Ruins of St. Paul's hosts tray race on 27 September
Published on 09/27/2026 at 11:34 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Visitors to the Ruins of St. Paul's in Macau will find the 2026 World Tourism Day Tray Race on 27 September 2026, with the route beginning at the landmark (Ruínas de São Paulo) and ending at Senado Square. The event combines a public cultural programme with one of the city's best-known historic settings.
World Tourism Day Tray Race runs from the ruins to Senado Square
The Macao Government Tourism Office lists the 2026 World Tourism Day Tray Race for 27 September 2026. Its event page gives the time as 3pm to 6pm and the venue as the route from the Ruins of St. Paul's to Senado Square.
The competition involves contestants balancing trays while moving through the historic centre. The official listing says admission is free, so visitors can watch from the public route without a ticket. The official race listing for 27 September also identifies the organiser's enquiry contacts.
Ruins of St. Paul's connects a street event with Macau history
The setting is the surviving façade and stairway of the old Church of Mater Dei, alongside the remains of St. Paul's College. The Cultural Affairs Bureau records construction of the church between 1602 and 1640, before a fire destroyed the religious complex in 1835.
The site is part of the historic centre of Macao and preserves a visible link between Portuguese construction traditions and Jesuit activity in the region. The race route therefore begins beside a monument whose surviving stone façade marks a much larger former complex, before continuing towards Senado Square.
Archaeological work took place between 1990 and 1996, with recovered objects and studies of the church's inner organisation. The resulting project included a structural steel observatory, the Museum of Sacred Art and the Crypt, facilities inaugurated on 23 October 1996, as described by the Cultural Affairs Bureau history of the site.
Macau's historic centre provides the route's wider setting
The event uses the relationship between two recognisable places rather than a closed indoor venue. The starting point is Company of Jesus Square, the official address of the monument, while the finish is Senado Square, another central public space named in the event details.
For visitors from Western Europe, the practical distinction is important: the race concerns movement along a public route, while the façade, stairway, museum and crypt remain separate parts of the heritage site. The event listing does not describe a temporary closure of the monument for 27 September 2026.
Visiting Ruins of St. Paul's: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- The 2026 World Tourism Day Tray Race takes place on 27 September 2026 from 3pm to 6pm, beginning at the Ruins of St. Paul's and ending at Senado Square.
- Admission to the race is free, and the published venue is an outdoor route through Macau's historic centre rather than a ticketed hall.
- The monument's official address is Company of Jesus Square. The façade and stairway are the visible starting setting, while the Museum of Sacred Art and Crypt form a separate part of the complex.
- The route includes the landmark's staircase and continues through central streets towards Senado Square, so visitors should expect a walking event in an urban heritage area.
- 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 World Tourism Day Tray Race take place at the Ruins of St. Paul's?
The race takes place on 27 September 2026 from 3pm to 6pm, running from the ruins to Senado Square.
What is the history of the Ruins of St. Paul's?
The surviving façade and stairway belonged to a church built between 1602 and 1640, while the wider complex was destroyed by fire in 1835.
Where are the Ruins of St. Paul's and how do you get there?
The official address is Company of Jesus Square in Macau's historic centre. The 27 September 2026 event route continues from the monument to Senado Square.
