Cultural and Creative Sector of Matosinhos
Matosinhos consistently invests in the cultural and creative sector, through large-scale events and facilities, focusing notably on literature, design/architecture, and music.
LITERATURE
Florbela Espanca Municipal Library
The current Florbela Espanca Municipal Library building was inaugurated in 2005 with a design by architect Alcino Coutinho, and its visually suspended effect is one of the main aesthetic features of the building. With 90,000 documents available to the public, the library's collection includes works that cover all areas of knowledge, from classic literature to the latest releases, including science and works aimed at children. The Florbela Espanca Municipal Library (BMFE) is part of the National Public Reading Network and is the main hub of the county network, which includes the S. Mamede de Infesta Annex Library (BASMI) and the Mobile Library, which brings books and reading to the "corners" of the county.
LeV - Literature in Travel
The LEV - Literature in Travel festival takes place at the Florbela Espanca Municipal Library and brings together big names in national and international literature for several days of conversations, conferences, concerts, and exhibitions.
Matosinhos Writers Meeting
Inserted in the festivities of Senhor de Matosinhos, the Matosinhos Writers Meeting celebrates and recognizes the roots of the land and its connection to the sea, as glorious as it is tragic.
Salvé a Língua de Camões
One of the many projects developed by the Municipality of Matosinhos is Salvé a Língua Portuguesa, aimed at spreading the Portuguese language, especially in theatrical scripts and dramaturgy.
Municipal Book Fair
The Municipal Book Fair takes place in three spaces in the county, at the Quinta de Santiago Museum in Leça da Palmeira, at MuMMa - Matosinhos Memory Museum and at the Municipal Gallery. At this fair, visitors will have available a wide variety of works published, co-published, or acquired by the Municipality of Matosinhos in the fields of literature, plastic arts, and heritage, which aim to promote the county, its historical and cultural wealth, and its people.
Festa da Poesia (Poetry Party)
Celebrating the birth and death date of the poetess Florbela Espanca (December 8), the Poetry Party is an annual event with free participation created to honor Portuguese poetry and thus arouse interest in literature among the public.
DESIGN
Casa do Design (Design House)
A partnership between the Municipality of Matosinhos and ESAD IDEA, the Design House is an exhibition and research space for design and art where dynamism and reflection are constant and is part of a network of facilities.
QUADRA, Design Incubator
QUADRA, Design Incubator is a non-profit association and incubation structure carried out at the Matosinhos Municipal Market, with the support of ESAD and the Municipality, aimed at developing, researching, and promoting various creative and cultural projects.
House of Architecture
The House of Architecture is a non-profit association that focuses on preserving the iconic features of contemporary architecture and promoting it nationally and internationally.
Porto Design Bienalle
Organized by ESAD, the Porto Design Biennale has developed more than 300 projects between exhibitions, conferences, workshops, and publications, and attracted over 50,000 people. In 2023, the 3rd edition, is dedicated to the theme of Water.
OPEN HOUSE
The Open House Porto is organized by the Architecture House in Matosinhos and integrates with the international initiative Open House Worldwide, bringing together dozens of volunteers and thousands of visitors in a program of exceptional visits and emblematic buildings.
Social Design Week
As part of the Postgraduate Program in Design for Social Impact of the Superior School of Arts and Design (ESAD), Social Design Week aims to make all participants reflect on the impact of design on society and how it can drive economic and social growth in the country through conferences and workshops.
MUSIC
CARA, High Performance Artistic Center
In order to underscore the prevalence of music in the region, the Matosinhos Jazz Orchestra (OJM) - an institution that aims to disseminate jazz music and its training among the younger layers - created CARA, the High Performance Artistic Center, in the Real Vinícola block. It plays three roles: recording studio, performance space, and research structure. CARA seeks new uses of technology that will lead to artistic excellence, as well as welcoming and nurturing new paradigms of musical education to develop and dynamize.
Matosinhos in Jazz
Promoted by the Municipality, the Matosinhos in Jazz event takes place in Basílio Teles Garden and brings some of the great names in international and national music to the city.
Maracujália Festival
From the Leixões Cruise Terminal, one of the country's most emblematic buildings, Matosinhos hosted the Maracujália Festival in 2022, a cultural event that unites diversity through music, art, cinema, debates, and fashion.
