festas de lisboa
The month in which Lisbon goes out for the Festas
Marchas, street parties and lots of music at Festas de Lisboa
June is, invariably, the month of the Patron Saints and, of course, the Festas de Lisboa. From the Castle to the Avenue, from Praça do Comércio to Alfama, an entire month of celebration is completed, with entertainment and culture filling the streets, squares and venues. From traditional marchas to D.A.M.A. and Bárbara Bandeira concerts, closing the Festas, there is a lot to experience and discover.
The month of street parties and marchas and celebrations around the most beloved saint of Lisboners, Saint Anthony, has arrived. As expected, Lisbon is celebrating and, in a mix of tradition and contemporaneity, Lisbon City Council and Lisboa Cultura/EGEAC have prepared a programme that focuses on diversity to reach all audiences.
This year, the big moments are reserved for São Jorge Castle and Praça do Comércio. In the monument’s Praça de Armas there is Music in the Castle, a series of free concerts featuring the young pianist Gil Brito (june 7, at 6 pm), Rui Massena with his new project (on the same day at 7 pm) and Carminho, accompanied by André Dias, on Portuguese guitar, Flávio Cardoso, on fado guitar, Pedro Geraldes, on lap steel guitar and electric guitar, Tiago Maia, on acoustic bass, and João Pimenta Gomes, on mellotron (June 15, at 8:30 pm).
Meanwhile, just like last year, the closing of Festas de Lisboa is done in double dose in Praça do Comércio. First, on June 28, D.A.M.A. join a series of guests, such as Ágata, Bandidos do Cante, Beatriz Felício & Buba Espinho and Los Romeros, for a fusion between pop and traditional Portuguese music; the following night, the stage belongs to Bárbara Bandeira who, with the GNR Symphonic Band, revisits her main hits with orchestral arrangements and other surprises. Both shows are scheduled for 9 pm.
Festivals and diversity
For nine days, Lisbon hosts the major European event that celebrates equality and Human Rights. Under the theme “Proudly Yourselves”, Europride 2025 has a diverse and inclusive programme that will include a conference on human rights, exhibitions, workshops, lectures, sports activities, shows and performances and the March for LGBTI+ rights that is scheduled for the 21st between Saldanha and Praça do Comércio.
As part of the Portuguese capital’s presence at the Osaka Expo, the Japanese city comes to Lisbon with a special programme that includes exhibitions, workshops and cinema. The highlight is the exhibition Osaka – 55 anos depois, desenhar o futuro, which takes to MUDE – Design Museum (until the end of the month) the project designed by Frederico George and some pieces designed for the interior of the Portuguese pavilion at the Universal Exhibition in Osaka in 1970; and a cycle of Japanese feature and short films, at Cinema São Jorge (between June 5th and 7th), which will include the unmissable Tokyo Monogatari, by Yasujiro Ozu, or the spectacular Seven Samurai, by Akira Kurosawa.
Before that, on May 31 and June 1st, also at Cinema São Jorge, and in theaters and the street of the neighboring Parque Mayer, there is Around Classic, a festival that, says the organization, “promises to reinvent the way classical music is experienced and felt”. Still within the scope of festivals, don’t miss the Jazz Recitals by the final year students of Hot Clube de Portugal school, at Teatro da Comuna, from June 12 to 15.
Santo Antonio, Book Fair and Science
This year, the Festas will be present at the Lisbon Book Fair (from June 4 to 22, at Parque Eduardo VII) through a special programme in the municipal space, Lisboa Cultura auditorium, where talks, workshops and book presentations will take place. The city’s history and personalities such as Pessoa, Bordalo and Santo António set the tone for this programme designed in collaboration with the Lisbon Library Network.
Speaking of Santo António, we cannot let another edition of the Trezena de Santo António pass by unnoticed, which, for 13 days in the first fortnight of June, combines faith with popular culture at Museu de Lisboa – Santo António, with fados and guitarradas, routes, workshops, an exhibition of Tronos de Santo António and a theatre show by playwright and director André Murraças.
As learning is also a celebration, the Agenda could not fail to highlight another edition of the Noite das Ideias, at São Luiz Municipal Theater. On June 25, starting at 6 pm, into the night, writers, poets, dancers, scientists, journalists, musicians, illustrators and philosophers come together around the theme Power to Act – In search of a new horizon of universality to think and debate the world. There is also space for performances, shows, literary meetings and workshops.
The full schedule for Festas de Lisboa can be found here.
