Free Man from the South
Organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from the Portuguese acronym), the 32nd Macao Arts Festival (MAF), themed “Invigorate”, has been concluded successfully. The overall ticketing rate reached nearly 90% and nearly 6.6 million people were exposed to online advertising.
In order to broaden the public’ artistic horizons and break the barriers of space amid the pandemic, this year’s MAF featured the Selected Screenings of International Stage Performances for the first time, presenting four large-scale international productions on the silver screen in Macao. The programmes were highly sought after and tickets were almost sold out. In order to allow people from different walks of life to get close with arts, the 32nd MAF featured a wide range of activities including dance, theatre, and children’s programmes, inviting students, groups and people with special needs to experience the beauty of the arts. The MAF also actively promotes arts to different types of audiences by setting up ticketing services at tertiary institutions and integrated resorts. A number of outreach activities were launched, including workshops, talks, backstage tours, community tours, art performances and food home deliveries, and accessibility services, facilitating social inclusion and bringing arts and culture into the daily lives of the public. Nearly 30,000 people participated in the programmes and outreach activities of this edition of the MAF. In addition, the organiser has actively strengthened the public’s interaction through new media platforms by launching themed games to link the contents of the programmes with the anecdotes of the participants, thus bringing them closer to each other in an artistic atmosphere. The engagement rate of online game reached nearly 9,000.
Following the application of electronic ticketing services for the first day of ticket sales last year, the 32nd MAF continued to offer ticketing services at the outlets, as well as telephone and online booking simultaneously on the first day of ticket sales, allowing residents and tourists from the Greater Bay Area to purchase tickets for their favourite programmes with ease. In terms of publicity and promotion, this year’s MAF continued to publish online through local and the Greater Bay Area media, in order to enhance the popularity of the MAF and attract foreign spectators to attend the shows in Macao, taking the advantages of Macao’s cultural resources to make contribution in building the Cultured Bay Area.
The organiser has been committed to promoting the development of local art groups and strengthening cooperation and exchanges with artists from other regions. A number of local and foreign art groups presented an array of outstanding programmes, including the opening performance Free Man from the South by Beijing Dance/LDTX, the Cantonese opera The Phantom of Liaozhai by Zhen Hua Sing Cantonese Opera Association, Love Cruise by Dóci Papiaçam di Macau Drama Group, Carlos I by Step Out, The Vanished Figures by Comuna de Pedra Arts and Cultural Association, Vaster Far than the Ocean by Stella & Artists, Nine Soundscapes by Macau Experimental Theatre, Grandma’s Treasure Box by Mika Lee, the closing performance Liza Wang and The Macao Chinese Orchestra, the Film Concert Der Rosenkavalier by the Macao Orchestra, Doodle POP by Grand Boat Culture, The Story of Kong Yiji by Little Mountain Arts Association, and the Performing Arts Gala jointly presented by Aerial Arts Association, Kathine Cheong, Macau Space for Dance Idea and Casa de Portugal em Macau. In terms of visual arts, the exhibition “Wild Imagination: Contemporary Ink Art in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao from 2000 to 2022” is held until 19 June. The public is welcome to visit the exhibition at the Macao Museum of Art.
The 32nd MAF was strongly supported by the Macao Government Tourism Office, TDM - Teledifusão de Macau, S.A., Air Macau and MGM, and also counted with the collaboration of several banks, credit card partners and media partners, which promoted the Festival. In the future, IC will cooperate with more cities in the Greater Bay Area on cultural festivals to make achievements through cultural exchanges, showcase Macao’s creative and diversified cultural image and promote cultural integration.
