The “Northern District Lantern Festival (Lantern Festival Market)” is being held over two consecutive weekends from Friday to Sunday (February 27 to March 1 and March 6 to 8), featuring live performances, interactive games, photo-ready installations, and around 40 booths covering a variety of goods, such as hot dishes, light snacks, souvenirs, and stationery.
The opening ceremony for the festival took place in Lotus Square in Ilha Verde district on Saturday. The 2-weekend event aims to create an influential festival market brand, attract crowds, further revitalising the community’s commercial atmosphere, and encourage more participants to splash out in surrounding shops and restaurants though distributing consumer coupons, according to a statement by the Industry and Commerce Association of Macau Northern District (AICZNM) released during the event on Saturday.
AICZNM Chairman Raymond Wong Kin Chong told reporters on the sidelines of the opening ceremony on Saturday that the previous event was held at the same venue successfully, adding that on the first day of the event, turnover approached nearly 10,000 patacas.
Although Macau welcomed around 40 million tourists overall last year, the northern district, as an older part of the city, sees very few visitors despite its proximity to the Barrier Gate checkpoint, Wong said, adding that the northern district lacks sufficient appeal to attract tourists. Wong noted he hopes that the government will include the northern district in community revitalisation plans to create distinctive local features, improve infrastructure, and enhance the district’s overall attractiveness.
Wong suggested that the government leverage the northern district’s geographical advantage near the checkpoint. The goal is to draw tourists from the checkpoint area to spend in the district, thereby boosting the Barrier Gate’s neighbourhood economy and addressing the economic imbalance between Macau’s popular tourist areas and older districts, Wong added.
Wong noted that businesspeople are increasingly receptive to the Northern District Consumer Carnival. During the most recent carnival, the number of participating businesses rose from around 300 in the past to a record high of 1,200.
Moreover, Wong said in a speech that a special “coupon redemption” mechanism has also been launched for the event. In addition to being used at market booths, coupons can also be used at participating businesses in the northern district, aiming to extend the benefits of the event to all parts of the district.
Industry and Commerce Association of Macau Northern District (AICZNM) Chairman Raymond Wong Kin Chong poses during the opening ceremony for the “Northern District Lantern Festival (Lantern Festival Market)” in the Lotus Square in Ilha Verde district on Saturday. – Photo: Ida Cheong
This poster provided by the Industry and Commerce Association of Macau Northern District (AICZNM) on Friday shows details of the two-weekend “Northern District Lantern Festival (Lantern Festival Market)”, which is being held in Lotus Square, Ilha Verde.
