, drawing a perfect end to the summer with vibrancy and creativity.

The highly sought-after “Art Camp” divided in the “Children's Creative Camp” and the “Family Art Camp” allows participants to experience art workshops and visit an exhibition in a relaxed and cheerful camp atmosphere, exploring the fun of art from new perspectives.

Offering diverse art workshops for people of all ages in summer

The Children’s Arts Festival will present a wide array of workshops covering music, drama, Chinese opera, dance and movement, suitable for participants of all ages. Various workshops designated for babies are also included, allowing parents to accompany their babies to engage with art and explore the world through interactive experiences. The “Eco Bird Puppet Workshop” and the “Youth Physical Creativity Lab” will allow youngsters to turn their boundless imagination into action. The workshop “Let’s Go! Dynamic Amusement Park (Star Class for Children with SEN)” will encourage children with special needs to express and unleash their imagination.

In addition, a series of summer workshops for seniors is specially presented, including “Silver Hair Dance Workshop”, “Silver Age Singing Workshop” and ‘“Theatre of Moments” – Senior Drama Workshop’, guiding seniors to showcase their talent in dance, music and drama with confidence. The “Grandparents and Grandkids Jumping Together Workshop” allows grandparents and grandchildren to enhance their emotional bonds through games.

Picture books help children to develop interest in reading

The “Children’s Fun Book House” (Pop-up Bookshop) will be open on weekends in July and August, at the ARTmusing Room of the Macao Cultural Centre. Incorporating the elements of a playground, the book house will feature over 600 exquisite picture books, books for teenagers, colouring books, educational materials, and other related cultural and creative products from various countries and regions, as well as a photo spots and a parent-child reading area, allowing adults and children to enjoy reading together. Thematic reading activities will also be launched, including the “Mobile Library” Outreach Service and the “Thematic Exhibition of Books from the Collection of the Macao Public Library”, allowing the public to explore the fun of reading.

Tickets for the performances and “Art Camp” will be available through the Enjoy Macao Ticketing outlets, 24-hour booking hotline (2840 0555) and online booking at ticketing.enjoymacao.mo (local and overseas) from 10am on 14 June (Sunday). Tickets for the “Macao International Children’s Film Festival” will be available simultaneously through the ticket office of the Cinematheque・Passion and online booking from 10am on 21 June (Sunday). Registration for the workshops in the first phase is available through the “Activity Applications” of the Macao One Account (activity.mo.gov.mo/activity-h5/activity-list-web) from 10am on 5 June (Friday). Admission to some of the activities is not free of charge.

The “3^rd Macao International Children’s Arts Festival” is co-organised by MGM, and supported by the Macao Government Tourism Office, the Municipal Affairs Bureau, the Education and Youth Development Bureau and the Social Welfare Bureau, counting with the Bank of China (Macau), Air Macau Company Limited, Macau Fisherman’s Wharf International Investment Limited and Macau Coca-Cola Beverage Co., Ltd. as promotion partners. More information about the “3^rd Macao International Children’s Arts Festival” will be announced successively.

For more information about the programmes and ticket discount, please visit the Children’s Arts Festival’s website at www.icm.gov.mo/micaf.