By Shirley Farmer 
More than 40 arts events, including two concerts on the banks of the Tagus River, and 16 exhibitions will commemorate this year’s edition of the Festas de Lisboa, which begins on Thursday.
During the presentation of the programme, which took place in the Lisbon City Hall, the weddings of Santo Antonio, on June 12, in the Lisbon Cathedral and in the Salão Nobre in Paços do Concelho, the popular parades, with the parade on the Avenida da Liberdade of about 2,000 demonstrators in That night as high points.
The first of the free concerts takes place on the banks of the river at the beginning of the festivities: “Songs of a Summer Night”, in Terreiro do Paço, this Thursday, June 1, at 10:00 pm, with Ana Bacalhau, Antonio Zambogo, Uriah, Conan Osiris and Marta Rehn accompanied by the Bob Portuguesa Orchestra .
On June 30, Miguel Araujo will be at the center of the closing show “Dancing on a Summer’s Day”, joining Barbara Tinoco, Os Cuatro y Mia and Tatanca in the Torre de Belém park at the same time.
From June 1st to July 2nd, the dancer celebrates famous saints in fairs that take place in 16 venues in Alcântara, Belém, Benfica, Carnide, Estrela, Misericórdia, Olivais, São Vicente and Santa Maria Mayor (to which other venues have been added. Informal fairs not enrolled in the program).
In the show, the mayor, Carlos Moedas, stressed the role of culture as “a pillar to create empathy between people,” noting the show’s episodic character.
The mayor highlighted the importance of new ideas that arise with culture and the work of artists, with the desire for Lisbon to be “the capital of this capacity for creativity.”
Culture advisor Diogo Mora said parties in the capital are “the soul of the city” and highlighted its multiculturalism. “We will live our traditions,” he said, “and we will live what is the identity of the city, what is its history.”
Also as part of the program, the Corrida de Santo António will start at 9:00 am on June 4, in Praça do Império, in Belém, where it also ends, after a 10-kilometer journey.
The Fado no Castelo events take place over two nights, starting at 9:30 pm, in the Praça de Armas of Castelo de São Jorge, which expects Sara Correia and Stereossauro (June 16) and Katia Guerreiro and Jaca (June 17) to take to the stage.
On June 29, classical music will fill the garden of Belém Tower, with the Sinfonietta de Lisboa joining the voices of the Summer Festival Choir, Cecilia Rodriguez (soprano), Carolina Figueiredo (alto), Carlos Guilherme (tenor) and Luis Rodriguez (bass).
The Teatro São Luiz presents the stage musical “100 Amália” on the 11th of the same month, while the Casa Fernando Pessoa, on the 13th, to celebrate the 135th anniversary of the poet’s birth, promotes readings of texts by the Theater Group of the College of Letters of Lisbon, organized by Marcantonio del Carmo.
Arraial dos Navegantes is another proposal, during June 2, 3 and 4, in Parque das Nações, with music of different registers, from folk to jazz, and activities for children.
Vila Berta Arraial, from the 2nd to the 12th, also celebrates famous saints with delicacies, folk music, and a festival for the youngest.
On the 24th, in Terreiro do Paço, Arraial Pride welcomes and celebrates freedom, equality, inclusion and integration, notes the organization.
In another aspect, more than a dozen motorcycle films can be seen at the Lisbon Motorcycle Film Festival, from June 1 to 4, at Cinema São Jorge.
The Teljeiras neighborhood will host a festival from June 2 to 11, with music and workshops.
The program of the Festas de Lisboa is extensive and also includes activities related to dance, painting, photography or cinema, among others, which can be consulted on the Internet, on the EGEAC website.