Porto’s Christmas tree will light up on November 29th and the season’s program will be distributed across various parts of the city, with concerts by Capitão Fausto, Mariza, Rita Rocha at Aliados, it was announced this Wednesday.
According to Porto City Council, the “most anticipated moment” of the program, when the lights on the Christmas tree and decorations spread across 94 streets of the city are turned on, is scheduled for 6pm on November 29th.
This Saturday, the inauguration of the lights will be accompanied by a ‘videomapping’ show, entitled “Mission Nutcrackers, Christmas Comes to the City”, “projected on the façade of Porto City Hall and with elements marking the entire length of Avenida dos Aliados”. Later that day, fado singer Mariza, accompanied by Orquestra Jovens do Porto, will give a concert at 6:30 pm on the stage that will be set up in Aliados.
In Aliados, there will also be a stage for concerts by Captain Faust (accompanied by the Costa Cabral Music Academy Orchestra), on December 7th at 6pm, by the band Neighborson December 14th at 6pm, from Rita Rocha (with the participation of the artist Guga), on December 21st at 6pm. On December 20th, at 6pm, the final show of the municipal project Desporto no Bairro will also take place, with the participation of several national and international athletes and young people from the city’s neighborhoods.
From November 29th until January 6th, the Christmas lights will be on daily, from Sunday to Thursday, between 5:30 pm and 11 pm, and on Fridays and Saturdays, from 5:30 pm to midnight. As in recent years, the municipality entered into a partnership with the Porto Merchants Association to carry out Christmas lighting, with the executive investing 700 thousand euros, a value equal to 2024.
In the Cordoaria garden, until December 30th, there will be a Christmas Market with “the traditional Santa Claus House, open to children and adults, as well as a space for workshops for the little ones — the so-called Crystal Tent”, informed the municipality. This market will be open from Monday to Thursday, from 11am to 8pm, Fridays and the eve of public holidays, from 11am to 9pm, Saturdays, from 10am to 9pm and Sundays and public holidays, from 10am to 8pm.
At Largo Amor de Perdição, “the usual Ice Rink will be installed, as well as the Parisian Carrousel” and also the Christmas Tent, “a programming space open to everyone and which will feature the presentation of new circus shows, dance, music, theater from schools in the city and surprises for all generations”.