Of all the Hong Kongers who made the pilgrimage to Japan for Madonna last year, many didn’t just watch the show and then come home. They shopped till they dropped and ate like the planet was running out of kaiseki. That’s the best thing of getting away for shows – you can say you are in pursuit of the arts but really you are just indulging in another round of hedonistic pleasure – cash-burning. So to give you the excuse, we’ll take a quick tour of the highlights from this year’s Macau Arts Festival – but we take no responsibility for what you do after that…

This is the eighteenth year of the festival, which will feature more than 20 events between May 5 and June 6. While some will take place in usual venues like the Macau Cultural Centre, others will be staged in more unexpected locations, such as someone’s home. Lou Kao Mansion, recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage site, was one of the residencies of the Lou Wa Sio family, whose history dates back to the Qing dynasty. In the Historic Centre of Macau, the two-storey xiguan building constructed out of grey brick is one of the best-preserved examples of traditional Chinese architecture in Macau. It stands out from all the Portuguese legacies in the city, and begs for something traditional to be performed there, like Wayang Kulit, the art of shadow puppetry from Bali and Java. Shadow puppetry is not exclusive to the islands – in fact traditional Chinese shadow puppets will also be performing at the Lou Kao Mansions during the festival – but the Indonesian art was declared part of the intangible oral heritage of humanity by UNESCO in 2003. Wayang Kulit means ‘theatre’ and ‘skin’, which refers to the leather from which the puppets are made. The Indonesian puppets will be taken to Macau by the Sangaar Seni Madu Raras group while Excerpts from Chinese Popular Legends will be performed by the Tangshan Chinese Shadow Puppet Theatre Troupe. We don’t often get to see these sorts of traditional arts in Hong Kong, not to mention in such historic architecture.

As Macau is an ex-colony of Portugal where the majority of the population is Catholic, it is no surprise to find the influence of the religion is strong in the SAR. Churches are scattered throughout the city: St Dominic’s is one with a history spanning more than 400 years. The cream-coloured baroque-style chapel was renovated in 1997 and before you sit down to the free concert by acclaimed pianist Lam Bun Ching in Macao Orchestra’s Chinese Music Series – Chamber Music Selection, don’t forget to take a look at the chapel’s gallery with its extensive collection of paintings, sculptures, finely carved ivory and figures of saints fashioned out of wood.

Fado, ska and funáná with a soupçon of pop – this you shouldn’t miss. It is the special musical blend of Portuguese band O’queStrada who will be playing two nights in China’s first western theatre, the Dom Pedro V, during the festival. The gig is also part of the band’s Tascas Tour – and before you ask what on earth funáná is, try a combination of Portuguese and African music and dance. Now we know we’ll see you there…

It wouldn’t be Macau arts if the local scene didn’t have a big presence in the festival, part of which this year is Xia Yan’s play Under the Eaves of Shanghai. It was written before the Japanese invasion of China in World War Two and portrays the fear, hope and courage of a group of ordinary Chinese people living under the same roof. Made into a TV series in 1982, it was broadcast nationally in China. Now director Fu Yuet Mai will lead students from the School of Theatre of the Macao Conservatory in a stage performance at the Clementina Leitão Ho Brito Theatre in the northern district of Macau – an area many of us may not usually venture to on a visit to the SAR. So here’s a good chance to check out the show and the neighbourhood all in one hit.

Macanese is a language derived from Cantonese, Portuguese, Spanish, English and even Malay. Interested to hear what it sounds like? Then join Dóci Papiáçam di Macau Drama Group, the only theatre group performing in Macanese, when they take their latest production, What’s Up, Doc?, to the Macao Cultural Centre Grand Auditorium. Directed by Miguel de Senna Fernandes, the play is a light-hearted comedy reflecting the daily lives of ordinary people in Macau. Macanese has been included in UNESCO’s Red Book of Endangered Languages, so don’t miss the show while there is still a chance to hear the imperilled words.

The 18th Macau Arts Festival will last from May 5 to June 2. For a full schedule and details, go to www.icm.gov.mo.