A liberal dash of Portuguese culture and cuisine comes to Macao this weekend, when the 24th Lusofonia Festival kicks off at the Taipa Houses on Friday.
Admission to the three-day event, one of Macao’s most popular annual festivals, is free.
Booths from Macao’s Portuguese-speaking communities will introduce their traditional music, arts and crafts, costumes, literature and gastronomy.
About 30 local Portuguese-speaking performing groups, as well as the Dongguan Kylin Dance Group from Guangdong province, will perform different dances and musical pieces on the festival’s main stage.
The event is organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), together with the Macao Government Tourism Office, which will set up booths for photo-taking and for purchasing IC publications at discounted prices, as well as for games offering prizes such as a limited-edition memo pad in celebration of the Taipa Houses 100th anniversary.
Visitors can take part in traditional Portuguese games such as wooden ski run and tug-of-war in Carmo Square on Saturday and Sunday afternoon, with prizes of wine, codfish, tinned sardines and Portuguese pork sausages. There will also be table football tournaments for over-16s and under-15s, as well as a recreational space for children.
A temporary restaurant will serve Portuguese dishes for lunch and dinner in the Taipa Municipal Garden, while dinner specialties from various parts of the Portuguese-speaking world will be offered in Carmo Square, The Macau Post Daily reported.
