Macao’s new outdoor performance venue – located in Cotai adjacent to the Lisboeta – will be hosting its inaugural concert tomorrow night between 7 pm and 9 pm, with some 15,000 people expected to attend the event.
Dubbed the “Warm-up Party,” the show will be headlined by Korean pop group Lightsum, as well as a host of Cantopop stars such as Hins Cheung, Julian Cheung and Janice M. Vidal.
Preparations for the event are in full swing, with the newly-appointed chief executive Sam Hou Fai conducting an inspection of the venue yesterday morning to learn more about the measures that are in place to ensure the concert runs smoothly.
As part of his tour around the site, Sam inspected the command centre, the grandstand, the entry and exit area, as well as the security facilities.
In order to prepare for tomorrow’s event, the Macau Light Rapid Transit (LRT) announced that it will be extending its service hours for all routes until 11:59 pm on Saturday.
[See more: Hins Cheung and other Cantopop stars to headline first show at outdoor venue]
On the day of the concert, the Transport Bureau will also be implementing a range of traffic control measures around the venue. No vehicles will be allowed on Avenida da Nave Desportiva, Rotunda da Central Térmica de Coloane and other major roads nearby, with all restrictions set to remain in place until 11 pm.
As a result of the traffic measures in place, certain buses, including the number 35, 50 and MT4, will see their routes temporarily adjusted on the night of the concert.
According to a government statement, the CE remarked that the concert was “an important step” for the SAR’s organisation of large scale performance events and that it could help to further develop the culture of the city.
Construction of the 94,000 square metre outdoor performance venue – which is capable of accommodating over 50,000 people – began in August of this year and wrapped up in November at a cost of 847.8 million patacas (US$106 million).
The government’s decision to develop a new outdoor performance venue was spurred in part by the controversy surrounding a concert by the K-pop band Seventeen at the Olympic Sports Centre Stadium in January, which led to complaints about noise and traffic congestion, and caused extensive damage to the pitch.
