Growing festival aims to ‘take over the St Lazarus neighborhood’

Miguel de Senna Fernandes (center) and Amélia António (right)

This weekend, the São João (Saint John) festivities will bring traditional flavors, visuals and sounds back to the streets of the St. Lazarus neighborhood in central Macau.

The twelfth edition of the cultural festival was at stake until a few weeks ago due to a disagreement between the organizers and the Transport Bureau (DSAT).

The festival was finally greenlit earlier this month and was formally announced yesterday at a press conference held by the organizers.

“Our ambition is that one day the festival can occupy all of the neighborhood and not just the main street and a bit of the side streets,” said Maria Amélia António, president of the House of Portugal (Casa de Portugal) Association, one of the event’s main organizers.

“We hope we can extend the decorations to the [whole] neighborhood and that we can count on the collaboration of residents to transform the neighborhood into a great place of joy and gathering […] these are the goals of any of our festivals and that’s what differentiates them [from others].”

António clarified that the festival accepts all interested vendors. In response to criticism that the festival lacks specific “Macanese” items, she said that it is up to vendors to decide what the event should offer and that those willing to help with organization would “be received with arms wide open.”

Miguel de Senna Fernandes, the president of the Macanese Association (ADM) and of the Association for Macanese Education (APIM), said that the festival has seen an increasing number of vendor applications every year, and that this edition is no exception.

“I would like to highlight the fact that we expect more vendors this year, despite a well- known upset that created some confusion. Nevertheless, we have more vendor applicants, which shows the growing interest of people,” he said.

Senna Fernandes also expressed his wishes that the event will eventually be recognized by the government and included in official calendars – which he said will not be far off.

“This isn’t just a party for the Portuguese. We keep trying to involve more and more other communities, namely the [resident] communities that are mostly Chinese. This is a “Saint John Festival” but is also [a] “Day of the City” and a very important date,” he added, reaffirming the idea of broadening the festival’s appeal as “a party that celebrates Macau.”

Many have bemoaned the fact that the St. Lazarus church has rejected the organizer’s requests to use the parish church atrium. The church granted the organizers permission to use the space on two previous occasions, but has lately refused on the grounds that the event will cause a disturbance.

António noted that this has presented an obstacle for the “kind of entertainment” that will be presented, since performances are limited to a single “tiny stage.”

Nevertheless, António mentioned that the program will still be similar to that of previous editions. A wide range of music and dance performances – including Portuguese singer-songwriter Sebastião Antunes – will take place, with food and drinks on offer.

Antunes will be accompanied by an accordionist, whom António personally requested, as the music will help create “a typical festival feeling that we wanted to have for a long time.”