Lagos elevation to city status

History, arts and memory shape celebrations marking History, arts and memory shape celebrations marking Lagos’ elevation to city status

Lagos will mark, on 27 January, the 453rd anniversary of its elevation to city status, decreed by King Sebastian (D. Sebastião), a historical figure closely linked to the municipality.

To celebrate the occasion, the municipality has prepared a diverse cultural programme running throughout January, bringing together history, the arts, traditional knowledge and music.

The celebrations begin on 17 January with the lecture “António Lima Leitão (1787–1856) – A Life Between Lagos, Paris, Goa and Hospital de São José”, delivered by Artur de Jesus at the Lagos Cultural Centre. The talk offers a journey through the life and work of one of the most fascinating figures in Lagos’ history — a physician, politician, scholar and thinker with a distinctly international career.

Between 23 and 30 January, the atrium of the City Hall will host the exhibition “The Monuments and History of Lagos Through the Eyes of Children”, featuring works by third-year pupils from Sophia de Mello Breyner Primary School, presenting a sensitive and creative perspective on local heritage.

On 24 January, in Barão de São João, the Espaço Barão ConVida will host, in the morning, the workshop “Natural Bath Salts – Purifying, Aromatic & Revitalising”, led by artisan Márcia Rodrigues. In the afternoon, the same venue will welcome the “Meeting of Tales, Stories and Memories of the Village of Barão de São João”, a community initiative encouraging the oral sharing of narratives, life stories and personal memories, reviving the tradition of storytelling and fostering dialogue through the spoken word.

Also on 24 January, at 4:00 pm, the Lagos Cultural Centre will host the opening of the 1st Exhibition Cycle of 2026, with the inaugurations of “Geography of Colours” by Lagos-born visual artist Carmelita Falé, and “Line and Stain, Body and Machine” by Rui Sanches, presented under the protocol between the Municipality of Lagos and the Serralves Foundation. Both exhibitions will be open to the public until 4 April.

On 25 January, Barão de São João will once again be the stage for a creative initiative, with the workshop “Crochet Rosette – African Flower”, led by artisan Isabel João.

The celebrations conclude on 28 January with the concert “Ella Fitzgerald & More”, featuring Sara Miguel and the Algarve Jazz Orchestra, at the Lagos Cultural Centre. The performance pays tribute to one of the greatest voices in the history of jazz, revisiting Ella Fitzgerald’s timeless legacy through a contemporary interpretation marked by the identity and expressiveness of one of Portugal’s leading jazz vocalists.

Through this programme, the municipality reaffirms its commitment to valuing history, culture and artistic creation, marking the elevation of Lagos to city status as a moment of collective celebration, remembrance and projection into the future.

More information available here.