ARTS AND CRAFTS
Together for Art
Held in the municipal library, in the Noble Hall and in the Basílio Teles park, Together for Art is an event whose programming includes exhibitions, shows, workshops, ateliers, and concerts aimed at attracting children and cultivating their artistic and creative side.
Art Out of Place
Art Out of Place is a cluster of various forms of art that brings people from different demographic groups together through creativity and freedom of expression.
FAMA – Handicraft Fair
FAMA – Handicraft Fair is an event that takes place twice a year in conjunction with the Senhor de Matosinhos festivities and is an excellent opportunity to meet the talent of the Matosinhos people while enjoying the festivities.
CINEMA
CI GA – GASTRONOMIC CINEMA SHOWCASE
CI GA is a unique event that unites cinema and gastronomy. Over a four-day period, the Matosinhos Market transforms into a mix of cinema and restaurant, where the public has the opportunity to watch films related to gastronomy while being served the same dishes that appear on the screen.
Adventure Film Festival
Also in the area of cinema and in the Matosinhos Market is the Adventure Film Festival. This festival, a co-production between Nomad travel agency and the Matosinhos City Council, lasts three nights and shows more than twenty-five films about exciting adventures and inspiring travels. The video format is seen as a bridge between cultures and aims to inspire protection of the planet and the resources and life around us.
MEDIA ARTS
ESAD (Superior School of Art and Design) – Media Arts Course
Matosinhos brings the opportunity for training in Media Arts from the Digital Arts and Multimedia course (undergraduate, master's and postgraduate) of the Superior School of Art and Design (ESAD). With more than fifty places available per year, this course compels professional training in the area, leading to a greater number of professionals in the area who may, in the future, take the city and the country further
OTHER CULTURAL AND CREATIVE INFRASTRUCTURES
MuMMa
The magic of the Museum of Memory of Matosinhos (MuMMa) begins right in its installations - the Visconde de Trevões Mansion. Once a house, school, library, among others, the building has stood tall since 1909 and is today a meeting point between past and present. Its inauguration as a museum focuses especially on the people of Matosinhos and invites its visitors to become part of the people who have grown the region from an interactive experience, with educational services and thematic exhibition rooms.
The MuMMa (Museum of Memory of Matosinhos) finished its first year of activity, 2022, with the registration of more than 12,000 visitors. Throughout the year, 199 regular activities were held in this space, with the participation of 4,199 people.
Quinta de Santiago Museum
Originally a residence built in 1896, the Quinta de Santiago Museum was inaugurated in 1996 and is now considered a testament to the urban transformations that Matosinhos underwent at the end of the 19th century. Comprised of three buildings - the Casa do Bosque, the Irene Vilar Space and the Museum itself - the Quinta de Santiago Museum is part of the Matosinhos Museum Network (MuMa) and hosts various city events, such as the Book Fair.
The Matosinhos City Council promoted 9 major moments that had the participation of 4,716 people at the Quinta de Santiago Museum.
Constantino Nery Municipal Theater of Matosinhos
Inaugurated on June 10, 1906, it was commissioned by a mason who returned from Brazil and also participated in the construction of the Leixões port. For decades it was the most important performance venue in Matosinhos. In 2001 it was acquired by the City Council and since then presents a diversified program.
During the year 2022, 62 events were held at the municipal theater and the number of in-person participants was 11,346.
Municipal Gallery
Located on Afonso Henriques Avenue, the Municipal Gallery is a project inaugurated in 2005 by the Matosinhos City Council that aims to disseminate various branches of contemporary Portuguese art such as painting, sculpture, design, photography, among others. Its goal is to advance the enrichment of the municipal art collection from the exhibition of various contemporary artistic projects.
In 2022, the Municipal Gallery hosted 14 exhibitions, visited by 17,911 people.
MuMa – Matosinhos Museum Network
At the center of almost all cultural and creative infrastructures in the city is MuMa – the Matosinhos Museum Network. Comprised of fourteen museums and museum cores, this network congregates and dynamizes the museums in the territory and offers a wider dissemination of these, posting monthly schedules and opportunities for educational services, as it recognizes the indispensability of these in dynamizing the communities.
