Parade bonanza | Annual parades entail budget similar to larger cultural events

“Parade Through Macao, Latin City”

The annual “Parade Through Macao, Latin City” adds color and excitement to Macau’s streets, as over 2,000 performers parade around the town’s historic city center. On Chinese New Year, yet another procession occupies the streets. The latest versions of these parades have cost MOP16 million and MOP23 million respectively — with budgets close to that of the Macau Arts Festival (MOP29 million) that is currently taking place.
The Times spoke to public departments involved in organizing the two parades as well as various cultural sector personalities in order to understand the importance of these events and whether the budgets are reasonable.
The “Parade Through Macao, Latin City” was created in 2011 and has since grown to welcome about 2,000 participants. Intended to highlight Macau’s unique cultural features, the procession is now regarded as one of the major cultural events marking the city’s handover to China.
Held annually on December 20, last year’s parade entailed a budget of MOP16 million. According to the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), the event’s budget has been increasing over the past few years, mainly due to a higher number of participating performers.
In a written reply to The Times, the IC said that the budget covers the cost of stage, lighting and sound equipment. It also includes other logistical features: performance fees, transportation to and from Macau, accommodation and food for foreign groups and performers from Latin America, decorative installations, performance allowances, the cost of inviting foreign artists to hold workshops for local groups, and crowd control measures.
According to the IC, the budget has been increased over time “due to the number of performers, the scale of production and inflation.”
IC added that this year’s parade budget will be similar to that of 2014, but a precise figure can only be announced during the second half of this year.

CNY parade

The CNY Parade, organized by the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO), has been held since 2013 with this year’s budget reaching MOP23 million. In a written reply to the Times, MGTO revealed that the budget has increased by 26 percent over the previous year due to the introduction of new elements into the parade, such as celebrities, souvenirs, designated viewing areas, more performance groups, LED screens, shuttle buses, WeChat games, and an overall improvement to the sound and lighting systems.
For comparative purposes, the Macau Arts Festival, which runs until May 31 and features approximately 30 shows, requires a MOP29 million budget for this year. Last year’s Int’l Music Festival required a budget of MOP38 million.
Architect and former president of IC, Carlos Marreiros, believes the budgets for both parades are reasonable as both events are largely funded by public entities. “Private funding for these events is rather scarce. Things are costly and the [Latin City] parade entails one year of work and training for its organizers and performers, culminating in the actual parade on December 20. So in terms of a budget I think it is reasonable,” he explained in a phone interview.
When it comes to the CNY parade, though, Mr Marreiros holds a different opinion and calls for its improvement. “I am not against the parade but I believe that is held quite close [in terms of calendar] to the Latin City Parade. Secondly, it does not have a tradition in Macau and seems a bit artificial. The floats portray stereotypes and their decorations are not very creative and have little to do with Macau,” he stressed.
He added that, “it should be held but should be structured in a different way. It cannot simply be a touristic product (…) it should be a parade for which performers are trained throughout one year. The floats should also be decorated in way that represents Macau.”
Furthermore, Mr Marreiros reiterated that with a small budget “choreographers from China could be hired to train performers in Macau who would then participate in the parade and other events abroad”.  In particular, he suggested that this would be a feasible option for the Lion Dance performances.
Although she regards the Latin Parade an interesting event, local artist Gigi Lee believes that the government should allocate more resources into bringing international art events and exhibitions while also supporting local artists.
The president of the Art For All Society and local artist Alice Kok said: “I don’t know how they spend the budget so I cannot really comment on whether it’s reasonable or not. But the parades are just held for one day, and it’s only one event. Of course if we compare it… the Arts Festival brings a lot of different artists from around the world, and therefore is more diverse.”
The artist recalled that the government should allocate resources to bolster support for Macau art associations, as they must cope with skyrocketing rents and a lack of gallery spaces. She therefore advocated for more long-term measures, rather than investing money into high-profile one-day events.
Lawmakers José Pereira Coutinho and Leong Veng Chai raised questions regarding the importance of the two parades at the Legislative Assembly last month when the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Alexis Tam, presented his action plan for 2015.
Responding to lawmakers’ questions, Ung Vai Meng, president of the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), said that the “Parade Through Macau, Latin City” was important as it serves to mark the anniversary of Macau’s handover to China. He added that it also drives SMEs business, like tailor shops that get orders for costumes. Mr Ung recalled that the event’s multicultural features also speak of its importance, since it involves “people of different races.” Previously, he stated that the December parade should be listed along with “the main cultural events held in town,” along with the Arts Festival and the International Music Festival.
The director of MGTO, Helena de Senna Fernandes, told lawmakers that the parade “is a way to attract tourists and to promote Macau.”
In a written reply to the Times, MGTO commented that, “the Chinese New Year is one of the most important festivals in town.” “It is expected to showcase the traditional and cultural aspects of Macau to visitors by inviting famous local organizations and performance groups to participate in the parade, as well to showcase Macau’s diverse offerings,” it added.
The “Parade for the Celebration of the Year of the Ram” was held in February and featured parade floats, performances by over 1,000 artists, fireworks and performances by Macau and Hong Kong singers.
In addition, the “Parade Through Macao, Latin City” was held on December 20, and comprised of over 1,600 performers who paraded through the city’s historic center to promote a multicultural atmosphere. The event concluded at Tap Seac with a joint performance.
The IC said to the Times that, “the parade helps raise Macau’s reputation internationally through live TV broadcasts and feature programs… It also promotes Macau’s cultural characteristics through the assistance of representatives from different consul-generals in bringing the parade scenes to their countries.”
Furthermore, the IC stressed that the parade capitalizes on the historic city center as well as the on Portuguese and Latin cultural resources to strengthen cultural exchanges, both here and overseas.
It reiterated that resources invested by the government “are to a certain extent directly and indirectly fed back to local associations and the industry.”
Finally, IC recalled that the parade helps promote world heritage sites, building the image of Macau as an international tourism city and a world tourism and leisure center.