The 17th Lusofonia Festival co-organised by the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM) and the Macau Government Tourist Office will kick off on October 17 and last for three days, costing the government about 2.4 million patacas, a 41 percent increase from the 1.7 million patacas spent last year.
IACM Administration Council member Ma Kam Keong made the announcement during a press conference at the headquarters of the bureau in Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro.
Ma said that the annual event involved about 17,000 people taking part in various activities last year, accounting for nearly three percent of the population.
“I believe that there will be more people taking part this year,” he said, adding “due to rising inflation and more bands from Portuguese speaking countries being invited to perform, the budget for this year will be about 2.4 million patacas.”
Ma also said that the festival has become a popular event for locals and visitors alike and over recent years more local families have enjoyed visiting the festival.
According to information provided by the bureaus, the festival includes various activities which will be held at different locations such as the outdoor area in front of the Taipa Houses Museum including dancing and singing performances. Participants will have a chance to try cuisine from several Portuguese-speaking countries during the festival.
