Ruins of St. Paul's hosts culture festival from 14 November

Ruins of St. Paul's (Ruínas de São Paulo) in Macau will host a performance by the Macao Chinese Orchestra during the Macao City Culture Festival from 14 to 22 November 2026. The Cultural Affairs Bureau announced the programme on 16 October, linking the heritage site to a wider cultural programme held during the Macau Grand Prix.

Macao City Culture Festival brings music to the ruins

The festival runs from 14 to 22 November 2026 and is organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau. Its central venue will be the Macao Forum, which is planned to become a themed cultural space with an exhibition, intangible cultural heritage performances and other public activities.

The official programme also extends to several heritage locations and says that the Macao Chinese Orchestra will perform at the site. The announcement does not yet give a separate date or time for that performance, and says that the full schedule will be released later. The festival dates and venue are confirmed by the Macao SAR Government Portal.

The façade connects the programme with Macau history

The monument is the surviving façade and stairway of the old Church of Mater Dei, part of the former St. Paul's College. The Cultural Affairs Bureau records that the church was built between 1602 and 1640, while the wider religious complex was destroyed by fire in 1835.

The site therefore places a contemporary orchestra performance against masonry connected with Macau's early Western-style higher education and religious history. That relationship gives the November programme a clear setting: the music is scheduled not simply in the city, but at a surviving part of a complex whose present form was shaped by fire, archaeology and conservation.

Archaeological work carried out between 1990 and 1996 recovered objects and examined the church's internal organisation. The work led to a structural steel observatory and to the Museum of Sacred Art and Crypt, which opened at the former main altar site in 1996. Further heritage history of the site is provided by the Cultural Affairs Bureau.

Visiting Ruins of St. Paul's: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• The Macao City Culture Festival runs from 14 to 22 November 2026, with the Macao Chinese Orchestra scheduled to perform at the site during the programme.
• The announcement names the performance but does not yet publish its individual date, time or any special access arrangement. The full schedule is still to be released.
• The site is at Company of Jesus Square in Macau, and includes the surviving façade and stairway of the old Church of Mater Dei.
• Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.

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Frequently asked questions about Ruins of St. Paul's

When does the Macao City Culture Festival take place at Ruins of St. Paul's?

The festival runs from 14 to 22 November 2026, and the Macao Chinese Orchestra is scheduled to perform at the site during that period.

What is planned at Ruins of St. Paul's in November 2026?

The Cultural Affairs Bureau says the Macao Chinese Orchestra will perform there as part of the Macao City Culture Festival. The separate performance date and time have not yet been published.

Where is Ruins of St. Paul's and how do you get there?

The site is at Company of Jesus Square in Macau. It comprises the façade and stairway of the former Church of Mater Dei, alongside the remains of the old St. Paul's College.