MACAO, March 21 (Xinhua) -- With 128 performances staged by artists from various countries and regions, the 23rd Macao Arts Festival is to be held between May 1 and June 2, Cultural Affairs Bureau of Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) announced on Wednesday.

The Festival, organized by Cultural Affairs Bureau, will bring together theatre, traditional and modern dance, Chinese and Western music and multimedia and visual arts by artists from Macao, Hong Kong, the Chinese mainland, Portugal, Spain ,the United Kingdom, France, Italy, the United States and Argentina, according to the Bureau.

The Festival this year features some 33 programs comprising 128 shows, the largest number ever for this event, representing a great opportunity for all Macao residents to appreciate different cultures and arts, said Ung Vai Meng, President of Cultural Affairs Bureau.

According to the Bureau, major highlights of the Festival includes the Beijing Opera show Su Wu of the Han Dynasty by the China National Beijing Opera Theatre, a new version of Cantonese Opera of the classic, poignant love tragedy, Dream of the Red Chamber, the American Mark Morris Dance Group's Mozart Dances, local drama, new multi-media theater.