Events

Dragons at Chinese New Year. © Richard I'Anson. Lonely Planet Images

The Chinese in Macau celebrate the same religious festivals as their counterparts in Hong Kong, but there are also parties for Catholic festivals and Portuguese national holidays. During Chinese New Year, in late January or early February, the streets are a feast of color and noise. For a more Catholic flavor, try the Procession of Our Lord of Passion, when a statue of Christ is paraded through the streets to Macau Cathedral. The Macau Arts Festival is held in March, while the Anniversary of 1974 Portuguese Revolution on 25 April celebrates Portugal's left-wing military coup.

Macau has a major public holiday in June for the Dragon Boat Festival, when boats are raced off the tip of the Macau Peninsula. On 13 July Taipa and Coloane celebrate their final defeat of marauding pirates. The International Music Festival, held in October or November, is usually an intriguing mix of opera, musicals, visiting Portuguese orchestras and other musical events. At the end of the year the Winter Solstice is celebrated--many Macau Chinese consider this festival even more important than Chinese New Year.