Guests in front of “The Clothes Drying Lane” installation
To support Macao’s goal to develop into a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure, radiate its destination glamour and add a festive vibe in town, the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) is presenting a spectacular event – “Macao Light Festival 2015 - Journey of Lights” at a range of famous attractions in Macao from 6 – 31 December. The Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM) is the event co-organizer. A press conference about the “Macao Light Festival 2015 - Journey of Lights” was held at the Tourism Activities Centre today (26 November). MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes and Representative of IACM, attended the press conference together with other guests. Director Senna Fernandes remarked, “Raising the charm of community tourism is among our Office’s priorities. At the same time, we actively develop new tourism products to give visitors a holistic experience. The Macao SAR Government is dedicated to combining culture, tourism and sports for a greater synergistic effect. This year, the “Macao International Marathon” and the “Parade through Macao, Latin City” will both fall on 6 December. In parallel with that, MGTO chose to unveil the Macao Light Festival 2015 in the evening on the same day, to boost the effect and make it a signature event in Macao.” Revolving around the theme about the Butterfly Fairy and little elves, the Macao Light Festival 2015 - Journey of Lights will dazzle a total of 11 famous attractions including some world heritage attractions in town. The Festival features three program highlights known as 3D Mapping, Light Installation and Interactive Games from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. during the period between 6 and 31 December. People of any age group are welcome to join the event. Locals and visitors can follow the Butterfly Fairy to look for little elves and embark upon an enchanting journey of glittery lights. Enchanting 3D Mapping Local residents are familiar with 3D mapping shows, and this time, there will be four shows of different themes projected upon the facades of four acclaimed historic monuments. The video images are mainly about the stories of these architectures in bygone days as well as the aroma of the East and West cultures in Macao. The 10-minute 3D mapping shows namely “St. Dominic‧Angelic Melody” and “The Wonderland of Illumination” will unfold at St. Dominic’s Church and the Ruins of St. Paul’s respectively; on the other hand, the 5-minute shows called “A Tour of Exotic Macao” and “The Purple Haze of A-Ma Temple” will brighten up the Holy House of Mercy and A-Ma Temple in the scheduled evenings. All shows will repeat at 30-minute intervals during the aforementioned time period. Romantic Light Installation Exquisite themed illuminations will be displayed at nine attractions to add a festive ambience in the nights of December. The themed light installations include “The Canopy of Starry Night” at Senado Square, “The Corridor of Magical Light” at the Holy House of Mercy, “The Clothes Drying Lane” at Lou Kau Mansion along Travessa da Sé, “The Fountain of Bliss” at Cathedral Square, “Butterflies in the Starlight” at St. Augustine’s Square, “The Rainbow Stairs” at St. Lawrence’s Church, “Elves in Wonderland” at Lilau Square, “The Dress of the Butterfly Fairy” at Moorish Barracks and “From the Outer Space” at Barra Square. Fun Interactive Games The Festival will present five interactive games for visitors’ fun experience, including “Cycle Racing” and “Taming Rudolph the Reindeer” alternately held at the Holy House of Mercy. The Cycle Racing, designed to combine bicycle generators and 3D projection mapping techniques, will go on from 6 – 20 December and 26 – 31 December. On the other hand, in the activity “Taming Rudolph the Reindeer” on 21 – 25 December, participants can search for Santa’s Reindeer through a touch-screen device on the spot. “Starry Blessings” at A-Ma Temple will give participants an untraditional blessing experience. In the activity, visitors can choose a wishing phrase and input a name via a tablet provided on the spot, and their message will be projected on the exposed wall of A-Ma Temple. In the activity “Dance Little Fairy!”, participants can become a butterfly fluttering its wings out of a chrysalis with a motion sensor device installed at St. Augustine’s Square. All of the above activities will span about 20 minutes each at half-hour intervals. Residents and visitors can also join the round-the-clock game “Elves Hunt” at ten designated locations at any time of the day by using the function “Shake” or “Scan” on WeChat. By helping the Butterfly Fairy to locate five of her elves in town, they can redeem a small gift at Gift Redemption Counter in front of the Ritz Building at Senado Square within the designated time period. 3D mapping shows have grown in popularity among local residents and visitors alike in recent years. The Cultural Affairs Bureau has held similar shows at world heritage attractions such as the Ruins of St. Paul’s and Mandarin’s House before; Following its launch of the 3D mapping show "Icons‧Macau" in April last year, MGTO has rolled out another series of 3D mapping shows themed as "Past", "Present" and "Future" at the Handover Gifts Museum of Macao, Our Lady of Carmel Church on Taipa and Chapel of St. Francis Xavier on Coloane respectively last December in celebration of the 15th Anniversary of Macao SAR Establishment. The shows have won applause and positive feedback widely. Furthermore, the Tourist Office marked its debut at the Festival of Lights in Berlin, Germany with its Macau 3D video mapping show “Touching Moments” for destination promotion, leaving a great impression on spectators. With the experience gained and preparation made, the Office is ready to stage the Macao Light Festival this December, promising a journey of dazzling lights not only lively and colorful, but also fun and romantic.
