Évora 2027 Opening: European Capital of Culture Begins on 6 February
On Saturday 6 February 2027, Évora formally becomes a European Capital of Culture. The opening show will be staged in the Rossio de São Brás, the large square just outside the walls of the old town, and admission is free. Évora shares the 2027 title with Liepāja in Latvia, and its programme stretches across the Alentejo, not just the city.
The opening night
The opening is a new piece by the theatre director Marco Martins, with around 400 performers, professional and amateur. Details were given to the Lusa news agency in September 2026 by John Romão, artistic director of Évora_27, and published by O Digital and RTP.
Romão described it as a show with “a strong musical, visual and choreographic” character, built around the theme of the whole year. Named artists include the fado singer Carminho, the Colombian musician Lucrecia Dalt, the Iranian percussionist Mohammad Reza Mortazavi and the Spanish flamenco dancer Yeray Cortés, alongside members of cultural associations from across the region. Marco da Silva Ferreira is collaborating on choreography and Celina da Piedade on musical research. The set is being designed by the architects Manuel Aires Mateus and João Romão with the artist and set designer Isabel Cordovil.
The organisers expect an audience of 30,000 to 40,000. That is their forecast, not a capacity figure, but it suggests that arriving early will matter. The square itself was being redeveloped when the plans were announced.
What “Vagar” means
The year’s theme is Vagar, an Alentejo word for an unhurried pace, of taking the time a thing needs. Évora_27’s programme page describes it as deeply rooted in the region’s culture and as the thread running through the year, from performing arts and architecture to heritage and public debate.
The countdown began a year earlier: on 6 February 2026, according to the Évora_27 news page, the city marked 365 days to the official opening with a free day-long programme. Since then the association has opened calls for local artists, launched a community choir, the Coro do Vagar, for the Alentejo Central, and staged preparatory events in 2026.
Planning a visit for the opening
The full 2027 programme had not been published at the time of writing; according to an earlier Lusa report carried by RTP, it is due to be announced at the end of 2026. Until then, the opening night is the one firmly dated event to plan around. A February weekend in Évora is also cooler and quieter than the summer, which suits the walled centre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986, with its Roman temple, cathedral and the bone chapel of the Igreja de São Francisco.
Know before you go
Details as of October 2026:
- When: Saturday 6 February 2027. The start time had not been announced; check the official site closer to the date.
- Where: Rossio de São Brás, just outside the city walls of Évora’s historic centre.
- Price: free, according to the organisers. It is not yet clear whether any areas will need a ticket or registration.
- By train: Évora is on CP’s Intercidades line from Lisbon; check current times and fares on cp.pt, and see our guide to train tickets in Portugal. Expect demand to be high that weekend.
- By car: Évora is about 130 km east of Lisbon via the A6. Parking inside the walls is limited at the best of times.
- Contacts: Associação Évora 2027, [email protected], +351 966 020 850.
We will add more Évora_27 dates as the programme is announced. In the meantime, our Events section has the rest of the season, and the Costa Vicentina is a good way to see the Alentejo’s other face, the coast.
Sources
Sources
- O Digital / Lusa: Espetáculo de Marco Martins marca abertura de Évora_27 no dia 06 de fevereiro (4 September 2026), consulted 2026-10-30
- RTP Notícias / Lusa: Espetáculo de Marco Martins marca abertura de Évora_27 no dia 06 de fevereiro, consulted 2026-10-30
- Évora_27 – Capital Europeia da Cultura: Notícias (official site), consulted 2026-10-30
- Évora_27 – Capital Europeia da Cultura: Programação, consulted 2026-10-30
- RTP Notícias / Lusa: Programação de Évora 2027 arranca em fevereiro desse ano e será anunciada no fim de 2026, consulted 2026-10-30
- CP – Comboios de Portugal, consulted 2026-10-30
