The programme for the first three months includes names such as Kim Gordon, Kathryn Joseph, Tiago Rodrigues, Kara-Lis Coverdale, among many other performances, participatory activities and exhibitions.
Braga 25 Portuguese Capital of Culture officially opens on 25 January, but begins to reveal itself a week earlier. On 18 January, “Object Of Projection” opens — the first exhibition in Portugal by Kim Gordon, co-founder of the New York band Sonic Youth. This is a retrospective of the artist’s work over the past decade, with particular emphasis on her growing series of performative video installations. It will be on display until 5 April at gnration.
“Object Of Projection” is part of Cinex, the expanded cinema programming strand of Braga 25, within which another highlight of the first quarter takes place. On 15 March (Theatro Circo), Kathryn Joseph will present live the result of a commission from the Portuguese Capital of Culture: the composition and performance of a soundtrack for the timeless classic of German cinema Faust, by F. W. Murnau.
Also in January, from the 29th onwards, the Square festival departs from Braga to involve other municipalities of the Urban Quadrilateral (Barcelos, Guimarães and Vila Nova de Famalicão) in a programme that brings together regional music scenes with emerging artists from Portugal and Atlantic coastal countries, aiming to consolidate the creative and export potential of the independent music sector.
At the end of March (29), another exhibition project of Braga 25 opens. Contra-Quiosque spreads across various points in the city, revisiting and rehabilitating five disused kiosks, which will be transformed into exhibition spaces. These will showcase the results of artistic residencies by Emilia Rigová, Hilda de Paulo, Maria Trabulo, Marta Machado and Miguel Teodoro, developed in Braga in collaboration with private collections and institutional archives from communities less represented in the city’s history.
Travelling on Transportes Urbanos de Braga buses may prove surprising throughout 2025. The Trajetos Comunicantes programme has created sound art installations specifically for these vehicles, which will circulate throughout the municipality of Braga from the end of March. The first proposals of the year include works by the radio art collective Mobile Radio, the Brazilian experimental music duo Guache and students from the University of Minho.
As part of the Supracasa creation support programme, the first quarter of Braga 25 presents “O Duelo e Outras Histórias”, a production by Joana Providência and Teatro do Bolhão for young audiences (14 and 15 March), and “Hide to Seek” (22 March), a new work by choreographer Júlio Cerdeira. Both performances take place at Theatro Circo.
Also in March (15–28), the Mosteiro de Tibães hosts a special edition of the illustration festival Braga em Risco, which this year, in the context of the Portuguese Capital of Culture, combines drawing with stories, tales and legends.
Braga receives the title of Portuguese Capital of Culture on 25 January, in a ceremony held at Theatro Circo (11:00). Following the formal moment, “Quimera” will premiere — a performance bringing together the visions of choreographers Filipa Francisco and Deeogo Oliveira, playwright Regina Guimarães and director John Romão. The piece proposes a hypnotic experience combining Braga’s folk groups with breakdance.
On the same day, two other Braga 25 commissions will be presented. At 17:00, the Grupo de Cantares de Mulheres do Minho joins the Conservatório de Música Calouste Gulbenkian de Braga; at 18:30, Canadian composer Kara-Lis Coverdale presents the result of an artistic residency on the pipe organ of the Basílica dos Congregados, where she will combine her reverence for the instrument with sonic explorations rooted in electronic music.
The Braga 25 Opening Programme extends throughout 25 January, anticipating the diversity of artistic proposals to be presented over the year. The inaugural day culminates in a large multidisciplinary performance on Avenida Central (21:00), featuring Mariza, Dino d’Santiago, iolanda and various artistic collectives from Braga.
The Braga 25 programme for the first quarter also includes performances from the regular programming of Theatro Circo and gnration, which had already been announced at the end of the year. At Theatro Circo, audiences can see Tiago Rodrigues (No Yogurt For The Dead, with performances on 27 and 28 February), Panda Bear (21 March) and Mário Laginha (21 February), celebrating the legacy of Carlos Paredes.
At gnration, the centenary of the master of the Portuguese guitar is also marked with a concert bringing together Six Organs Of Admittance and Norberto Lobo (14 February). The venue also hosts Griot 3000 (22 February) and Tashi Wada (1 March).
The Braga 25 Portuguese Capital of Culture programme results from a collaboration between the Municipality of Braga and Faz Cultura – Empresa Municipal de Cultura de Braga. Many of the projects structuring the programme stem from the bid for European Capital of Culture 2027, complemented by the strengthened programming of the city’s main cultural venues, Theatro Circo and gnration, as well as various initiatives promoted and supported by the Municipality of Braga throughout the year.
The full programme for the first quarter is available at www.braga25.pt.