Organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from the Portuguese acronym), the 22^nd Macao City Fringe Festival will take place from 17 to 28 January 2024. Taking “artistic playground” as the theme, the festival will present 17 mesmerising performances and a string of outreach activities, leading the audience to find the most direct and simple happiness in a novel, bizarre yet fun-filled wonderland.

Embracing the concept of “All around the city, our stages, our patrons, our artists”, the Fringe Festival is an art gala for all to participate. This edition will feature two Crème de la Fringe series: the “SilverARTS Festival” and the “Contemporary Circus Festival”. Curated by Stella Ho, the “SilverARTS Festival” consists of three programmes, One, Two…and a Half, FreeSteps – Swinging Years and Let the Flower in Your Heart Bloom, as well as three outreach activities, all aiming to reinforce understanding and communication between different generations through the creative process and artistic performances. Curated by Leong Ka Wai, the “Contemporary Circus Festival” will present three programmes, Game On, Track, and The Crow Clowns and two outreach activities, which seek to lead the audience to find happiness in the carnival spirit through original performances, clowning, busking and a juggling competition.

As an immersive dancing and interactive performance, 25Feet will be presented by The100Hands and two dancers from Shanghai’s More Production, who will guide the audience to explore the relationship at different distances and the human body within a square of 25 feet. Nathan Ellis and Shanghai’s More Production will join hands in work.txt, an audience-driven interactive performance in an unshackled office. In Live: the gradient of blue, Kawo and his musical friends will present videos and music performances themed around four tones of blue to explore the artistic expressions of music. Cheang Hio Lam and Stanley Ma’s Hello, Welcome, Goodbye! will demonstrate two of the latest AI dialogue modules that simulate live conversations between hairdressers and customers, showcasing a dialogue between technology and humanity. Drawn from her own experience with her pet, Lei Sam I will share a life-on-life story on how humans and pets keep each other company in Goodbye, See You Soon.

The upcoming Festival will continue to infuse art across different local neighbourhoods. In Court Theatre: Land Act, the audience will be summoned to serve on a jury to give an objective and reasonable verdict at the Taipa Grande Viewing Platform. In Travelling at Your Doorstep, using voice-over narration, the Ieng Chi Dance Association will guide the audience to stroll around Flora Park to embark on a mental “excursion” on this familiar, small piece of land following the dancers’ steps. In A City of Visible Music, Vincent Cheang, Guo Xiaohan and Kang Meow will look into Macao’s cultural landscape and its communities and feel the city’s warmth and textures in a pop-up radio station and three live concerts in different places. In Vestige, a performance merging experimental video and sound, the Bunker Movement and thetiredandar will explore neglected urban spaces with the audience at the Chun Su Mei Community Centre’s rooftop. Made by Beauty by Miss Bondy’s Utopia will invite the audience to explore universal concepts of physical attractiveness at the IAM Building. In Cynthia Sio’s Tunnel, which revolves around the concept of “tunnels”, the audience will watch the theatrical performance on the move under the dancers’ guidance in the Carmo Hall in Taipa.

The BOC Macao is the special bank partner of this festival. Tickets for the performances will be on sale starting 10am on 30 December (Saturday) through MacauTicket.com, telephone and online (local and overseas). The 24-hour ticketing hotline is 2855 5555, and the ticketing website is www.macauticket.com. A 10% discount will be offered to BOC Credit Card or BOC Card holders for ticket purchases at MOP200 or above, CCM Friends, Friends of OM (Macao Orchestra), Friends of OCHM (Macao Chinese Orchestra), Friends of MAM (Macao Museum of Art), full-time student card holders (full-time students from Macao’s educational institutions or Macao residents with full-time student cards issued by educational institutions outside the territory) and Macao Teacher Card holders. Macao Senior Citizen Card holders or Disability Assessment Registration Card holders are entitled to a 50% discount.

Registration for the outreach activities will start at 10am on 30 December (Saturday) via “Activity applications” in the Macao One Account (activity.mo.gov.mo/activity-h5/activity-list-web). Places are limited, and some activities require registration with payment. Successful applicants will be notified by SMS or e-mail. For telephone registration and enquiries, please call 8399 6872 during office hours.  For programme information, please visit the festival’s official webpage at www.macaucityfringe.gov.mo, the “Macao City Fringe Festival” page on Facebook, IC’s WeChat official account “IC_Art_Macao”, or the local activities website “Enjoy Macao”.

The press conference of the 22nd Macao City Fringe Festival was held on 29 December, at the conference room of the Macao Cultural Centre, with the presence of the President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Leong Wai Man; the Vice President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR Government, Cheong Lai San and Cheang Kai Meng; the Head of the Division of Performing Arts of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Chan Shuk Mei; as well as representatives of participating art groups and art professionals.