Festival dos Canais is back
Published at — 10 July 2025
The full programme for the Festival dos Canais has just been revealed. Between 16 and 20 July, the event will once again fill Aveiro with music, theatre, dance, new circus, art installations, activities for children and other proposals that promise to transform daily life in the city, with free admission. Organised by Aveiro City Council through the Aveirense Theatre, the festival is celebrating its tenth edition this year.
José Ribau Esteves, Mayor of Aveiro, says that the balance of these editions "is very positive for the way in which the event has managed to win the affection and support of the people of Aveiro and many other citizens, while at the same time establishing itself on the national and international artistic calendar. The Festival dos Canais has become a special moment in the life of Aveiro City Council and in the cultural life of Aveiro, marking the rhythm of the City, the Municipality and the Region during the days it takes place, taking place in many public spaces and buildings".
Among the highlights is a concert commissioned by the Festival dos Canais that will bring together Carolina Deslandes, Pedro Abrunhosa and Agir, as well as an unprecedented concert by Capitão Fausto with the Orquestra das Beiras and the Banda Eixense. Dino D'Santiago, Milhanas, Soraia Tavares and 47 de Fevereiro will also be performing at the Festival dos Canais, among other musicians.
In other artistic areas, the programme includes a large aerial show conceived by the Belgian company Theatre Tol on commission from the Festival dos Canais, in a fusion of traditional symbols with contemporary languages. Also commissioned by the Festival dos Canais, the creation Sentido de Unidade (Sense of Unity) is the result of the merger of two companies that have already provided remarkable moments in the history of the Festival dos Canais: DUNDU and Worldbeaters, who come together for two performances celebrating the festival's ten editions. Also returning to the event is the award-winning British choreographer Jeanefer Jean-Charle, this time with her new show, Patois. The Weight of Water, by Panama Pictures, from the Netherlands, will reflect on current times and the relationship with the environment. There will also be Passionately Defiant, by Britain's Joe Powell-Main, the first wheelchair dancer to perform with the Royal Ballet, as well as the presence of Federico Menini and Pedro Tochas, among others.
Over the years, the Festival dos Canais has been the stage for several absolute premieres and this year will be no exception. Castelo dos Fantasmas, by the Red Cloud Puppet Theatre, Verde Claro, by Rui Queiroz de Matos, and Molhos, by the Kopinxas company will be the creations that the public will be able to see for the first time.
The Festival of the Canals will once again have a strong visual dimension and in this field the highlight will be an intervention by French artist Olivier Grossetête, who will present a monumental installation, built during the event with cardboard boxes and the massive participation of the community. Czech artist Viktor Frešo will also present a large-scale work at the Festival of the Canals. As part of the Creart 3.0 EU programme, works by artists Kristaps Priede (Latvia) and Hristina Zafirovska (North Macedonia), created following artist residencies in Aveiro, will also be presented. To celebrate the tenth edition, the event will feature two creations projected onto landmark buildings in Aveiro's landscape, the Old Captaincy and ATLAS Aveiro, by artists Julie Tampierova and Jakub Nosek (Czech Republic).
The Festival dos Canais will once again feature two of its most iconic venues: The eStar Room, which transforms Praça da República into a domestic space, and Funky Beach, a beach in the middle of the city. Both will be ideal meeting points, with bar service, concerts and DJs.
Children and families will once again be spoilt for choice with the Jardim das Brincadeiras (Playground), a cosy, fun area full of inventive activities.
As in past years, the Festival dos Canais will host a pop-up of Chefs On Fire, a gastronomic event that invites renowned chefs to cook over a slow fire, celebrating the origins of the cuisine. Twelve chefs will present their creations between 18 and 20 July, at lunch and dinner, during moments that will include concerts by various well-known musicians, such as Iolanda, Bateu Matou and Benjamim, among others.
