The well-received Macau Shopping Festival returns to the territory from 3^rd to 31^st December, with great expectations of the new format, expanded offers, and anticipated increased visitor arrivals joining in the celebrations for the 15^th anniversary of the establishment of the Macau SAR.

This year’s theme – ‘Lucky Draw Upon Arrival, Irresistible Shopping Offers, Citywide Celebrations’ – is driven by the slogan ‘I Buy Macau’.

Now in its fourth year, Macau Shopping Festival has been picking up hints from shopping paradises like Hong Kong and Singapore as well as drawing on the valuable experience of local festivals gone by. As a result, the organizer will stage several eye-catching activities during the period, starting with a Lucky Draw Upon Arrival. During the Shopping Festival, the organizer will set up lucky draw booths at the four major border crossing control points, with each valid ferry ticket, air ticket or border crossing proof entitling the visitor to join the lucky draw once. Prizes valued at over MOP4 million in all will be sponsored by a variety of major shopping malls, department stores and 1,000 more merchants.

Last year, the novel ‘Christmas Window Dressing Campaign’ substantially augmented the impact of the shopping festival propaganda, drawing the participation of 1,500 merchants plus small and medium enterprises (SMEs). This promotion returns this year, with subsidies granted to SMEs to not only support the Macau retail industry but promote the city’s festive lighting and decoration.

To further promote the Shopping Festival and provide greater convenience to travellers and residents, the latest information and Shopping Festival offers will be released through Facebook and Weibo in addition to the Shopping Guide for Macau Shopping Festival booklet distributed through Macau Government Tourist Office information counters located at border gates, shopping malls and department stores. A Macau Shopping Festival smartphone App is also available for download from November onwards via Apple App Store and Google Play.

In addition, the annual celebration for the entire city - ‘Parade Through Macau, Latin City’ - will once again be staged in December. Foreign performing groups as well as hundreds of talented local artists will participate, leading residents and tourists through Macau’s streets and alleyways complete with singing and dancing in the city’s historic quarters. This will all be topped off by a grand finale in Tap Seac Square after the parade.