The pedestrianisation of San Ma Lou, which was to have been staged over the Christmas and New Year holidays, has been postponed until Chinese New Year, which starts on 22 January.
The Cultural Affairs Bureau said Strolling Through Almeida Ribeiro – Pilot Project for a Pedestrian Area, which is part of its Cultural Base programme, had been postponed due to the Covid-19 situation.
Meanwhile, the New Year Concerts, which have been organised by the bureau in conjunction with the city’s six gaming operators, will take place in Sai Van Lake Square on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
The concerts will be open to the public from 7:30 pm on each day; spectators must redeem their wristbands at the entrance with their pre-booked tickets to enter the auditorium.
Aiming to enable more people to experience the live atmosphere, from 10 pm on New Year’s Eve to 12:10 am the next day, public TV and radio station TDM will broadcast the concert live on its channels, mobile app and website, as well as Ou Mun Tin Toi (TDM’s Chinese-language radio channel).
During the concerts, large TV screens will also be set up in Largo do Senado and Nam Van Lake Nautical Centre to telecast the performances.
In order to maintain public order at the venue and the surrounding areas, visitors to Sai Van Lake Square are strictly prohibited from bringing alcoholic beverages, canned sprays, balloons and glass bottles, and they are urged not to bring large pieces of luggage and pushchairs with them to the venue to ensure safety during the performance.
A number of traffic control and road closure measures will be implemented from 8 pm on 31 December 31 to 1 am the following day, while large signs will be placed in traffic control areas to remind drivers and the public of the traffic arrangements.
The bureau said it has made proper arrangements for its arts and cultural activities in strict accordance with the Health Bureau’s Covid-19 pandemic prevention guidelines. In order to facilitate the government’s pandemic prevention work, participants are required to wear their facemasks and cooperate with relevant pandemic prevention and on-site crowd control arrangements, The Macau Post Daily reported.
