The Bairro dos Museus is turning ten – and it’s throwing a festival to celebrate. From September 26 to 28, Cascais will be taken over by more than 40 free events spread across 12 heritage venues, with extended opening hours and a programme that blends music, visual arts, cinema, literature, workshops, a cultural fair and even live radio.
Under the motto “One Neighbourhood. 10 Years of Culture”, the inaugural edition marks a decade of transforming museums, monuments, historic houses and gardens into living stages where art meets heritage. At the Centro Cultural de Cascais, expect a jazz-and-poetry cycle with Miguel Martins, Ana Zanatti and Carlos Barretto, plus a showcase of the municipality’s contemporary art collection, featuring big names like Vhils, Ricardo Passaporte and Bordalo II. Music takes centre stage, with over 20 concerts spanning multiple genres, alongside DJ sets and live broadcasts from radio station Lusophonica.
The celebrations don’t stop at the gallery doors: museums will stay open until 9pm, while on Friday and Saturday nights the party carries on until midnight at the Farol Museu de Santa Marta. At Parque Marechal Carmona, the programme expands with concerts, kids’ workshops and a cultural fair brimming with books, records and design pieces from indie publishers and emerging creators. Casa Sommer turns into a stage for literature-in-performance, directed by Ricardo Neves-Neves with dramaturgy by Teresa Coutinho and acted by students of the Escola Profissional de Teatro de Cascais. Meanwhile, Casa de Santa Maria unveils a project curated by Pedro Barateiro, with works by artists including Ana Jotta.
The journey kicks off on Friday and wraps up on Sunday, 28 September, with drummer-composer Gabriel Ferrandini closing the festival at 9pm at the Centro Cultural de Cascais. Until then, audiences are free to map their own route – because here, the whole neighbourhood is the stage.
Founded in 2015, Bairro dos Museus has grown into a cultural district spanning museums, historic houses, parks, gardens and monuments, with a year-round programme of exhibitions, film, music, theatre, literature and educational activities.
Cascais. 26–28 Sept (Fri–Sun). Free entry