European Capital of Culture
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    Braga is a candidate city for the European Capital of Culture 2027.

    Braga is a candidate city for the European Capital of Culture 2027.

    The city with two thousand years of History is one of the youngest in Europe.

    Is Braga better known for its heritage or its innovation? Is it its bond with the countryside that makes this city special or is it its relationship with technology?

    This is the city of the Baroque and the Roman. We admire its churches, we celebrate in the streets, we bring the folklore in our voices.

    In Braga you hear the bells, the braguesa guitars, dirty rock sound and the syncopated beats of synthesizers.

    Braga is all it's known for. But today we dare to think this city could be yet something else.

    A city transformed by the thoughts and the desires of those who inhabit it, with culture powering this development.

    We do not know if we will be the European Capital of Culture, but we know that in 2027 Braga will be whatever we want it to be today.

    We do not know if we will be the European Capital of Culture, but we know that in 2027 Braga will be whatever we want it to be today.

    Bid Book

    Read the Braga’27 bid book for the European Capital of Culture 2027. Discover the city we have imagined together.
    Bid Book pre-selection Bid Book final selection

    We have been working on our application since 2018.

    Through Braga Cultura 2030, we consulted locals, conceived and organized community-involving activities , talked to artists, cultural agents, associations, shop owners and ordinary citizens from diverse backgrounds . We wanted to bring together the voices of the city and prepare the cultural strategy for the decade of 2020-2030 with them. Because the preparation of the candidacy for European Capital of Culture is the engine of our strategy, but our true mission is to change the cultural face of Braga in a decade.

    Discover this process at Braga Cultura 2030 website.

    What are we doing?

    2018 In the beginning we were all eyes and ears. Mapping, identifying and tapping into the cultural tissue of the territory. Signage of spaces, events and cultural agents. Presentation of Braga Cultura 2030 brand and preparation of the city's cultural strategy for the decade 2020-2030.
    2020 Time to put pen to paper. Preparation of the provisional document for Braga 2020-2030 Cultural Strategy, based on the citizens' contributions. Making the document available for public consultation and contributions. Review and dissemination of the final version of the document. Official presentation of Braga's candidacy for the European Capital of Culture 2027.
    2019 Conversation mode on. Listening to what the population of Braga has to say about the present and the future of the city's culture. Community activities program aimed at different audiences.
    2021 We are officially a candidate! Submission of Braga’s Bid Book to the European Capital of Culture 2027.
    2022 Pre-selection of the international jury. The pre-selection takes place in the first quarter of 2022. Cities that are still in the race have the opportunity to improve the Bid Book, based on the jury report, until the final selection phase.
    2022/2023 Final decision. The jury recomends a Portuguese city to be the European Capital of Culture 2027.
    2023-2027 Preparing the big year. After the final decision of the international jury, come years of intense preparation in order to gradually transform the city into what was designed for 2027. During these years of hard work, the international jury regularly monitors the process to verify that everything is done in accordance with the Bid Book.
    2028 And what’s left after the celebration is over? Report and evaluation of the effects and legacy of the European Capital of Culture in the city and the region.
    2027 European Capital of Culture in Portugal and Latvia.
    One of the Portuguese candidate cities, together with a Latvian city, will be the European Capital of Culture 2027.

    What are we doing?

    In the beginning we were all eyes and ears. Mapping, identifying and tapping into the cultural tissue of the territory. Signage of spaces, events and cultural agents. Presentation of Braga Cultura 2030 brand and preparation of the city's cultural strategy for the decade 2020-2030.
    Conversation mode on. Listening to what the population of Braga has to say about the present and the future of the city's culture. Community activities program aimed at different audiences.
    Time to put pen to paper. Preparation of the provisional document for Braga 2020-2030 Cultural Strategy, based on the citizens' contributions. Making the document available for public consultation and contributions. Review and dissemination of the final version of the document. Official presentation of Braga's candidacy for the European Capital of Culture 2027.
    We are officially a candidate! Submission of Braga’s Bid Book to the European Capital of Culture 2027.
    Pre-selection of the international jury. The pre-selection takes place in the first quarter of 2022. Cities that are still in the race have the opportunity to improve the Bid Book, based on the jury report, until the final selection phase.
    Final decision. The jury recomends a Portuguese city to be the European Capital of Culture 2027.
    Preparing the big year. After the final decision of the international jury, come years of intense preparation in order to gradually transform the city into what was designed for 2027. During these years of hard work, the international jury regularly monitors the process to verify that everything is done in accordance with the Bid Book.
    European Capital of Culture in Portugal and Latvia.
    One of the Portuguese candidate cities, together with a Latvian city, will be the European Capital of Culture 2027.
    And what’s left after the celebration is over? Report and evaluation of the effects and legacy of the European Capital of Culture in the city and the region.

      Design by OOF