Lisbon. Marches and festivals celebrate Saint Anthony

The traditional popular marches parade this Thursday along Avenida da Liberdade, at the high point of the Lisbon Festivities, also marked by 16 Santo António weddings and festivals in the city's neighborhoods throughout the night.

On the eve of Lisbon's municipal holiday, Saint Anthony's Day, which falls on Friday , the festivities will begin this Thursday with the civil wedding ceremony of five couples , scheduled for 11 am, at the Town Hall, followed by a religious ceremony (with 11 couples) at 2 pm at the Lisbon Cathedral, announced the Lisbon City Council's (CML) Cultural Entertainment and Equipment Management Company (EGEAC). The popular marches, which have already performed for around 20 thousand people at the MEO Arena, will parade down Avenida da Liberdade, “in the most eagerly awaited spectacle in Lisbon” , starting at 9 pm. “This year, the Avenue will have decorative lighting in the form of a garland, so that these marches will be the most magical ever”, added EGEAC.

According to the municipal company, the parade opens with the Macau Street Dance group, which will perform A Dança da Lanterna do Peixe Dourado , followed by the marches of the Escolas de Lisboa, A Voz do Operário, dos Mercados and Santa Casa. Next comes the 20 marches in competition , which, through costumes, music and choreography, portray the various Lisbon neighborhoods and which will be evaluated and scored by a jury. The Alma de Lisboa is the central theme of the Grande Marcha de Lisboa , with lyrics and music by Gimba, which will be performed by all participating groups (in addition to their own songs). Marvila opens the parade of marches in competition, followed by the neighborhoods of Boavista, Graça, Castelo, Alfama, Carnide, Benfica, São Domingos de Benfica, Bela Flor-Campolide, Madragoa, Alto do Pina, Beato, São Vicente, Penha de França, Olivais, Bica, Mouraria, Lumiar, Bairro Alto and Alcântara.

In addition to this Thursday's program, Lisbon City Council also highlighted, on Sunday, a free concert with the fado singer Carminho , at Praça das Armas, in São Jorge Castle, accompanied by André Dias (Portuguese guitar), Flávio Cardoso (fado guitar), Pedro Geraldes (lap steel guitar and electric guitar), Tiago Maia (acoustic bass) and João Pimenta Gomes (mellotron).

Between the 14th and 22nd, EuroPride and the celebration of LGBTI+ pride will take place in the city for the first time, with talks, concerts, workshops, exhibitions, performances and sporting activities in various locations.

The Lisbon Book Fair continues to take place at Parque Eduardo VII until June 21, with talks, workshops for the whole family, launches of exhibition catalogues and celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the Zé Povinho caricature by Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro.

A 24-hour strike is also planned for this Thursday at Carris , the municipal public transport company in Lisbon, which could make it difficult to travel on one of the busiest days in the city. In addition, the Lisbon Metro will suspend services and close all stations from 8:00 pm due to a workers' meeting, which the company considers an "unprecedented and unusual" initiative by the unions.