Cheang Kai Meng
This year’s HUSH! Beach Concerts will incorporate yoga events to promote wellness and Big Health, deputy director of Culture Cheang Kai Meng said yesterday.
Branded as HUSH! Beach Concerts x Urban Yo~ga Wellfest, the program was announced at a press conference yesterday. Yoga sessions and related events will be held on the last two days of the concerts.
On the sidelines of the press conference, Cheang explained that the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) wanted to present some new attempts to explore more diversified development.
He added that this year’s event will see more international performers, although local artistes will still account for about 90% of the total lineup.
This is the first year that sport or wellness elements have been added to the musical event. Asked why yoga was selected instead of other types of sports, Cheang said the reasoning was that yoga matched well with music. “This is a new attempt, and we [are] open to different possibilities in the future,” Cheang said.
On the popularity of the events, Cheang said that the nice weather would attract more people to the events. The location can host a maximum of 10,000 people, he disclosed.
Adding to this, Catarina Lio, senior vice president of brand marketing of MGM, explained that when MGM considered its works on Big Health, it considered how the overarching idea could be promoted in a way that would attract foreign tourists.
MGM saw how the HUSH brand and similar examples in neighboring regions proved the feasibility of integrating the concepts of wellness into music. “We approached the IC and discussed our conceptualization,” Lio revealed, discussing how ideas behind the logistics of when and how to host the event came to be.
She added that the program will have events from dawn till dusk, so the synergies are expected to be powerful. In addition, there are other wellness events besides yoga that appeal to different audiences.
Instructors were chosen mostly based on their social media impact and accreditation, the MGM executive disclosed.
Held between Oct. 27 and Nov. 5, this year’s program will include shows that feature GaoFunk, a talented guitarist from Beijing; SULD, a band playing metal music with traditional Inner Mongolian instruments; Ichika Nito, a well-known Japanese guitarist; Sokoninaru, a rising rock star constantly hitting the ORICON music chart; and Amazing Show, a famous Taiwanese band, amongst others.
The “Urban Yo~ga Wellfest” will be held on Nov. 4 and 5 at Hac Sá Beach and the Hac Sá Temporary Green and Leisure Area. There will be three thematic areas – the Zen Garden, Fit District and The Playground.
Over 40 fitness and yoga instructors from all over the world, including yoga instructor Coffee Lam from Hong Kong, fitness instructor Jordan Yeoh from Malaysia, former Australian representative at FISU World University Games Amanda Bisk, former Swedish national representative and fitness instructor Charles Fritzen, and internationally recognized yoga instructor Josh Kramer from New Zealand, will be invited to teach traditional yoga workouts and also provide instruction on innovative health and wellness skills.
Tickets are available now on MGM’s ticketing website.
Vice culture director blames weather for slow Music Festival ticket sales
Deputy director of Culture Cheang Kai Meng yesterday attributed slow ticket sales for music festivals to unfavorable weather conditions.
On the sidelines of a cultural event, the official was asked to comment on the situation. As of yesterday, many shows at the upcoming 35th Macao International Music Festival still had between 50% to 70% of tickets available. The festival is set to open the end of the month.
In response to questions, Cheang defended the current rate of ticket sales, stating that they were “more or less” the same as previous years.
He said that poor weather had obstructed his bureau’s promotional efforts within the community.
“The box office opening coincided with the bad weather,” Cheang said. “In fact, currently we are seeing gradual improvement in box office sales each day.”
The box office opening for the festival occurred around the same time as Super Typhoon Saola’s impact on Macau, and may be partly the reason for the absence of long queues at physical box offices. Notwithstanding this, online ticket sales are unpopular in Macau, with many events relying only on online channels for ticket sales.
Nonetheless, he pledged that his bureau would step up its efforts to promote the festival.
He also emphasized the availability of multiple ticket sale channels, including but not limited to collaborations with casinos and resorts. Group sales will also be promoted in different Greater Bay Area cities, he said.
Regarding comments that the city has been filled with events this year, which may be impacting the popularity of the festival, Cheang held a different perspective. He stated that the festival’s audience is not the same as those of other events, suggesting that those who attend pop concerts may not necessarily also prefer classical music. AL
