The “2026 Macau-Zhuhai-Hengqin Luso-Chinese Music and Arts Festival” will take place at various venues across the three cities, including Galaxy Macau G Box, the “Love Between Fairy and Devil” VR Immersive Experience Center, and Zhuhai Art College.
The festival focuses on three main themes – “Competition, Exhibition, and Heritage” – and aims to create a cultural platform that transcends “linguistic and geographical barriers,” according to the organizers.
The event is exclusively sponsored by Galaxy Entertainment Group and supported by the Consulate General of Portugal in Macau and Hong Kong, the Cultural Institute, and the Macao Government Tourism Office. The event is organized by the Association for Friendship and Cultural Exchange between China and Portuguese-Speaking Countries, MMAS (Macau Music and Arts Space), and Zhuhai Art College.
The press conference took place on Tuesday (26) at the Portuguese restaurant Tromba Rija, in the Macau Tower, bringing together representatives from the organizing entities and guests connected to the cultural and music sectors. During the presentation, MMAS Director-General Echo Chan emphasized that this is the first time the festival is expanding simultaneously to Macau, Zhuhai, and Hengqin under the theme “Music Without Borders, Cultural Coexistence.”
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The program includes concerts, music competitions, guqin exhibitions, cultural heritage workshops, masterclasses, and school activities. Echo Chan also noted that the festival represents “a significant step forward” in terms of scale, interaction, and geographic reach, according to her.
The festival’s musical director, Casimiro de Jesus Pinto, stated that Macau continues to play an important role as a bridge between China and Portuguese-speaking countries. “Macau, as a bridge between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, plays an important role in promoting cultural exchange and cooperation,” he said.
Among the festival’s highlights is the opening concert “Sonic Alliance: Musical Battle,” scheduled for May 30 at Galaxy Macau G Box. The show will bring together young musicians from Macau, mainland China, Hong Kong, and Portugal in competitive performances judged in real time by the audience.
The program also includes “Macanese Tuna Night” on June 5 at the Ponte 1915 Arts Centre, dedicated to the fusion of Macanese music in Patuá with Chinese instruments, as well as a Brazilian bossa nova concert on June 6 at Casa de Lou Kau, performed by local artist Bossa Eva.
The festival’s three main competitions include the 2026 Macau Tuna Singing Competition, the 2nd Macau International Orchestra and Chamber Music Competition 2026, and the 2026 Greater Bay Area China-Chi Music Competition.
Assistant Music Director Anthony Cheong revealed that registration closed on Sunday with “high turnout,” including participants from Macau, Zhuhai, other cities in the Greater Bay Area, and even the United States.
Zhang YunLong, a representative from Zhuhai Art College, stated that the goal is to extend the outcomes of Macau’s Sino-Portuguese cultural fusion to the entire Greater Bay Area. “We hope to involve more cities and young artists from the region, promoting the integration and dissemination of Sino-Portuguese culture,” he said.
In terms of cultural heritage, the festival includes a free exhibition of the guqin, a traditional Chinese instrument, featuring one of only four agarwood guqins in the world, as well as examples from the Ming and Qing dynasties.
The program also features guqin workshops, a tea ceremony, a Hanfu costume experience, and Portuguese tile workshops led by Macao artisan Erica Leong.
Other activities include six instrument masterclasses, a music marathon at Casa de Lou Kau, and a school tour dedicated to Macanese musical culture in Hengqin. Tickets for the opening concert cost between 288 and 488 patacas and are available at Galaxy Ticketing.
