The Coimbra City Festivities, which take place between July 4 and 14, will feature shows by names such as Os Quatro e Meia, the group D.A.M.A and Dino D’Santiago, it was announced today.
In this year’s edition, in addition to the Jardim da Sereia, there are concerts scheduled for the Parque Verde, Sé Nova and the Feira Popular de Coimbra stage, all of which are free to attend.
The program includes Tiago Bettencourt, who will perform with the Orquestra Clássica do Centro (on July 4), Kátia Guerreiro (5) and Dino D’Santiago (6), all at Jardim da Sereia, D.A.M.A (12) and Os Quatro e Meia (13), at Parque Verde, Tiago Silva (7), Não Há 2 Sem 3 (8), Remember (9) and Ús Sai de Gatas (10), on the Feira Popular stage.
The Serenata dos Antigos Estudantes da Universidade de Coimbra (Serenade of the Former Students of the University of Coimbra) will hold its 10th edition on July 6 at the Sé Nova, bringing together four fado groups to pay tribute to the 50th anniversary of April 25 and to Coimbra fado, said fado singer João Farinha, who was speaking on behalf of Fado ao Centro.
The City Festivities promote a pyromusical show at midnight from July 3 to 4, and a pyrotechnic show on July 11, in addition to bringing together multiple cultural and sporting events, festive lighting, official ceremonies for Coimbra City Day, which is celebrated on July 4, and a street music festival, among others, in a program that includes 177 initiatives.
According to the deputy mayor of Coimbra, Francisco Veiga, the amount invested by the municipality in this event is 270,000 euros, for the artists’ fees and the production, as well as 28,000 euros for the fireworks and 30,000 for the lighting.
The feast of Queen Santa Isabel, which makes up the religious aspect of the event, takes place between July 1st and 14th. In the Church of Queen Santa Isabel, the preparatory triduum is preached (on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd) and the Mass of the Royal Order of Saint Isabel, with the presence of the Dukes of Bragança (on the 4th), while in the Church of Santa Cruz, Masses are celebrated (on the 12th, 13th and 14th), among other activities.
“The 2024 festivities are the normal ones for an even year, with liturgical celebrations and processions,” with the addition of the celebrations for the 400th anniversary of the canonization of Queen Saint Isabel, as well as the celebration of the 700th anniversary of Queen Saint Isabel’s pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, dates that will be marked throughout the year, and until 2025, with various activities, revealed today the president of the administrative board of the Confraternity of Queen Saint Isabel, Joaquim Costa e Nora.
The Procession of Penance will take place on the 11th (when there will also be a fireworks display), while the procession is scheduled for the 14th.
The vice-president of the Union of Parishes of Coimbra, Carlos Pinto, who was also present at today’s presentation, revealed that between July 3 and 7, Terreiro da Erva will host the Madeira Festival, a gastronomic activity as part of the City Festivities, where it will be possible to find typical Madeiran dishes such as espetada, bolo do caco, grilled limpets and poncha.
For his part, the mayor of Coimbra, José Manuel Silva, considered it “very important to bring together the religious festivals and the profane festivals” that celebrate Coimbra and its patron saint.
It is a “diversified, eclectic and rich program, of enormous quality”, which provides “days of great satisfaction” and the opportunity to attend multiple shows, said the mayor.
In this edition, “Coimbra City Council is once again giving prominence to local music production”, as evidenced by the number of artists who will be performing at the City Festivities – around eight dozen”, the council said in a statement sent to the Lusa news agency.