For José Pina, the festival's director, this edition once again brings together the characteristics that have made the event a success since it was created: ‘we once again have various projects on the channels, content that dialogues with the territory, proposals in which inclusion and community participation play a fundamental role, areas dedicated to children, and absolute and national premieres, with local, national and international artists, in a permanent combination of the artistic and the playful.’
José Ribau Esteves, Mayor of Aveiro, says that the balance of these editions "is very positive for the way in which the event has managed to win the affection and support of the people of Aveiro and many other citizens, while at the same time establishing itself on the national and international artistic calendar. The Festival dos Canais has become a special moment in the life of Aveiro City Council and in the cultural life of Aveiro, marking the rhythm of the City, the Municipality and the Region during the days it takes place, taking place in many public spaces and buildings".
Among the highlights is a concert commissioned by the Festival dos Canais that will bring together Carolina Deslandes, Pedro Abrunhosa and Agir, as well as an unprecedented concert by Capitão Fausto with the Orquestra das Beiras and the Banda Eixense. Dino D'Santiago, Milhanas, Soraia Tavares and 47 de Fevereiro will also be performing at the Festival dos Canais, among other musicians.
In other artistic areas, the programme includes a large aerial show conceived by the Belgian company Theatre Tol on commission from the Festival dos Canais, in a fusion of traditional symbols with contemporary languages. Also commissioned by the Festival dos Canais, the creation Sentido de Unidade (Sense of Unity) is the result of the merger of two companies that have already provided remarkable moments in the history of the Festival dos Canais: DUNDU and Worldbeaters, who come together for two performances celebrating the festival's ten editions. Also returning to the event is the award-winning British choreographer Jeanefer Jean-Charle, this time with her new show, Patois. The Weight of Water, by Panama Pictures, from the Netherlands, will reflect on current times and the relationship with the environment. There will also be Passionately Defiant, by Britain's Joe Powell-Main, the first wheelchair dancer to perform with the Royal Ballet, as well as the presence of Federico Menini and Pedro Tochas, among others.
Over the years, the Festival dos Canais has been the stage for several absolute premieres and this year will be no exception. Castelo dos Fantasmas, by the Red Cloud Puppet Theatre, Verde Claro, by Rui Queiroz de Matos, and Molhos, by the Kopinxas company will be the creations that the public will be able to see for the first time.
The Festival of the Canals will once again have a strong visual dimension and in this field the highlight will be an intervention by French artist Olivier Grossetête, who will present a monumental installation, built during the event with cardboard boxes and the massive participation of the community. Czech artist Viktor Frešo will also present a large-scale work at the Festival of the Canals. As part of the Creart 3.0 EU programme, works by artists Kristaps Priede (Latvia) and Hristina Zafirovska (North Macedonia), created following artist residencies in Aveiro, will also be presented. To celebrate the tenth edition, the event will feature two creations projected onto landmark buildings in Aveiro's landscape, the Old Captaincy and ATLAS Aveiro, by artists Julie Tampierova and Jakub Nosek (Czech Republic).
The Festival dos Canais will once again feature two of its most iconic venues: The eStar Room, which transforms Praça da República into a domestic space, and Funky Beach, a beach in the middle of the city. Both will be ideal meeting points, with bar service, concerts and DJs.
Children and families will once again be spoilt for choice with the Jardim das Brincadeiras (Playground), a cosy, fun area full of inventive activities.
As in past years, the Festival dos Canais will host a pop-up of Chefs On Fire, a gastronomic event that invites renowned chefs to cook over a slow fire, celebrating the origins of the cuisine. Twelve chefs will present their creations between 18 and 20 July, at lunch and dinner, during moments that will include concerts by various well-known musicians, such as Iolanda, Bateu Matou and Benjamim, among others.
For José Pina, the festival's director, this edition once again brings together the characteristics that have made the event a success since it was created: ‘we once again have various projects on the channels, content that dialogues with the territory, proposals in which inclusion and community participation play a fundamental role, areas dedicated to children, and absolute and national premieres, with local, national and international artists, in a permanent combination of the artistic and the playful.’
