Lisbon once again fills with outdoor music and cinema thanks to the Festas na Rua, which take place from September 4 to October 4 in the city’s parks, plazas, squares, gardens, and markets— all with free admission.
Opening at Vale do Silêncio
As is tradition, the festival kicks off at Vale do Silêncio in Olivais with a weekend dedicated to musical diversity. On Friday, the 4th, the show “Divas Pop” revisits iconic pop hits, featuring the Portuguese Pop Orchestra conducted by Maestro Jan Wierzba, with special appearances by Cuca Roseta, Iolanda, Mimicat, and Susana Félix. The following day, Saturday the 5th, it’s the turn of the Gulbenkian Choir and Orchestra, already a ritual at the start of September: some 150 musicians, under the direction of conductor Alena Hron, will perform works by Bizet, Puccini, Verdi, George Gershwin, and Florence Price.
Continente returns to Praça do Comércio
Ten years later, the Festa na Praça returns to Praça do Comércio on the 12th, featuring crafts, cuisine, and concerts throughout the day—from NAPA to fado singer Mariza, including a DJ set by Kiko is Hot. The same event also extends to the 26th, with “Cinema na Praça”: an evening outdoor screening of “The Devil Wears Prada 2” on Alameda D. Afonso Henriques.
Movies Around the City
On the 12th and 13th, the steps of the Mercado do Forno do Tijolo will host a new edition of “Cinema no Estendal,” a short film festival dedicated this year to queer cinema, featuring screenings of the winning shorts from the 2025 Lisbon Queer Festival.
Monsanto and Benfica will also take the stage
Music returns to the Keil do Amaral Garden in Monsanto under the theme “Dancing in Monsanto,” featuring DJ Pantaleão (on the 18th) and DJ Jay Lion (on the 19th), for two late afternoons of electronic music and 1980s hits. Meanwhile, in the garden of the Alfarrobeira Palace in Benfica, pianist and composer Rui Massena will present his new album, “Parents’ House,” on September 26, starting at 7 p.m.—a concert that also marks a decade-long career, with a special appearance by rapper Carlão.
Interculturality and the program’s finale
On September 20, the Parade for Peace and the Washing of Saint Anthony connects the Afro-Brazilian tradition of washing the steps of Senhor do Bonfim in Bahia with local culture in an interfaith event. The program wraps up on the first weekend of October with two days dedicated to Portuguese music in the gardens of the Lisbon Museum – Palácio Pimenta: the Mundu Nôbu Experience on the 3rd and Lisboa Mistura on the 4th.
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