Santa Maria da Feira and Matosinhos are participating this month in Macau’s International Cities of Gastronomy Festival, whose budget has been increased due to the impact of the Iran war on aviation, it was announced today.
Santa Maria da Feira — a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy since 2021 — returns to the event in the Chinese region, which runs from March 20 to 29, said Tourism Services director Helena de Senna Fernandes at a press conference. Chefs Elisabete Miranda and Clara Santos will represent Santa Maria da Feira in Macau. Matosinhos, which only received its UNESCO designation in October, makes its debut at this edition, though it will not be represented by chefs from the city.
Also from the Portuguese-speaking world, Senna Fernandes noted, are the Brazilian cities of Belém, Belo Horizonte, Florianópolis and Paraty.
“To date, the number of participating cities has already exceeded previous editions, attracting nearly 40 cities from around the world, including eight cities that received their designation last year,” she said, noting that 2026 marks the 10th anniversary of Macau’s classification as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy.
This year’s event will have a budget of “approximately 31 million patacas (€3.3 million)” — an increase of more than three million patacas (€320,000) compared to the previous edition, which Senna Fernandes attributed to the impact of the Iran war on air connections. “We invited different personalities and chefs from other cities. Flight tickets alone increased the budget,” she said.
Culinary demonstrations, academic debates and exchanges on the preservation of gastronomic heritage are among the highlights of the festival, which this year expands beyond the Fisherman’s Wharf venue to include the Outer Harbour Reclamation area (NAPE), specifically Canton and Shanghai streets. “The aim is to harness the synergistic effects of a major event, increase the visibility of the NAPE area and jointly boost the economic vitality of the community,” Senna Fernandes noted. Several casinos in this area and the neighbouring ZAPE zone closed last year, and the once-busy streets have seen fewer visitors, with pawnshops and luxury goods stores largely empty.
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The festival programme also includes an International Gastronomy Avenue with 100 food stalls — 28 from cities in mainland China (Chengdu, Shunde, Yangzhou, Huaian, Chaozhou and Quanzhou), 32 from cities in the Americas, Africa and Asia, and 40 from Macau — as well as 53 culinary demonstrations by chefs from 25 creative gastronomy cities. This year’s edition will also debut a World Wine Lounge and an International Market of Excellence Gastronomic Products.
