This December is a month full of great events happening in Macau! From lavish dining experiences to Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations, there is an array of activities, including art exhibitions, dining deals, amongst others. Read on and find out where to head to this month!
2019 Macao International Parade
(See featured image above)
The 2019 Macao International Parade, in celebration of the 20th anniversary of Macau’s Handover to China, takes place on December 8. This year’s parade is themed on the cultures of the countries and regions along the Belt and Road Initiative, which covers the historical Silk Road and Maritime Silk Road, passing through Central Asia, Northern Asia, Western Asia, the Indian Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea, among other regions. The route has a profound culture and historical background, encouraging artists to develop their creativity, broadening their international cultural horizons and promoting “Love, Peace and Cultural Integration”.
The parade provides Macau arts groups an annual performance platform in order to amplify their creativity and showcase their creative talent while propelling the diverse development of the local cultural industries and creating an opportunity for the groups to interact with performing groups from different parts of the world. The parade route this year is basically the same as last year, starting at the Ruins of St. Paul’s and finishing at Sai Van Lake Square.
When: 3:00pm–7:00pm, Sunday, December 8, 2019
Where: Throughout Macau peninsula
Circuit: Ruins of St Paul’s → Rua de S. Paulo → Rua da Palha → Largo de S. Domingos → Senado Square → Travessa do Roquete → Rua da Sé → Calçada de S. João → Avenida da Praia Grande → Avenida Panorâmica do Lago Nam Van → Avenida Doutor Stanley Ho → Sai Van Lake Square
How much: Free admission
For more information, check the event’s official website or Facebook page, or call +853 2836 6866 or email them
Macao Light Festival 2019
The Macao Light Festival 2019 is organized by the Macao Government Tourism Office, co-organized by the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau, the Cultural Affairs Bureau and the Sports Bureau. The Environmental Protection Bureau and Companhia de Electricidade de Macau (CEM) are supporting entities of the event.
When: December 1–31, 2019
Where: Anim’Arte Nam Van, 744B Avenida Panorâmica do Lago Nam Van, Macau and Ruins of St. Paul’s, Company of Jesus Square
How much: Free admission
For more information, check here
Motown Magic Mondays at The Roadhouse Macau: Volume II
You asked for it and they listened! Motown Magic Mondays are back at The Roadhouse Macau and so are the positive vibes and funky vinyl of DJ Rocklee & Co! To set your Monday night on fire, DJ Rocklee and his mates DJ Ted and DJ King G.N.S will be mixing all-time classics with future sound. We can guarantee you won’t be able to sit still. Put on your dancing shoes and bring your friends to dance!
Rocklee came from a deeply rooted authentic hip hop background. Collecting vinyl and dancing since he was 15, his passion for music eventually led him to DJing. He is a genre-bender that fuses timeless classics to future sound. Anything that is funky, groovy and soulful, Rocklee will drop into the mix. He has worked as the official DJ for countless dance competitions, opening for hip hop clubs and private events from weddings to pool parties. Currently, he is working independently and would play for hip hop nights in Club Cubic and around Hong Kong. As an independent artist, he curates deep rare sound instead of playing the same mainstream music you can hear in the top 40s.
When: Every Monday, 10:00pm–2:00am, December 9, 16, 23 and 30, 2019
Where: The Roadhouse Macau, E-G016-G019 Broadway Food Street, Broadway Macau, Avenida Marginal Flor De Lotus, Cotai
How much: Free admission
For more information, check the Facebook event page
Macau Jazz Week 2019
The Macau Jazz Week takes place from December 11 to 15 and it’s a free admission festival for all to appreciate music in its natural state. The opening concert: Ensemble Transience (International) features Macau musicians. Founded by Hong Kong guitarist and composer Teriver Cheung, the contemporary jazz chamber group, Ensemble Transience, merges jazz, classical and various styles with unlimited forms of instrumentation. Since 2015, this group has been touring international and receives enthusiastic feedback. For this very Macau Jazz Week, with conductor Ang Shao Wen and organist Kerong Chok from Singapore with drummer Hong Chanutr Techatana-nan from Thailand, Cheung will be playing works by himself and Chok, featuring Macau musicians: trumpeter Nelson Leung, oboist Tina Che, saxophonist Alex Cheng and Worktones String Quartet, and lifting the curtain of the Jazz Week entitled “The Sound of Pan Asia”. There is also a talk by Ang as conductor and Chok as composer, searching for the path of contemporary jazz in Asia.
