Residents and tourists can be dazzled by the 2022 new year with an eye-catching light festival at a dozen locations across the city, as the annual event has been extended to January 16.
As in its December program, the shows will be staged from 7pm to 10pm every night, with the last show of each night starting at 9:50pm.
On the first two nights of the new year, Tokyo and local teams will present projection mapping in Taipa and Coloane. The performance team from Tokyo’s show “GLID” will be staged at Largo dos Bombeiros in Taipa, while a local performance team will undertake “In Pair” at Chapel of St. Francis Xavier in Coloane. The organizing entity, the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), is expecting crowds of spectators.
Due to the pandemic situation, the team from Tokyo could not come to Macau themselves. Instead, they used the Internet to pass the production on to a local coordinator offering equipment and technicians to assist with projection mapping.
The projection mapping shows presented by local artists at Largo do Pagode do Bazar will remain. The MGTO said that the shows at the Macao Science Center cannot be extended.
The projection mapping shows, along with light installations and interactive games, enliven the already unique communities in Taipa and Coloane. There is “House of Popular Slangs” at Carmo Fair, “Cosmic Kaleidoscope” at Vila da Taipa Historical Center Archway, “Weekend Love” at Chapel of St. Francis Xavier and Largo Eduardo Marques as well as “Sand Painting in Light” at Largo do Bazar, among others.
Macao Light Festival 2021’s theme is “Travelers from Mars”. The storyline is centered on friends from Mars who plan to travel to Macau, connecting a series of elements related to tourism, culture and creativity, science, leisure, gastronomy, environmental protection, recreation and sports, nature and the universe. It is presented with a humorous touch, bringing some positivity to the audience while highlighting Macau as a safe travel destination.
Countdown and
year-crossing festivities
In compliance with disease control guidelines, many hotels and resorts are refraining from holding a new year countdown party or show. For those that are, the events are smaller in scale.
The Mandarin Oriental is hosting a farewell-to-2021 night at its Vida Rica Bar, with two sessions. The first will take place tonight from 5:30 to 8:30 and the second from 9 to 12:30. For the price of MOP788 or MOP888 there will be a free flow of seafood, oysters, steak and desserts.
The Sofitel Macau at Ponte 16 is hosting a Great-Gatsby-themed countdown party on its sixth-floor terrace from 9 o’clock tonight to 1 a.m. tomorrow. Entry is priced at MOP100 per person and drinks are for sale at MOP50 each. New Year’s Day will also see the reopening of the French-branded hotel’s lobby bar, Rendezvous.
In Taipa, the Altira Macau is staging a countdown party at the bar atop the hotel building, the 38 Lounge. Partygoers will be enveloped by a panorama of the Macau coastline as they bid farewell to 2021. The countdown party will start at 9pm today. Each ticket is MOP388 and includes two glasses of Moët & Chandon NV champagne.
Further away in Cotai, the MGM COTAI is turning its Anytime coffee bistro into a midnight dancefloor tonight from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., replete with flowing champagne, oysters and snacks at the price of MOP888 per set. Discounts and privileges are offered with various conditions.
888 patacas is also the auspicious price of New Year’s Eve set menu at The Churchill’s Table at The Londoner spacious and sophisticated lobby and shopping area. The Times has learned that at the stroke of midnight, the bells at Big Ben, Cotai will toll for the first time.
The newly-opened Mesa Portuguese fine-dining at the Grand Lisboa Palace encourages guests to suit up and welcome the new year in style. New Year’s Eve dinner services will be conducted from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. today. However, at 9 p.m. the restaurant will transform into a party space for the countdown event that will run until 3 a.m. the next day. Various packages are available.
Shop in the hopes
of a better year
A new addition to the shopping landscape in Macau, the 7,500-sqm CDF Macau Grand Lisboa Palace Shop is the first flagship store operated by the China Duty Free Group (CDFG) in Macau. It recently opened in the Grand Lisboa Palace Macau.
Embodying the CDFG’s ongoing expansion into the Greater Bay Area and overseas, CDF Macau Grand Lisboa Palace Shop houses over 170 world-renowned high-end brands of fashion, accessories, watches, jewelry, cosmetic products, perfumes, wines, culinary delights and souvenirs.
Featuring an array of official locations of top international brands – including Balenciaga, Cartier, Dior, TASAKI, THE GINZA and IWC – the flagship store promises to become Macau’s new shopping hotspot.
CDF Macau Grand Lisboa Palace Shop has a special VIP area measuring approximately 226 square meters. It is CDFG’s first member lounge in Hong Kong and Macau, offering VIP-grade hospitality and a superior personalized shopping experience in line with CDFG’s consistent high-quality service.
