Between 7 and 29 September, Festas na Rua will be setting up outdoor stages and inviting the public to gardens, bandstands, squares and washhouses, with a free cultural programme to enjoy with family and friends.
There will be nine big concerts, three festivals (dedicated to short films, video art, and, for the first time, the piano) and a parade celebrating ancient Iberian masks, filling the city’s green spaces with musicians, orchestras, philharmonic bands, and both Portuguese and international artists.
The festival kicks off on 7 September in the Vale do Silêncio and what better way to start than with arias at this Olivais park? There’ll be Bizet’s Carmen, Verdi’s Aida and Nabucco, and Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, performed by the Gulbenkian Choir and Orchestra. The concert, conducted by Cesário Costa, will be mostly dedicated to the choral and symphonic repertoire of opera and musicals.
Portuguese music also takes centre stage in this edition of Festas na Rua, with three special performances in one of Lisbon’s most iconic squares, Praça do Município. At 21.00 on 13 September, António Chainho will bid farewell to the stage with Lisboa Saudade, a unique show marking the end of a long and celebrated career. The guitarist and composer will take the stage for the last time, accompanied by Carminho, António Zambujo, Marta Pereira da Costa, and the Naked Lunch String Quartet.
On September 14, it will be Rui Massena’s turn. The maestro will perform solo, with an ensemble, and alongside numerous guests in a show starting at 19.00, which has been specially put together for this occasion.
Later in the month, on 28 September, we’ll be returning to the same square for a conversation and a multicultural musical performance featuring artists including Maro, Mayra Andrade, and Criolo. This will be a joint celebration of Portuguese music organised by Associação Mundu Nôbu, which was set up by Dino D’Santiago and Liliana Valpaços.
Jazz no Jardim is our suggestion for two Thursday evenings, starting at 19.00. On 12 September, at Jardim da Quinta da Alfarrobeira (in São Domingos de Benfica), fado singer Cristina Branco and pianist Mário Laginha will join the Hot Clube de Portugal Jazz Orchestra, recreating their 2019 concert with the Frankfurt Big Band.
On 19 September, at Jardim da Quinta da Paz in Lumiar, pianist João Paulo Esteves da Silva and the Matosinhos Jazz Orchestra will perform the reissue of their album Bela Senão Sem, considered one of the best jazz albums of the time when it was first released in 2013.
Philharmonic Bands will be the stars of Sunday afternoons. Three concerts will be held: Sociedade Filarmónica União e Capricho Olivalense will perform at Jardim da Quinta das Conchas on 15 September; Banda Musical e Artística da Charneca will play at the bandstand in Jardim do Campo das Amoreiras on 22 September, and Banda da ACULMA will provide the entertainment at the bandstand in Bairro do Condado on 29 September. These performances will feature a repertoire that spans traditional, popular, and classical music.
In addition to music, Festas na Rua will bring the vibrant colours of Iberian Masks back to the city with a parade featuring over 450 participants from northern and central Portugal and various provinces of Spain. This procession of ancient traditions from the Iberian Peninsula will make its way through central Lisbon and will also showcase the famous Venetian masks.
Cinema no Estendal will once again set up screens in the city’s washhouses, this time in Pátio da Moca (Arroios) and Lumiar, to present a selection of short films exploring the Queer world and the 50th anniversary of the 25 April.
The festas will end with the Lisbon debut of Piano City on the last weekend of September. This festival, dedicated to the piano, will feature over 30 concerts by both renowned and emerging pianists from Portugal and abroad over three days. Performances will take place at the Palácio das Galveias and the gardens of the Museu de Lisboa – Palácio Pimenta and Palácio Coruchéus.
