TEXT Christian Ritter
PHOTOS Government Information Bureau and Xinhua News Agency
In December, some 1,350 performers dressed in colourful costumes and with big smiles on their faces livened up the city through a medley of dance, music and stunts in the Macao International Parade.
The “Macao International Parade” was organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau to mark the 18th anniversary of the establishment of the Macao Special Administrative Region.
The parade, billed as a feast of “Love, Peace and Cultural Integration”, kicked off at the Ruins of St. Paul’s with performers dancing, playing music and showing off their stunts as they passed through the busy Largo do Senado, on to Nam Van Lake before ending in Sai Van Lake Square where each of the 64 participating groups, including 15 from overseas, got their moment in the spotlight as they performed on the big stage under a laser light show.
Around 150,000 people gathered along the parade route.
The budget for this year’s parade was about MOP16 million, MOP1 million more than last year. Most of the money was spent on sponsoring overseas groups and installations for the event.
