Organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from the Portuguese acronym), co-organised by the Livelihood Affairs Bureau of Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, the Education and Youth Development Bureau, the Municipal Affairs Bureau, the Macao Government Tourism Office, and the Macao Science Center, and supported by the Macao Youth Federation, the Macao New Chinese Youth Association, the General Association of Chinese Students of Macao, and the Macau Youth Development Service Centre, the “Macao Reading Festival 2025” (hereinafter referred to as “Reading Festival”) was successfully held from 5 to 7 December at the Taipa Houses. Themed “Reading Vacation”, the event held nearly 50 sessions of diverse reading experiences and cultural and artistic activities, attracting the participation of over 10,000 people for three consecutive days. It promoted the concept of “enriching life through reading”, and contributed to the development of a “City of Reading”.

The Reading Festival featured a rich and diverse range of activities. In addition to the “Outdoor Library”, the “Art and Cultural Book Fair”, the “Sky Cinema”, the “Café and Cultural and Creative Market” and the performances, there were also interactive areas such as the “Chill Zone”, the “Serenity Corner” and game booths. Residents and tourists read books freely in the nature, strolled around and stopped by for the cultural and artistic performances and handicrafts, as well as enjoyed the vibrant “Reading Vacation”. Dedicated booths from the Sun Yat-sen Library of Guangdong Province and the Shenzhen Library were set up to introduce rubbing techniques and allow the public to experience the woodblock printing, fostering the exchanges and interaction between libraries in Guangdong and Macao; while a promotional booth from the Livelihood Affairs Bureau of Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin was also set up to further deepen the cooperation between Hengqin and Macao. In addition, IC joined hands with local publishers and bookstores to showcase and sell various types of books such as literary works and children’s books at the Reading Festival to meet the needs of different readers. Besides, a “Café and Cultural and Creative Market” was held, featuring handicrafts, picture books, snacks and drinks from various local brands, allowing participants to stroll around the market in a pleasant atmosphere and experience local creativity and unique charm.

Various thematic reading activities were also held onsite, such as the “Book Travelers” Shared Reading Activity, the “Portable Specimen Box X Biodiversity in Nature” Parent-Child Workshop and the “Recharge Your Spirit” Workshop, which were well-received by the public, offering rich and diverse reading experiences for members of the public of all ages. The “Family Fairy Tale Cosplay Challenge” received enthusiastic participation from families. Children and parents transformed into characters of classic fairy tales, showcasing their creative costumes on stage, inspiring the children’s imagination, and deepening the pleasure of reading between them.

The Reading Festival currently launched two warm-up activities dedicated to science, co-organised by the Macao Science Center, guiding participants to reflect on new models of reading and learning in the era of artificial intelligence in a relaxed and fun way. The “AI × Classic Works: Multimedia Creation Workshop” combined literature and artificial intelligence to transform classic literary works into scripts, showcasing the new perspectives of literary works through technology. The lecture “Self-Upgrade Through Reading: The Life Hacker’s Journey” guided residents to integrate scientific reading into their daily lives, so that readers easily interpret the content of books to master their personalized learning methods.

In order to extend the reading atmosphere and enrich the academic presentation, IC and the Hong Kong Public Libraries jointly organised the exhibition “The Inheritance of Chinese Classics: Special Exhibition of the Macao Ancient Chinese Books Chamber and the Hong Kong Hok Hoi Library” from 13 December 2025 to 28 June 2026, at the Sir Robert Ho Tung Library. The exhibition highlights the contributions that both libraries have made over the past century to the transmission of classical Chinese studies. The exhibition is open to the general public.

IC will continue to promote the concept of “enriching life through reading” and encourage residents of all ages to continue reading through diversified reading activities, thus deepening the culture of reading for all. In addition to continuously organising large-scale reading events and community activities, IC will continue to optimise the software and hardware facilities of public libraries, in order to provide a more comfortable reading environment for the public and contribute to the development of a reading society.