1st Porto Book’s Festival in Avenida das Tílias, Palácio de Cristal

About This Project

By the fifth edition of Bairro dos Livros, the event turned into the 1^st Porto’s Book Festival. Between the 21^st and the 23^rd of September, the Palácio de Crystal Gardens were center stage for a one of a kind celebration of Literature and books, under the motto ‘Reading is a Show’. At the Avenida das Tílias and the Concha Acústica, there was a book fair attended by Porto’s booksellers and booksellers, the Poetry Corner – where the intent was to always have someone reading poetry; the audience was also challenged to do it –, concerts, theatre, workshops for the youngest and traditional Portuguese finger food. The Festival was born from the idea of giving an opportunity to the booksellers to occupy some of the city’s spots and the need to generate business in that geographic area of the city’s downtown.

In the first Book Festival’s program, we’ll highlight a performance for a ‘humanoid’ puppet based on a writing of Samuel Beckett, by ACARO; the concerts of the Vera Cruz quartet (bossa nova), of the singer writer João Morais and the Porto’s own Fa-la-do trio (original fados, with Portuguese and classical guitars and voice), the Saturday will be devoted to Mirandese, to Cantina do Manobras’ delicacies, to ‘Poesia de Choque’ poetry session, by Olimpo’s bar, and children’s workshop, such as typography or building cardboard suitcases.