Festivals to showcase over 1,500 performers across the city

The Student and Youth Show and the International Youth Dance Festival will be held from July 20 to 25, featuring 1,500 performers and more than 400 volunteers, organizers said at a press conference yesterday.

Kong Chi Meng, director of the Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ), told the press yesterday that the highlight of the event, the “Student and Youth Show in Celebration of Macau’s Return to the Motherland,”  will take place on July 22. The show will integrate elements such as drama, singing and dancing, Cantonese opera, Peking opera, martial arts and audio-visual multimedia effects.

More than 700 performers, including local teachers and students as well as youth from the Greater Bay Area, will perform together.

International Youth Dance Festival 2024 will be held concurrently, and will provide a platform for youth dance enthusiasts from Macau and around the world “to build friendships, engage in cultural exchange, and showcase diverse dance styles.”

This year, a total of 35 dance groups are participating in the festival. Among them, 13 dance groups are coming from countries and regions in Europe, Africa, North America, Oceania, and Asia. They include dance groups from Greece, Hungary, Portugal, Ghana, Australia, India, Malaysia, Thailand, the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong.

Another 22 dance groups are from local school dance groups and local dance associations. Activities include a parade, flash mobs, artistic performance workshops and outdoor performances as well as the finale show “International Youth Dance Festival 2024 – Closing Performances” on July 25.

A parade will be held at the Ruins of St. Paul’s to Senado Square on the first day of the event from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., followed by flash mobs the next day at the Macao Science Center and the Grand Lisboa Palace from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Outdoor performances will be held on July 23 and 24 at the Tap Seac Square from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Tickets for the two finale shows will be distributed for free. However, interested parties need to register first for the tickets on the education bureau’s website, and the DSEDJ will draw lots.