An amazing Sands sand castle. Photo: Courtesy of Sands Macao

 

Sands Macao celebrates 10 years. Photo: Courtesy of Sands Macao

Having opened its doors for the first time on May 18, 2004, Sands Macao celebrated its momentous 10th anniversary last Friday with a series of spectacular events.

Sheldon Adelson, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Las Vegas Sands Corp, and his wife Miriam Adelson officiated a ceremony at the Sands Theater to light up a Sands Macao 10th Anniversary Sand Sculpture, located outside at the resort's fountain area, with beautiful illumination, climaxing in a fantastic display of pyrotechnics above Sands Macao.

The ceremony's enormous sand sculpture was created by Team Sandtastic - a world-champion and Guinness World Record-winning group of talented artists who have worked together to create the first sand sculpture of its kind in Macao and the only sand replica of a Sands building anywhere in the world.

Meanwhile, a gala dinner attended by government officials, business associates, community partners and academic professionals followed, featuring a headline performance by singer Sandy Lam, and emceed by Macao's very own home-grown celebrity, Maria Cordero - a fitting choice for many reasons, including the fact that she was the very emcee who presided over the opening ceremony of Sands Macao in 2004. She was joined on stage during the gala dinner by Hong Kong television host Philip Chan and a delightful young local boy of only 10 years old as co-emcee - an appropriate touch to Sands Macao's celebration of its first decade in Macao.

The evening also included a performance of "10 Golden Tutus" by 10 of Macao's talented 10-year-old ballerinas from Regina Dance Group, an award-winning local dance troupe that has performed at high-profile events like the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

"Beyond celebrating 10 years since we opened our first property in Macao, we also celebrate the incredible pace of growth we've all seen over these past 10 years," said Sands China CEO Edward Tracy. "Sands China has grown tremendously, but even more significant is the growth of Macao into a world center of tourism and leisure. Our company will continue to leverage its integrated resort business model to help bring the best of the best to Macao, including the world's biggest names in sports, film, music and more."