On Saturday, March 21, the Miguel Bombarda Cultural Quarter hosts the second 2026 edition of the Simultaneous Openings. Once again, this initiative brings together galleries, exhibition spaces, commercial venues and alternative projects in a shared programme dedicated to contemporary art and community-based artistic practices shaped by the specific context of this territory — the Arts Quarter since 2007. Conceived as an urban laboratory for civic and creative expression, the programme is open to all and free of charge, developed in continuous dialogue with Porto’s cultural agents.

Between 4:00 pm and 8:00 pm, visitors are invited to explore new exhibitions, discover new collections, and take part in a diverse programme of cultural activities curated by Ágora.

Porto’s Simultaneous Openings public programme includes creative workshops in the visual arts, participatory art projects, sustainability-focused initiatives, and actions promoting inclusion and democratic access to culture. The programme also features talks with artists and curators, performative readings and writing sessions, poetry gatherings, public-space lectures and critical discussions, presentations of independent publications (zines), showcases of Porto-based creatives, as well as podcasts and live radio debates on themes related to the city. Hybrid performances, street art, graffiti, temporary installations, video mapping, DJ sets, social dance sessions and concerts further activate the neighbourhood throughout the afternoon.

The Bombarda Guided Tours also take place during the event, offering Portuguese Sign Language interpretation to ensure accessibility. The tours guide visitors through participating galleries along a route across the Miguel Bombarda Quarter, led by visual arts students from ESE – Porto School of Education, with simultaneous Portuguese Sign Language interpretation provided by ATILGP – the Portuguese Sign Language Translators and Interpreters Association.

New for 2026, the programme introduces the Simultaneous Openings Reading Club / Atelier 3|3, conceived as an open conversation circle titled “Reading is in the Street,” combining collective reading and shared reflection. This initiative is part of the Simultaneous Openings Arts Library (BAIS), a community-driven and itinerant project developed in the Miguel Bombarda Cultural Quarter and carried forward with each edition of the event. Every session will focus on a distinct theme and a “featured figure,” fostering encounters between literature, art, public space and community. Participants are invited to bring a book to read (an excerpt), and book donations for exchange are also welcome — together we will help build BAIS.

The reading session on March 21, 2026, organised in partnership with Cristina Alves from the collective Atelier 3|3, will centre on the work of Inês Lourenço (Porto, 1942), one of Portugal’s most significant contemporary writers, who will be honoured at the 2026 Porto Book Fair.

Through this expanded programme, the Simultaneous Openings reaffirm their commitment to artistic creation, critical thought and community engagement, extending beyond the visual arts and strengthening dialogue between diverse cultural practices within the urban public sphere.

Ana Alves da Silva

Simultaneous Openings – Porto Cultural Quarter

General and Artistic Director | Project Conception and Management (since 2007)