Tap Seac Craft Market returns

This year’s “Tap Seac Craft Market” will be held over two weekends (May 27 – 29 and June 3 – 5) at the Tap Seac Square.
The “Tap Seac Craft Market” was inaugurated in 2008 and is Macau’s first large-scale integrated platform for the display and sale of cultural and creative products. Every year the event attracts participants from across Southeast Asia.
The market will feature as many as 200 stalls and 30 performances, and participants from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia and other places in Southeast Asia will be invited to complement local talent.
The Cultural Affairs Bureau informed that the craft market will be extended to Nam Van Lake Square on June 4, 5 and 9, in conjunction with the International Dragon Boat Races.
According to the organizing bureau, registration for craft market stalls is now open, and all cultural and creative entities and individuals are invited to register in order to showcase and sell their original brands and products. The registration deadline is April 30.
Applicants must be Macau residents and need to submit the required documents to the Department for the Promotion of Cultural and Creative Industries.
The event is being jointly organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau and the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau.

Nam Van Lake water sports facilities available soon

Helena de Senna Fernandes, head of the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO), and Lam Lin Kio, vice president of the Sports Bureau (ID), stated yesterday that new water sports facilities on Nam Van Lake would be available from the middle of this year, according to a report by TDM.
Facilities will include pedal-driven boats, and will be available to both residents and tourists. The program is a collaboration between MGTO, ID, and the Institute for Tourism Studies.
Senna Fernandes confirmed that MGTO will be mainly responsible for the promotion of the program. She also stated that her department is considering inviting associations to perform at the lake. According to Senna Fernandes, some parts of the program will be launched at the beginning of June. She believes that extra entertainment offerings for tourists could help the region to diversify its tourism industry.
Additionally, during a plenary session in March, the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Alexis Tam, stated that a coffee shop would be opening on the lakefront. The secretary expected the initiative to start before the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival.