Macau 2049

(Last updated: August 26, 2026)

Whenever I think of MGM, I think of stars, shows, and spectacle, which makes it slightly ridiculous that it’s taken them 20 years to put on a serious, large-scale show in Macau. To this point, they’ve mostly stuck to Oktoberfest and art exhibitions, both of which get the polite golf clap from me, and little else. Way late to the party, MGM is finally making amends with Macau 2049, their first full-length residency show at MGM Cotai.

Behind it all is heavyweight Chinese director Zhang Yimou, best known for films like Raise the Red Lantern and Hero, as well as masterminding the 2008 Beijing Olympic ceremonies. With a permanent theatre, cutting-edge technology and no shortage of money behind it, Macau 2049 is easily MGM’s most ambitious entertainment project to date.

Tickets range from $288 to $888, depending on seating. As of August 2026, scheduled performances begin at 3:00 pm, replacing the previous evening schedule. Performance dates vary, so choose an available date through MGM’s ticketing calendar. Large cameras aren’t allowed inside, so you’ll have to settle for clicking away on a phone or tablet.

Pro tip: if you go mid-week, the theatre will likely be around 80% empty, making it very easy to give yourself a free upgrade by simply sitting somewhere better. Walk in confidently, don’t flag down an usher, and make it look like you know exactly where you’re going.

Before anything else: do not go in expecting a story.  There are no characters, no plot and nothing connecting one performance to the next. Instead, Macau 2049 presents eight separate acts built around traditional Chinese singing, dance and regional folk culture, all reworked with modern technology.

The opening half of Macau 2049 is uneven, and it’s best dealt with quickly. Three of the first four segments lean heavily on music and movement, and while they’re visually appealing, there’s very little emotional impact. You watch them, register what’s happening, and then glance at your watch.

The clear exception is the second segment, built around deep, droning Mongolian vocals and expansive, colour-saturated backdrops. It’s a pretty sequence, with the music and imagery finally locking together.

It’s only from here that Macau 2049 really starts to cook.

The fifth segment places the performers inside a vast cityscape, with endless waves of people moving across the stage. The only faces appear on the iPads they carry. If this is where humanity is headed, or possibly where we already are, I may want off this ride, pronto.

The next sequence builds on something far more familiar: a large group of women performing a loose, communal folk dance — the kind of everyday movement you still see in mainland city squares at night. Then, halfway through, the dancers are replaced by androids performing the same movements with unnerving precision.

At first it’s impressive, almost unsettling in how fluid and human the machines appear. Then things start to go wrong. Movements glitch, systems fail, and eventually technicians walk on stage to quite literally rescue the performance. After watching the robots threaten to replace the dancers, seeing humans come out to save them was a nice reversal.

Another later sequence slows things down with music and a sweeping underwater backdrop. It begins pristine, with light filtering down and bodies drifting, before slowly darkening.  Debris creeps in, the plastic builds, and what started as something idyllic turns uneasy. It’s not subtle, but it doesn’t need to be.

The lion dance is the climax of Macau 2049 and easily its biggest burst of energy. MGM naturally puts its lion front and centre, backed by some of the sharpest visuals of the night. The dancers eventually spill into the aisles, racing past the seats and throwing things into the audience.

The show technically ends with two singers under warm lights, which feels less like a final statement and more like the credits rolling. 

By May 2025, Macau 2049 had already surpassed its 100th performance, showing every sign of settling in for the long haul. The opening stretches are slower than they should be, and a few ideas feel more conceptual than compelling. But once the show finds its stride, it delivers scenes that linger afterwards, especially the iPad sequence and the dancing robots.

At the same time, Macau 2049 is far from a universal crowd pleaser. Some segments are too abstract. Some might be too culturally specific. Some look impressive without doing very much. But people who are into art, performance, stagecraft, and large-scale visual ideas should love it.  

There’s also another angle worth mentioning, especially for visitors. If you want a quick overview of traditional Chinese performance culture, Macau 2049 actually makes a lot of sense. You may not love every segment, but where else are you realistically going to see Mongolian throat singing, lion dance, folk dance, choral work, contemporary movement, and large-scale digital stagecraft all in one evening, under one roof?

Not many, my friend, which might be the very best reason to give Macau 2049 a try.

CRITICAL INFORMATION

Location: MGM Theater, MGM Cotai

Performance time: 3:00 pm on scheduled performance days

Duration: Approximately 80 minutes

Ticket prices:

• Section C: $288

• Section B: $488

• Section A: $688

• VIP: $888

Children below the age of three may enter free if they do not occupy a seat. Parental guidance is required for guests under 13 due to the amplified sound, theatrical lighting and intense laser effects.

Tickets are non-refundable and cannot be exchanged.