Chok Kerong is an internationally renowned organist, pianist, and composer. He has released two albums, “Good Company” and “Tales They Told Me”, both of which feature his expansive songwriting and command of the organ. His current organ trio is considered to be one of the finest ensembles to emerge from Singapore, and the group’s music reflects the members’ dedication to swing, the blues and an aesthetic that favors authenticity above all. Expect uncompromising music that engages both heart and mind, presented with a startling depth of expression. The Kerong Chok Trio (Singapore) Concert happens on December 13.
When: Opening concert – 8:00pm, Wednesday, December 11, 2019
Talk: The Path of Contemporary Jazz in Asia – 7:30pm, Thursday, December 12, 2019
Kerong Chok Trio (Singapore) concert – 8:00pm, Friday, December 13, 2019
Vincent Ong Trio (Malaysia) ft. Jens Bunge (Germany) concert – 8:00pm, Saturday, December 14, 2019
Jens Bunge jazz harmonica masterclass – 2:00pm, Sunday, December 15, 2019
Big jazz jam – 4:00pm, Sunday, December 15, 2019
Finale Concert: Macau Jazz New Forces Concert – 8:00pm, Sunday, December 15, 2019
Where: Concerts – Dom Pedro V Theatre, Largo de Santo Agostinho, Macau
Masterclass and jam session – Casa Garden, Orient Foundation, 13 Praça de Luís de Camões, Macau
How much: Free admission
For more information, email [email protected]
4th International Film Festival & Awards • Macau
The 4th International Film Festival & Awards‧Macao (IFFAM) takes place from December 5 to 10. The IFFAM organizing committee vigorously gears up for the event, which features the “20th Anniversary Macao Special Presentations” as a special highlight of this year’s program. The IFFAM Organizing Committee stated that a brand-new section titled “20th Anniversary Macao Special Presentations” unfolds in the Film Festival this year to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Macao Special Administrative Region. A selection of local films will be screened in this non-competition section, to bring outstanding local film productions into the limelight on the international stage, showcasing the diverse dynamic of the cultural and creative industries in Macau while paying tribute to the city’s film industry.
Local audiences will be drawn by a colorful and exciting program, while international guests and industry professionals will not only get to taste the excitement of Macau as a destination but meet the Chinese and Asian industries and explore the best of new films from Asia. The industry experts in the organizing team will help film-makers and industry from both sides of the globe to get to know each other in the informal atmosphere of Macau.
When: December 5–10, 2019
Where: Macau Tower Auditorium, Cinematheque Passion, Macao Cultural Centre Small and Grand Auditoriums
How much: MOP $60 per screening session
For more information, check the official website
Classic Cocktail Night with Michter’s
With a long history from the US, John Ng, Brand Ambassador of Michter’s Whiskey demonstrates classic cocktails in shaken and stirred styles. Head to Vida Rica Bar to experience this one-night-only event and savor some original whiskey concoctions.
When: 10:00pm–1:00am, Saturday, December 7, 2019
Where: Vida Rica Bar, Mandarin Oriental, Macau, 945 Avenida Dr. Sun Yat Sen, NAPE, Macau
How much: MOP $98 per person
For more information and reservations, call +853 8805 8928 or send an email to [email protected]
New Year’s Eve’s in Style at Mandarin Oriental, Macau
Mandarin Oriental, Macau has prepared a lavish night for all to enjoy this New Year’s Eve like no other! Enjoy the company of your loved ones over good food and great laughter as you countdown to a brand new year together, with their three-course western degustation menu, or the six-course taste sensations degustation menu!
If you’re more into parties, bid goodbye to 2019 with an opulent and sumptuous feast. Usher in the New Year in style with their DJ entertaining you as 2020 arrives, while having some goodies to celebrate this new year. Besides, this is a great spot to appreciate the fireworks the government usually puts up for everyone to celebrate New Year’s Eve in grand style.
