The newly released Culturgest program for the period from September 2025 to January 2026 features a tribute to José Afonso, a fusion of dance and film in partnership with BoCA – Biennial of Contemporary Arts, the Operafest festival, and the return of the already sold-out play “Catarina e a beleza de matar fascistas”.
Opening the season is the show “Nôt” by Cape Verdean choreographer Marlene Monteiro Freitas, which debuted at the Avignon Festival on Saturday. The conclusion will be marked by “Canine Jaunâtre 3” with the Ballet of the Lyon Opera.
The Alkantara Festival will bring to Lisbon creations by Dorothée Munyaneza — “umuko”, an ode to Rwandan youth memory and creativity — and Francisco Thiago Cavalcanti & um cavalo disse mamãe — “Cantar”, a performance using singing as an act of resistance.
Also featured are “Ocean Cage”, a collaborative show blending dance and film by Tianzhuo Chen and Siko Setyanto in partnership with BoCA, and “Sonhos Comuns” by Ana Rita Teodoro, exploring dreams.
Other highlights include the Portuguese theater piece “Burn Burn Burn” by Catarina Rôlo Salgueiro and Isabel Costa / Os Possessos, focusing on historical erasure, and a musical and poetic tribute to José Afonso by Gonçalo Amorim.
“Catarina e a beleza de matar fascistas” by Tiago Rodrigues returns, with tickets selling out minutes after release.
The music lineup at Culturgest introduces Operafest, with the national premiere of the opera “Julie” by Philippe Boesmans, followed by “Naquele Dia em Lisboa”, a cine-concert by Matthew Herbert and Daniel Blaufuks.
Brazilian jazz is represented by Hermeto Pascoal and his new album “Pra você, Iza”, dedicated to his wife’s memory.
The program also includes electronic music concerts with Kara-Lis Coverdale and Fennesz & Lillevan, and Portuguese projects like Três Tristes Tigres with “Arca” and Rafael Toral’s “Traveling Light”, merging jazz and electronic music.
The conference series encourages dialogues on ecosystems, social justice, technology, and human narratives with figures like Marlene Monteiro Freitas, Ashley Shew, and Djaimilia Pereira de Almeida, also addressing techno-capacitism and environmental ethics, featuring the documentary Ecossistema Zero.
A notable highlight in this conference area is the series “Water — Coexisting Ecosystems”, promoting dialogues on regenerative futures and ecological ethics, running from October to May, featuring artists, filmmakers, and activists.
In the visual arts domain, Culturgest hosts exhibitions by artists such as Germany’s Alexandra Bircken, Carlos Nogueira, Sara Graça, and Brazil’s biarritzzz, showcasing works spanning sculpture, drawing, and video.
The “Joga o Jogo” series, from the CGD Collection, continues its national tour, while other exhibitions occupy spaces like the National Pantheon – Luisa Correia Pereira with “Possibilidades de Expressão” and the Raiano Cultural Center with “Casa das Novidades”.
The film program includes the Lisbon Arab Film Festival (LAFF), Doclisboa, and for the first time, the LEFFEST festival, featuring a selection of award-winning international films, debates, and parallel events that connect cinema with other arts and cultures.
Finally, the participation area strengthens Culturgest’s social commitment with collaborative and educational projects such as “Isto Não é Um Cubo”, “Três Tempos com Xullaji”, and the educational dance project P.E.D.R.A., involving young people and communities in artistic creation processes.
