“2025 International Cities of Gastronomy Fest, Macao” will open on 11 July Ten-day feast of global delights manifests Macao’s platform strengths

The “2025 International Cities of Gastronomy Fest, Macao” (referred to as the “Fest”), organized by Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), will be staged at Roman Amphitheatre Square and Legend Boulevard of Macau Fisherman’s Wharf from 11 to 20 July. Themed as “Spices and herbs”, the Fest will bring together 34 UNESCO Creative Cities of Gastronomy from 21 countries across six continents for a vibrant offering of global cuisines, culinary showcase and gastronomy forum as three major highlights. The ten-day event will manifest a splendid feast of international gastronomic cultures, weaving together tourism, gastronomy and culture in pursuit of preservation and innovation. It will showcase Macao’s unique fascinations as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy to the world as an impactful platform.

Gather Creative Cities of Gastronomy from 21 countries on six continents

MGTO held a press conference to unveil the event program today (27 June). MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes highlighted the Fest’s remarkable lineup of participating countries and cities this year, which unleashes Macao’s strengths as an international exchange platform. To date, 34 UNESCO Creative Cities of Gastronomy from 21 countries across six continents, seven Creative Cities of other fields and two candidate cities from the Mainland, along with two Culture Cities of East Asia 2025 are committed to joining different event highlights.

Gastronomy Fest presents three major highlights  

Portuguese-speaking countries debut at “International Gastronomy Promenade”

Following the inaugural success last year, the Fest will feature “International Gastronomy Promenade”, “City of Gastronomy Showcase” and “International Gastronomy Forum, Macao” as three major highlights again, dedicated to creating a more spectacular program. The event venue is chosen as Roman Amphitheatre Square and Legend Boulevard of Macau Fisherman’s Wharf in Zona Nova de Aterros do Porto Exterior (NAPE), with the hope to invigorate local communities and bring more visitors and residents there for hotel stay and spending while tasting global cuisines and enjoying top-notch culinary demonstrations.

The “International Gastronomy Promenade” will feature over 100 food booths. 14 Creative Cities of Gastronomy from across the globe will present a colorful variety of culinary delights. Among them, there will be 25 booths from Mainland cities (including Chengdu, Shunde, Yangzhou, Huai’an and Chaozhou), nine Asian booths (including Phuket (Thailand), Hatay (Türkiye), Buraydah (Saudi Arabia) and Iloilo City (Philippines)) and 52 Macao food booths. Portuguese-speaking countries will present 11 food booths for the first time (including Florianópolis, Belém, Paraty and Belo Horizonte of Brazil), along with the booths of the six integrated resort enterprises, to jointly create a memorable fest of palate-tempting tastes for visitors and residents.

1,000 dining seats will be provided at five catering zones at the Promenade, an increase of 42% from last year to accommodate more visiting and local food lovers. A variety of performances will enliven the event on three stages, from Portuguese folk dance, band performances, rope skipping to street dance. There will be interactive moments with mascot, magic show and balloon-twisting by clowns, to bring the event to life with great vibes.

28 cities take stage at over 60 sessions of “City of Gastronomy Showcase”

The event will invite chefs from 28 Creative Cities of Gastronomy to demonstrate culinary art in over 60 cooking shows. Setting off the theme “Spices and herbs”, the chefs will weave dishes with a creative blend of spices and herbs commonly used in local cuisine. The dishes will be a unique symphony of tastes across cultures and the world, set to foster culinary exchange between Macao and other Creative Cities of Gastronomy. Residents and visitors can savor a fusion of wonderful flavors at sampling sessions.

For the public’s tasting of different delights, the “International Gastronomy Promenade” will take place from 3:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. from Monday to Friday, from 3 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday between 11 and 20 July. “City of Gastronomy Showcase” will be held from 3:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily during the event period.

An increase to three panel sessions at “International Gastronomy Forum, Macao”

The “International Gastronomy Forum, Macao” is scheduled at the Convention and Exhibition Centre of Macau Fisherman’s Wharf on 14 July. Under the theme of “The Spice of Life: Macao’s Culinary Connections”, participants will explore the fascinating role of spices and herbs in worldwide cuisines. There will be two keynote speeches and three panel sessions. Representatives, culinary professionals and industry leaders from some 30 Creative Cities of Gastronomy worldwide as well as the Mainland’s Creative Cities in other fields and candidate cities, representatives of the integrated resort enterprises as well as some Culture Cities of East Asia 2025 will gather at the Forum to discover the essence of food cultures while sharing the unique flavors and stories across cultures and geographical distances.

Free shuttle bus service

Facilitating visitors and residents’ visit to the Fest, MGTO will provide free shuttle bus service along three routes between the event venue and the following locations: Border Gate, Rua do Dr. Pedro José Lobo in the central district, Taipa Central Park and the hotel resorts of the six integrated resort enterprises in Cotai District — Grand Lisboa Palace Resort Macau, Wynn Palace, MGM Cotai, Studio City, The Venetian Macao and Galaxy Macau. The service hours are as follows: from 3:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. from Monday to Friday, from 3 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, between 11 and 20 July.

Online-offline promotional campaign unfolds progressively

MGTO has rolled out a wide online-offline promotional campaign for “2025 International Cities of Gastronomy Fest, Macao” in Macao and various visitor markets. Collaborative promotions are conducted with mainstream media and Macao e-payment platforms, while advertisements are placed at Hong Kong International Airport and MTR stations to attract Hong Kong and international visitors.

In addition, MGTO has been conducting online promotions via 28 official platforms on social media (WeChat, Weibo, Douyin, Xiaohongshu, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Twitter, Kakao and Line, etc.). Domestic and overseas KOLs are commissioned to spotlight the event via live streams as well as graphic, written and video posts to widen the Fest’s visibility and attract visitors to Macao for a culinary journey, as part of the Office’s endeavor to expand diverse visitor markets.

Gear up for the event by interdepartmental coordination

MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, MGTO Deputy Director Cheng Wai Tong, and Coordinator for Culinary Arts Management Programme of Faculty of Innovative Hospitality Management at the Macao University of Tourism, Ng Yen Nee, attended the press conference for the “2025 International Cities of Gastronomy Fest, Macao” today (27 June) together with representatives of the event’s leading partners, venue support and coordinating entities, among others.

The “2025 International Cities of Gastronomy Fest, Macao” is organized by MGTO with the great support of different entities concerned. The Office has convened an interdepartmental work meeting recently with Municipal Affairs Bureau, Labour Affairs Bureau, Consumer Council, Public Security Police Force, Fire Services Bureau, Health Bureau, Environmental Protection Bureau, Transport Bureau, Macau Fisherman’s Wharf and the coordinating entity. Discussions were made on event arrangement, logistics, implementation measures, concerns and other details in different areas. Adequate coordination is underway to ensure smoothness of the entire program.

For the event program and latest information, please visit the themed website: https://www.macaotourism.gov.mo/en/article/events/gastronomy-fest-2025 .