“Until recently, we believed it would be possible to maintain both projects, but that was not the case. It probably wouldn’t make sense. Casa Capitão is therefore the last project completed by Musicbox and continues its legacy. All of Musicbox’s programming moves to Casa Capitão, as does its entire team,” according to a statement by Gonçalo Riscado.
The statement recalls that Musicbox opened in 2006 in Cais do Sodré, a then abandoned and marginalized area in the heart of Lisbon, which 19 years later has retained only one thing: its name.
“Over recent years, under different municipal governments, Lisbon excessively invested in an illusory growth model based on tourism, real estate speculation, and the attraction of high-income temporary residents— a path that is destroying the city’s greatest asset: its cultural inhabitants,” said the cultural manager. He added that “defending the right to the city and cultural rights must be a collective struggle.”
According to Gonçalo Riscado, nearly two million people visited Musicbox over 16 years, averaging 200 concerts and 500 DJ sets annually.
Nonetheless, it is emphasized that “the figures from Musicbox mean little compared to the disappearance of so many associations and cultural spaces and the gentrification process that drives so many people away from Lisbon.”
“But many places continue to resist and need all of you, live. We must go,” stated the promoter, highlighting the need for pressure and demands on all candidates in the October municipal elections to effectively commit to accessible housing policies and cultural policies that value grassroots culture.
“Musicbox was not just the club of Cais do Sodré; it was the lifeblood of our activities as a cultural management company. Thanks to it, we could realize many projects over these 19 years — Club Docs, Festival Silêncio, Lisbon Capital Popular Republic!, Poetas do Povo, MIL (in all its aspects: Festival, Convention, Magazine, Academies, Milímetro), Liveurope — and many other projects and processes of creation, editing, and cultural promotion,” he highlighted.
Gonçalo Riscado concludes the statement with an appeal and a promise: “In 2006, we took a risk by opening Musicbox in Cais do Sodré. In 2025, we risk everything in Casa Capitão, in Beato. Being able to take such a risk is a privilege. We believe we are making good use of it and hope you join and critique us. We are committed to maintaining a relationship with Lisbon. We will be demanding.”
In late July, it was announced that Casa Capitão, a cultural space in Lisbon that operated temporarily during some months in 2020 and 2021, would reopen in September as a “long-term project” with a special three-day program of free access.
Casa Capitão, following a complete renovation of the building once home to the director of the old Military Maintenance, spans four floors with various areas dedicated to cultural programming, dining, and leisure, accommodating between 30 and 500 people, including a terrace.
For the first three days of operation — September 19, 20, and 21 — a free daytime and nighttime cultural program is scheduled, featuring concerts by Afonso Cabral, Capicua, Conferência Inferno, Luca Argel, Hause Plants, and Vaiapraia.
The program for these days also includes performances, art installations, screenings of short and feature films, storytelling sessions, and “creative and craft” workshops.
