29 Jul 2014
Night time bungy jumping, a new entertainment district, a season of unique festivals and many outdoor activities - Macau comes alive over the summer months and is ripe for exploration.
NEWS
HONG KONG-ZHUHAI-MACAU BRIDGE UPDATE:
The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau (HKZM) Bridge is on schedule to open in 2016. The HKZM bridge will be an impressive 50km long, making it the longest sea bridge in the world, and will cut transfer times between Macau and Hong Kong to just 30 minutes making Macau even more accessible for UK visitors.
NIGHT TIME BUNGY JUMPS FOR THE BRAVE:
This summer, Macau Tower has introduced special night editions to its famous bungy jump - the world's highest at 233 metres high. Available for the brave looking for a new experience, the bungy jump provides all the enjoyment of free-fall excitement set against the backdrop of Macau's splendid night time skyline.
Available every day throughout July and August, and weekends in September, between the hours of 6pm and 10pm to take full advantage of the city's incredible night views.
https://www.macautower.com.mo/en/dining_shopping_entertainment/adventure/index.html
SOHO - MACAU'S NEW DINING & ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT NOW OPEN:
Macau has a new vibrant dining and entertainment district - SOHO - now open at the City of Dreams. Featuring 16 exciting restaurants and bars offering a mix of worldwide cuisines including the Tsu Japanese Gourmet Market, Lobster Bar and Gold Coast Oyster & Seafood Restaurant, the area brings together amazing dining experiences and innovative entertainment with a programme of daily live performances. SOHO at City of Dreams launches with a collaboration between contemporary artist D*Face (owner and curator of London's first contemporary street art gallery) and street artists from Hong Kong to create SOHO-inspired art murals. For further information:
http://www.cityofdreamsmacau.com/soho
STAMP & STOMP! NEW WALKING TOURS SOUVENIR STAMP COLLECTION SCHEME:
MGTO has added to its collection of walking tours by including a fun stamp collecting scheme for the summer months. MGTO is inviting participants on the walks to obtain a stamp collection card which can be stamped at designated spots along the four walking routes. If three stamps are collected along one route, they will receive a souvenir while a special souvenir is rewarded to those who collect all twelve stamps along the four routes. The four walking tours, titled 'Step Out, Experience Macau's Communities', are each themed to take in a different aspect of Macau: 'A Tour of Historical Trails', 'A Tour of Nature and Creativity', 'A Tour of East meets West' and 'A Tour of Arts and Culture'. Intended to be leisurely strolls, the shortest of the four walks takes approximately 90 minutes to complete while the longest takes approximately 130 minutes to complete. Designed to heighten the walking tour experience, stamp collection cards can be obtained from Tourist Information counters throughout the city, designated locations for stamp collection and hotels.
FESTIVALS
There are a number of fascinating festivals unique to Macau taking place over the next couple of months including:
THE FEAST OF MAIDENS - 2 AUGUST:
Sometimes referred to as the Lover's Festival, the Feast of Maidens falls on the seventh day of the seventh moon on the lunar calendar and has deep meaning for unmarried women. The festival celebrates the only day in the year when the legendary Heavenly Weaver can meet her lover, the Cowherd, over a bridge of birds spanning the Milky Way. Many young, unmarried women in Macau will be looking to meet their loved one on this special feast day!
THE FEAST OF HUNGRY GHOSTS - 9 AUGUST:
In order to appease their ancestors' souls and all the forgotten spirits, people of Macau make small paper models of important objects to burn with incense on the pavements of the streets or at the entrance door of their houses. They also worship the gods to ask for their protection of their beloved onesby preparing dishes of meat and fruit to present at the temple and to the gods.
MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL - 8 SEPTEMBER:
Dating back over 3,000 years to China's Zhou dynasty, this popular Chinese festival of abundance and togetherness is held during the full moon of the eighth month in the lunar calendar, roughly mid-September. It is famous for families coming together to make and eat mooncakes – a pastry filled with sweet lotus paste - to observe the new moon and to worship the gods. The festival is also known as the Lantern Festival and thousands of lanterns are hung from trees and buildings at this time. Traditional spots in Macau for lanterns are the Praia Grande and Nam Van Lake and Hac-Sa and Cheoc-Van beaches in Coloane.
EXHIBITIONS & EVENTS
TRANSFORMERS 30th ANNIVERARY EXPO - NOW UNTIL OCTOBER 2014:
Celebrating 30 years of Transformers, a giant exhibition has opened in Macau. Running until 5 October 2014 at the Venetian Macau, the new 'Transformers 30th Anniversary Expo' showcases more than a thousand toys and collectibles in 10 different interactive zones. Highlights at the expo include over 1,000 Transformers statues on display including a seven-metre tall Optimus Prime and Bumble Bee; the first ever two-metre Transformers 3D hologram; a screening room showing Transformers Animations from Generation One to Prime Series; exclusive Transformers merchandise including limited-edition figurines and Transformers themed game booths. http://www.venetianmacao.com/macau-entertainment/transformers-expo.html
LOOKING AHEAD
26th Macau International Fireworks Display Contest:
MGTO has confirmed a dazzling September with the announcement that ten contesting teams will brighten the city skyline with spectacular fireworks displays at the next Macau International Fireworks Display Contest scheduled to take place from 8th September - 1st October.
61st Macau Grand Prix:
It has been announced that the 61st Macau Grand Prix will take place on 13-16 November 2014
Twitter: For further updates on what to see and do in Macau and for the latest news and insights on this destination, please follow us on twitter at www.twitter.com/MacauUK
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For further media information and images contact:
Lucy Mayes, Macau Government Tourist Office – UK & Ireland Representative
T: +44 (0) 845 498 9985 / 07813 303388
About the Macau Government Tourist Office:
The Macau Government Tourist Office is the tourism development arm of the government of the Macau SAR (Special Administrative Region) dedicated to promoting Macau as a preferred destination and co-ordinating related activities and services within the local tourism industry.
