The 28th Macao International Fireworks Display Contest concluded in splendour
The 28th Macao International Fireworks Display Contest concluded in splendour. Marutamaya Ogatsu Fireworks Co., Ltd. from Japan won the championship, followed by the fireworks teams from Romania and Canada as the first and second runners-up. The prize-giving ceremony was held at Macau Tower Convention and Entertainment Centre. Director of Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Deputy Directors Cecilia Tse and Cheng Wai Tong attended the ceremony together with other guests and presented the awards to the winners. Giving a speech on behalf of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Alexis Tam, Director Senna Fernandes remarked that over the years, MGTO has dedicated incredible efforts to organize this annual spectacular and keep surprising the audience with new elements in the Contest. Every year, the Office seeks a new range of outstanding fireworks companies from worldwide to bring into the limelight so as to raise the standard of performance. She added that the Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture strenuously promotes cooperation among its sub-departments and strengthens its collaboration with the private sector to combine various elements of culture, sports and tourism, in order to bring out greater synergistic effects and enrich the diversity offered by Macao’s tourism and leisure industry. Besides, MGTO also joins hands with local organizations and businesses to hold relevant activities concurrently during the Contest each year, promising more colorful and diverse festive experiences for residents and visitors. Various famous fireworks companies came from worldwide to join the past editions of the Macao International Fireworks Display Contest. This year, the ten teams came from different countries as follows (in order of appearance in the Contest): Thailand, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Japan, Korea, Italy, Canada, Romania and China. The Contest marked its first time to feature a Romanian team this year. The pyrotechnic company from Canada also made its debut in Macao. In this year’s Contest, the fireworks displays were designed to bring out a special theme each scheduled evening. The theme for tonight (1 October) is “Celebration in the Sky”, with splendid fireworks presented by the teams from Romania and China in celebration of the 67th Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Republic of China. Their fireworks displays added a festive vibe in town on the National Day. Visitors came from different parts of the world to enjoy the final evening of the Contest, joining locals’ celebration for this grand occasion. Different vantage points on Macao Peninsula and Taipa were bustled with spectators. Besides the Fireworks Carnival, the Macau Lantern Festival, held at the waterfront promenade of One Central Macau, and “Anim’Arte Nam Van”, the new landmark for leisure, culture and creativity, were both great places to enjoy the fireworks this year and enlivened with a festive ambience. Since the inaugural edition unveiled by MGTO in 1989, the Macao International Fireworks Display Contest has developed into one of Macao’s signature mega events and drawn a vast number of spectators from around the world to Macao every year. In addition, an array of side activities including the Trophy Design Contest, Photo Contest and Student Drawing Contest are held during the Macao International Fireworks Display Contest to encourage participation among local residents. The Fireworks Carnival, filled with diverse elements, is also staged every fireworks evening of the Contest each year. The Office also partnered with a local business to roll out the first Macau Lantern Festival, showcasing over 40 artistic lanterns until 10 October. In the future, MGTO will keep making a great effort to present more fascinating events and festivals filled with innovative elements, and magnify the scale and effect of mega events through cooperation with different government departments, entities and local organizations, in order to attract a broader diversity of market segments, encourage locals’ participation and boost the destination profile internationally, in line with the goal to build Macao into a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure.
