Baroque music, gospel, fado and orchestrated cinema, here’s this year’s programme. Admission is free.
Seven performances make up the Festas de Natal, taking place in four churches (São Vicente, Campo de Ourique, Parque das Nações and Carnide) and three of the city’s most emblematic venues: Cinema São Jorge, Capitólio, and the National Pantheon.
From 5 to 14 December, the Music in the Churches series of concerts (under the artistic direction of Filipe Faria) will present a variety of shows. The group Concerto Campestre will perform at Igreja de São Vicente de Fora; Sete Lágrimas will play at Igreja de Santa Isabel; Altos do Bairro & Coro Alto will take the stage at Igreja de Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes; and finally the Chamber Choir of the Gregorian Institute of Lisbon will perform at Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Conceição da Luz. Different venues for different styles and performers, ranging from Early Music to World Music.
The Festas de Natal will venture into new sounds, offering three unmissable events in some of the city’s most historic spaces, with interpretation in Portuguese Sign Language.
On 8 December, Cinema São Jorge will host a live performance by Orquestra POP Portuguesa, breathing new life into The Snowman, Dianne Jackson’s animated adaptation of Raymond Briggs’s children’s book.
On 13 December at Capitólio, Katia Guerreiro, Cristina Branco and Hélder Moutinho share the stage for the very first time with Portuguese-guitar virtuoso Pedro de Castro, artistic director of the show Lisboa Fado, Terra Natal.
At the National Pantheon on 19 December, the powerful and moving vocals of Saint Dominic’s Gospel Choir take centre stage, with Christmas classics and traditional gospel spirituals on a night when everyone can sing along.
Music is universal, connecting people through the emotions that melodies inspire and breaking down cultural and linguistic barriers.
This is the spirit of Lisbon’s Festas de Natal: uniting families, friends, communities and cultures around accessible Christmas concerts in intimate surroundings
Enjoy the Festas de Natal in Lisbon!
More information at festasdenatal.en
