During the month of June in Lisbon, you can enjoy a lot of entertainment and entertainment: Theatre, music, exhibitions and popular walks will enliven the 30 days of June 2019 during the Lisbon Festivals. You will also be able to take part in the famous popular march that will take place on June 12 along the Avenida da Liberdade and during the last day of the closing ceremony, dedicated to António Variações, Portuguese singer and composer.
Lisbon 2019 Holiday Programme
Find below the complete programme of the Lisbon 2019 festivities so that you can make an informed choice of the exhibitions, concerts, parades or films you absolutely don’t want to miss for these Lisbon 2019 festivities.
Lisbon celebrates all June
Start June with your head in the clouds and start by sitting down and listening to jazz. For a month, Lisbon will have festivals, exhibitions, from Fado to São Jorge Castle, cinema, theatre and music, lots of music. These are the Lisbon Festivals that start on June 1st and will liven up the streets and neighborhoods of the capital for 30 days.
Parade of floats, Saint Anthony and funambulism
One of the highlights is, as usual, the parade on the Avenida da Liberdade on the night of 12 June. An exhibition of the performances of the communities taking part in this competition will be held, with the representative of Ribeira de Frades (Coimbra) as guest. Competitors will present themselves at the Altice Arena from 7 to 9 June for the title of best float 2019.
The other highlight will be the wedding of St. Anthony on June 13. The Santo António couples will also parade on the Avenida da Liberdade.
This year, the Lisbon Festivals will be presented aboard a boat on the Tagus, as EGEAC did to mark the 500th anniversary of the circumnavigation of Fernão de Magalhães.
The first day of the Lisbon Festivals will be marked by the representation of Tatiana-Mosio Bongonga, an artist from the circus company Basinga, who will cross the Fonte Luminosa – on Alameda D. Afonso Henriques – 30 metres above the ground, in a demonstration of funambulism in which the artist will walk on a tight wire, keeping her balance with a stick. Basinga will cross the Fonte Luminosa 30 metres above the ground.
Jazz and Fado music
Popular fiestas are part of Lisbon’s history and are already in preparation in most parts of the city. Two neighbourhood organisations are particularly highlighted for the organisation :
- The parish of Olivais Sul which aims to raise funds for the work of the Social and Parochial Centre (Animations on 28 and 29 July)
- The Benfica Grand Palace, where Rute Marlene (20 June), Toy (20 June), Bárbara Bandeira (21 June), Cuca Roseta (22 June) and HMB (23 June) will perform (Animations between 20 and 23 June).
Another initiative worth highlighting is Fado no Castelo. There will be two concerts in which Ana Moura (14 June) and Raquel Tavares (15 June) will perform with guests, Sopa da Pedra and Gospel Collective respectively.
- From 8 to 10 June, the Lisboa Mistura gathering will take place at the Jardim Quinta das Conchas. This free festival aims to celebrate the diversity of cultures that exist in Lisbon.
- During the month of June, there will also be a choral festival (between 21 and 24 June) at the Centro Cultural de Belém, Claustros do Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, Museu da Marinha – Pavilhão das Galeotas and Jardim Vasco da Gama.
- Lovers of philharmonic music should book on the 22nd to see several groups perform at Alameda D. Afonso Henriques, Jardim da Estrela and Largo Arco do Cego.
- In some areas of the city, it will be possible to attend performances by philharmonic groups.
Lisbon 2019 Holiday Exhibitions
Among the many exhibitions organised during the 2019 Lisbon festive month are the 100% Sardine exhibition, which will include the six winning illustrations from the Lisbon Sardine Competition, and The Procession of Saint Anthony of Lisbon, organised by the City Museum. In this exhibition, which runs until 30 June, you will be able to discover the history of the procession, which has been taking place since the 18th century and will be held on 13 June in Lisbon.
This will include for the first time the representation of the procession through more than 300 pieces by the Baraça brothers, a family associated with the figure of Barcelos. On 13 June 2019, the Arpad-Szenes Vieira da Silva Museum will be open from 5 to 10 pm. The high point of the exhibitions will be at 2.30 p.m. with a video show on the façade of the museum and in the Jardim das Amoreiras where it is located.
The programme of Lisbon 2019 celebrations will also include proposals such as António Cachola’s Vanishing Point, Manuel Zimbro’s Secret History of Aviation and Other Meteorites and João Louro’s Neither the Sun nor the Death. There will also be space for books with the European Literature Night on 8 June and the start of the Book Fair that will take place in Eduardo VII Park from 29 to 16 June.
Cinema and closing concerts
EGEAC (Culture of Lisbon) has organized several film festivals, including the Cinema São Jorge with exhibitions in municipal galleries, plays and activities in museums such as Museu da Marioneta, Museu do Fado, Museu Bordalo Pinheiro or Casa Fernando Pessoa.
The closing concert will be dedicated to Antonio Variações. On 29 June, from 10 pm, Ana Bacalhão, Conan Osiris, Lena D’Água, Manuela Azevedo, Paulo Bragança and Selma Uamusse will perform songs by the artist, accompanied by the Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra, at the Belem Tower Garden . The symphonic arrangements are by Filipe Melo, Filipe Raposo and Pedro Moreira. Admission is also free.
The party in Lisbon continues in July and August
The festival in Lisbon will continue for a few days in July and August with, for example, from 4 to 7 July, a Medieval Fair in the Benfica Forest and on 5, 12 and 19 July, the Jardim dos Coruchéus (Alvalade) will host the Twilight Concerts: on Sunday there will be jazz concerts at Out Jazz and on Quinta das Conchas and from Thursday to Saturday there will be film screenings.