When: New Year’s Eve dinner – 6:00pm–8:00pm and 8:30pm–11:00pm, Tuesday, December 31, 2019
New Year’s Eve’s in style party – 9:00pm–onwards, Tuesday, December 31, 2019
Where: New Year’s Eve dinner – Vida Rica Restaurant, Mandarin Oriental, Macau, 945 Avenida Dr. Sun Yat Sen, Nape, Macau
New Year’s Eve’s in style party – Vida Rica Bar, Mandarin Oriental, Macau, 945 Avenida Dr. Sun Yat Sen, NAPE, Macau
How much: New Year’s Eve dinner – MOP $468 per person (three-course western degustation menu) and MOP $1,288 (six-course taste sensations degustation menu, including a glass of champagne)
New Year’s Eve’s in style party – MOP $888 for per person
For more information and bookings, call +853 8805 8928 or send an email to [email protected] or check their Facebook page
Macao-Zhuhai Fireworks in Celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Return of Macao to the Motherland
On the 20th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Macao SAR, fireworks display light up the night sky at Macau Tower shorefront. The pyrotechnics are accompanied by music, with the sounds relayed also from outside Kun Iam Ecumenical Centre and on the Taipa shoreline near Ocean Gardens, creating a memorable experience for spectators.
Other popular viewing points are at Macao Science Center; the top of Penha Hill; and from the Anim’Arte Nam Van zone, by the lakeside at Nam Van. The fireworks display for December 22nd is to be larger than usual, with the neighboring island of Hengqin in Guangdong Province taking part. On New Year’s Eve, the fireworks display performance is scheduled to last for approximately five minutes.
When: 9:00pm, Sunday, December 22, 2019
Where: Next to Macau Tower, Largo da Torre de Macau
How much: Free admission
For more information, call +853 2833 3000, send an email to [email protected] or check their website
The Michelin Guide Hong Kong Macau 2020 Gala Dinner
Marking the 12th anniversary of the annual Michelin Guide Hong Kong Macau, Melco Resorts & Entertainment present a gala dinner with a tribute to sustainability on December 17 at City of Dreams, Macau. It will be an evening inspired by the emerging culinary movement of adopting sustainable practices in the kitchen, a mantra that is championed by esteemed Michelin-starred kitchens around the world. For one night only, six internationally renowned culinary masters from two and three-Michelin-starred restaurants around the globe and a celebrated pâtissier join hands to craft a dining experience like no other for hundreds of gourmet aficionados and industry giants alike.
Melco brings the glamorous gastronomic journey for the fourth consecutive year to Macau, a UNESCO-designated “Creative City of Gastronomy”. The Official Title Partner of the Michelin Guide Hong Kong Macau 2020, Melco celebrates top-class hospitality and gourmet dining where guests will be indulged in a seven-course wine-pairing dinner, prepared by culinary geniuses from around the world. In addition to Melco’s’ own superstar chefs, Kelvin Au Yeung of three-Michelin-starred Jade Dragon, Fabrice Vulin of two-Michelin-starred The Tasting Room and Alain Ducasse of two-Michelin-starred Alain Ducasse at Morpheus, the event features visiting culinary masters Kunio Tokuoka (Kitcho Arashiyama Honten, three Michelin stars), Alex Atala (D.O.M., São Paulo, Brazil; two Michelin stars) and also Lau Yiu Fai (Yan Toh Heen, Hong Kong; two Michelin stars). The evening concludes with sensational French creations by celebrated pâtissier Pierre Hermé.
When: Tuesday, 7:00pm onwards, December 17, 2019
Where: Grand Ballroom, City of Dreams, Estrada do Istmo, Cotai
How much: MOP $4,888 per guest, MOP $28,000 per table of eight people
For more information and bookings, call +853 8868 6681 or check the event’s official website
Fireworks Display for New Year’s Eve
On New Year’s Eve, see the Macau sky light up with fireworks displays at Macau Tower shorefront. The fireworks show is accompanied by music and music relayed from outside Kun Iam Ecumenical Centre and on the Taipa shoreline near Ocean Gardens, creating a memorable experience for spectators.
Other popular viewing points are at Macao Science Center; the top of Penha Hill; and from the Anim’Arte Nam Van zone, by the lakeside at Nam Van. The fireworks display performance is scheduled to last for approximately five minutes so get those cameras ready!
When: 00:00am, Tuesday, December 31, 2019
Where: Next to Macau Tower, Largo da Torre de Macau
How much: Free admission
For more information, call +853 2833 3000, send an email to [email protected] or check their website
