MACAO, March 18 (Xinhua) -- The 30th Macao Arts Festival, organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau of China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) government, is to kick off in early May, the organizers said on Monday.

This year's festival is themed "a tribute to classics," presenting a variety of performances and outreach activities.

The opening performance "Vertikal" is jointly produced by renowned French dancers and world-leading hip-hop troupe. Meanwhile, the dance show "Rain" by Belgian dancers will also be staged in Macao.

The play "Mr. Ma and Son" adapted from Chinese author Lao She's classic novel, will be presented with the combination of Beijing-style wit and English humour, reflecting the exchange and collision between Chinese and western cultures.

The play "Karl Valentin Kabarett" written by Karl Valentin, a leading comedian will be brought to Macao as a theatrical performance featuring music, dance and drama.

The festival presents the closing performance with the classic Cantonese opera The Soul of Macao, bringing the history of Macao to the audiences.