Macau, China, Aug. 28, 2024 (Lusa) - The firework manufacturer Pirotecnia Oleirense, based in Oleiros, Castelo Branco district, will close the Macau International Fireworks Competition on 6 October, it announced on Wednesday.
At a press conference, the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) said that the Portuguese team will present "O Olhar Humano" (The Human Look), the last of the ten shows in the 32nd edition of the competition.
According to the MGTO, the show by Pirotecnia Oleirense will reflect on the ‘mythological meanings of the stars’, in ‘a journey without defined space or time’, which will be ‘the perfect ending to the competition’.
In addition to Portugal, the 2024 competition will feature 20-minute shows combining fireworks and music from companies from Russia, France, Canada, Thailand, Spain, the Philippines, Japan, mainland China and Italy.
This year's event will take place from 7 September as part of the celebrations for the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and the 25th anniversary of Macau's handover.
The deputy director of MGTO, Cheng Wai Tong, told Lusa that the budget had increased by 2.4% compared to 2023, €2.01 million, mainly due to the "rise in the transport price" of fireworks.
The six gambling operators in Macau will finance the majority of the budget, the gambling capital of the world and the only place in China where casino gambling is legal, Cheng said.
He predicts that the competition could attract as many tourists to the city as last year, ‘more or less 700,000’ depending on the weather conditions.
In the 2023 edition, the first after a three-year break due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Macedos Pirotecnia, based in the municipality of Felgueiras, in the Porto district, presented the ‘Supernova’ show.
The United Kingdom won, and China and Japan came second and third, respectively.
The competition partly coincides with the so-called ‘golden week’ of China's National Day. Last year, Macau received more than 116,500 tourists a day during this period, which concentrated on several holidays between 29 September and 6 October.
The ‘golden week’ in October is the second biggest mass holiday in China, after the Lunar New Year period, the main traditional family festival takes place in January or February, depending on the lunar calendar.
VQ/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
