Macau Events and Festivals

Chinese New Year: the new year is celebrated over three days in late January. This is the premier event on the annual calendar for all Chinese. Celebrations include dragon dances and red decorations, with the colour red thought to bring good luck.

Procession of the Passion of Our Lord: held in February, this Catholic tradition is still observed in Macau. The procession follows a path from São Agostinho to the Macau Cathedral in remembrance of Christ’s suffering.

Ching Ming Day: held in remembrance of ancestors, the Chinese commonly clean and sweep the area around their family tombs on this day. Celebrated in early April, this day is an official holiday in Macau. Families visit their relatives' graves to clean the tombstones and place fresh flowers and other offerings at the graves as a measure of respect. Incense and various paper objects representing items used during life are burned by the living in the belief that their ancestors will receive these items, which will enhance their lives on the other side. Food, including roast piglet and fresh fruit, is also placed as an offering and then consumed during a family feast held in the evening. Widely celebrated, this is one of the top events on Macau’s calendar.

Feast of Buddha: the birth of Buddha is marked with this religious event, when Buddhists gather to bathe his image.

Feast of the Drunken Dragon: celebrated by fisherman and fish mongers, this festival begins with dancing performed by intoxicated men at the Kwan Tai Temple. Participants typically wave dragons head and tails make from wood.

Macau Arts Festival: celebrating modern Chinese theatre, around 45 performances are staged by artists from countries around the world at this festival. The infusion of Portuguese culture is still strongly felt in many of the performances.

Dragon Boat Festival: this ancient Chinese celebration is held in Macau at the Nam Van lakes and accompanied by the sound of beating drums. The festival commemorates the life of the heroic Chinese poet Wat Yuen, who drowned himself in protest against corruption. The dragon boat races are the focal point of the event, with the competition involving both local and foreign teams.

Macau International Youth Dance Festival: held for a week in July every other year, this dance festival has been running for two decades. This highly-popular event promotes cultural exchange and friendship among participants from Asia and Europe, who come to Macau to dance and learn the dances of other countries.

Ghost Festival: offers Macau’s residents the opportunity to appease the spirits of their ancestors by burning paper replicas of objects. These objects are thought to enhance the lives of the dearly departed on the other side. Paper houses, cars and even cell phones are burned along with incense in front of houses throughout the city. In addition, the gods who protect loved ones are worshipped by offering them special dishes of meats and fruit.

Mid-Autumn Festival: also known as the Moon Festival, the Chinese prepare a delicacy known as ‘moon cake’ which they then present to members of their extended family, friends and business associates. After dark, people go outdoors to view the moon and worship the gods by lighting colourful lanterns.

Macau International Music Festival: has been running for over two decades and is sponsored by the government’s Cultural Affairs Bureau. For most of the month of October, the festival draws music lovers from around the world to attend performances staged by renowned international artists. Among the mix of chamber music, opera, symphonic and contemporary and pop music that’s on offer, the unique culture of Macau makes itself felt. The history and cultural diversity of Macau form the basis for the festival, which provides an artistic encounter between East and West.

Macau Grand Prix: is held annually in November and is the most internationally well-known of the territory’s events. For more than 50 years, the city has sponsored this car and motorcycle racing event, which changes the face of Macau and the lives of its residents for the week-long duration of the Grand Prix. The racing creates an exciting atmosphere as well as a visual treat.

Macau Food Festival: also held in November, this event features more than 100 food booths grouped by cuisine origin. You’ll find an Asian cuisine area and a Greater China area, as well as Japanese, Korean, Macau, Portuguese and European areas, and not forgetting a dessert section. There are also dance performances and magic shows, as well as various other activities that make for a fun event.

Macau International Marathon: occurs in December on a course that circles the peninsula and crosses over to Coloane and Taipa islands. Runners from countries around the region and other parts of the world join athletes from Macau and Hong Kong in this popular event.