The first concert at Cotai’s outdoor performance venue, which is currently under construction, will be “more like a test run,” according to the president of the Cultural Affairs Bureau (known by its Portuguese initials IC).
Leong Wai Man told TDM that the IC was currently working to pull the concert together, noting that its purpose would be “for us to share with residents the joy of completing the project” and to better understand how the 50,000-person venue might operate during fully fledged events. Construction is expected to be finished in November.
“We are going to gradually launch different activities after the construction is finished, to allow residents to be familiar with the location of the venues, the layout of the facilities and the transport,” Leong said. She added that the IC and other government departments would be testing each of these elements along the way, and that resident feedback would be welcome.
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The facility is being built on a 94,000-square-metre site next to the Lisboeta resort, and has a price tag of almost 85 million patacas.
In August, IC said that the venue’s first performance would likely be a government-organised gala event in joint celebration of the Macao SAR’s 25th anniversary and the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, to be held at the end of this year or early next year. Rumours that a Green Day show may be one of the first concerts have not been substantiated.
Officials have been under pressure to build a dedicated outdoor performance venue for the city after a concert by K-pop group Seventeen, held at the Olympic Sports Stadium earlier this year, sparked noise and traffic complaints from nearby residents and caused extensive damage to the pitch.
