Lotus on the Silk Road – Traditions in Motion
Organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from the Portuguese acronym), the 36th Macao Arts Festival, themed “New Streams of Inspiration”, will be held from 8 May to 27 June, featuring 15 selected programmes and 9 outreach activities. Free tickets for the programme Grand Opening: Lotus on the Silk Road – Traditions in Motion will be distributed from 10am on 2 May through the Enjoy Macao Ticketing outlets and website. Tickets for the local programmes Everlasting Youth 2.0, Now What?, Lotus Heart, The Old House of Orchid and The Night of Zheng Guanying – Environmental Dance Theatre will also be on sale simultaneously through the Enjoy Macao Ticketing outlets, telephone and online booking from 10am on the same day (2 May), with special discounts for local programmes available. The public is welcome to purchase tickets.
In response to the “2026 China-Kazakhstan Year of Cultural Exchange”, this edition of the Festival has specially invited the BIRLIK Song and Dance Ensemble from Kazakhstan to join hands with local dance troupes and present the opening performance Lotus on the Silk Road – Traditions in Motion, showcasing the cultural charm of the Silk Road in Central Asia with rich ethnic characteristics and dazzling dance.
This year’s Festival will feature a number of outstanding local stage productions. Premiered in 2006 at the 17th Macao Arts Festival, Everlasting Youth 2.0 by Theatre Farmers returns to the Macao Arts Festival twenty years later. Written and directed by renowned Macao playwright Lawrence Lei, produced by Jacky Li, alongside with local actress Carmen Kong, the new adaption starts from Rua da Felicidade and unfolds a love story that spans sixty years. The Patuá theatre Now What? by Dóci Papiaçám di Macau Drama Group explores the issues about inheritance and business closure in a humorous way. Starring renowned actors Chu Chan Wa and Mok Weng Lam, the newly adapted Cantonese Opera Lotus Heart incorporates AI technology for the stage design, presenting the legend of the Chinese mythological figure He Xiangu. The Old House of Orchid by Dirks Theatre Arts Association returns at this year’s MAF, featuring a combination of storytelling, drama and live music. The Night of Zheng Guanying – Environmental Dance Theatre by the Hou Kong Dance Group will lead the audiences to the Mandarin’s House, allowing them to have an immersive experience on the creative process of Zheng Guanying’s work Words of Warning in Times of Prosperity during his retreat in Macao.
Free tickets for the Grand Opening: Lotus on the Silk Road – Traditions in Motion will be distributed from 10am on 2 May through the Enjoy Macao Ticketing outlets and website. Distribution is limited to a maximum of 2 tickets per person. Tickets for the local programmes Everlasting Youth 2.0, Now What?, Lotus Heart, The Old House of Orchid and The Night of Zheng Guanying – Environmental Dance Theatre will be on sale simultaneously through the Enjoy Macao Ticketing outlets, telephone and online booking from 10am on 2 May (Saturday). A 30% discount will be offered on ticket purchase for two performances of the local programmes, or when purchasing 10 or more tickets for the same performances. On the first day of ticket sales, ticket purchases for each show are limited to a maximum of 10 tickets per performance per person. Members of the public who purchase an unlimited number of tickets for the non-special performances with a BOC Credit Card or BOC Card, and holders of a MasterCard, Visa or UnionPay card from BNU, ICBC (Macau), Luso International Banking Ltd., BCM Bank, Tai Fung Bank and OCBC Macau will receive a 20% discount on ticket purchase. A 50% discount will be offered to holders of a Macao Senior Citizen Card or Disability Assessment Registration Card and to holders of a full-time student card (holders of local or overseas student card); each cardholder can only use one discounted ticket per performance. For every ticket purchase over MOP500 (net price after discounts), purchasers will receive one MGM dinning voucher. Air Macau customers can enjoy a 20% discount on ticket purchases at the Enjoy Macao Ticketing outlets by presenting their respective boarding pass (flight code NX) within 7 days upon their arrival in Macao. Tickets for other programmes will be on sale simultaneously through the Enjoy Macao Ticketing outlets, telephone and online booking from 10am on 9 May (Saturday).
For more information about the programmes, outreach activities, ticket purchase, other discounts and the Enjoy Macao Ticketing outlets, please visit the MAF’s website (www.icm.gov.mo/fam), follow the respective page on Facebook (search “Macao Arts Festival”), or subscribe to IC’s official WeChat account (IC_Art_Macao). 24-hour ticketing hotline:2840 0555 (Macao). Online ticket reservation is available at ticketing.enjoymacao.mo.
