Macau’s Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Elsie Ao Ieong, said the government is looking for a large open space to accommodate concerts for 20,000 or even 50,000 people.
Her comments come after Korean K-pop group Seventeen’s concerts at Macau’s Taipa Stadium on 20 and 21 January sparked controversy because of the location’s close proximity to residents. Many complained about the noise and lighting impacts of the concerts on neighboring residences, while temporary traffic control measures put in place for the concerts proved highly disruptive.
After the incident, which saw the grassed area of Taipa Stadium severely damaged, Ao Ieong announced the establishment of a governmental inter-departmental group to review the incident and put forward suggestions.
Speaking with media on Tuesday, the Secretary said, “The government has analyzed the limitations of the Taipa Stadium and will look for other venues if it wants to hold similar large-scale outdoor concerts in the future. The government has already set up a coordinating team to look for a venue.”
She added that the outdoor venue does not need to be a formalized arena, “Just a large outdoor open space will suffice.”
One location already seen as suitable, according to Ao Ieong, is the reclaimed land at the Macau Tower New Reclamation on the Macau peninsula. In July 2023, a large-scale music festival (2023 TMEA) was held in the area but Ao Ieong said the Seventeen concert did not use this location because it would not have brought sufficient economic benefits to the community. She did not explain why the economic benefits of the Macau Tower New Reclamation would have been any different from Taipa Stadium.
However, she mentioned that the government would like to find concert venues in Macau that can accommodate 20,000, 30,000 or even 50,000 people, making Macau Tower New Reclamation one of the few obvious options.
“It will take some time for the government to find a venue for the concerts and I hope that the community will give us some time,” she said.
Since Macau’s borders reopened last year, large-scale concerts have proved to be a major draw for both local and foreign visitors, however there is a growing view that a stadium-style or open venue capable of hosting 50,000 people is necessary if the city hopes to regularly attract the world’s top performing artists.
