After two editions that drew more than a thousand people to one of the city’s historic districts, São João | Uma Rua Viva returns next Saturday, September 5, for its third edition. Between 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., Rua de São João will once again be closed to traffic and, for one afternoon, transformed into a free-to-enter route featuring snacks, wine, music, art, and community initiatives—with no admission fee and no reservation required.

A street where art is also on display
The big news for this edition is the inclusion of Citynizer, which is making its debut at the event and hosting an exhibition by the young visual artist Sara Coelho. The exhibition is integrated into the route’s dynamic, bringing artistic creation to the street and introducing visitors to the work of a new generation of artists.

The program also includes “Montra Viva,” a street art initiative that reinforces one of the project’s founding principles: opening up spaces and using them in a different way, even if only for an afternoon.

A Toy Fair to Benefit the Community

The third edition also features a charitable component linked to the local community. Throughout the afternoon, a Toy Fair will take place, with all proceeds going entirely to the São Nicolau Social and Parish Center—a partnership the organization has maintained since the first edition and through which it seeks to ensure that the street celebration has a direct impact on those who live and work there year-round. In the same spirit, the Social Center will host a creative workshop open to community participation.

“What we want to build with São João | Uma Rua Viva is an initiative that grows without losing its reason for being. The street is shaped by the shopkeepers, but also by the residents, the institutions, the artists, and everyone who passes through it daily. In this third edition, we’ve managed to bring together even more of these elements: food, music, art, and a charitable initiative that directly benefits the São Nicolau Social Center,” explains Inês Barbosa of the organizing team.

From cuisine to music, an afternoon to explore on foot
Gastronomy remains one of the pillars of the initiative. For €7.50, each participating establishment offers a small bite accompanied by wine or another beverage, allowing visitors to create their own itinerary along the street, going from door to door. Among the offerings are SAGARDI’s pintxo with cider or txakoli, MUST’s pica-pau with a glass of wine, Tapas 65’s patanisca with wine, Cris Bar’s bread with chorizo and Abadia beer, Local Food Experience’s codfish cake with Port wine, and Miniquecas’ pancake with a latte. Ten percent of the price of each item will be donated to the São Nicolau Social Center.

Music will accompany the event starting in the early afternoon. The program kicks off at 3 p.m. with a DJ set dedicated to the ’80s and ’90s. At 5:30 p.m., Fado na Baixa brings “Fado à Porta” to the streets, followed by another DJ set at 6 p.m. near The Central House Hostel. The program continues until 8 p.m. with a toast from Cockburn’s at the Hotel Carris.

Throughout the day, there will also be an exclusive tour of the English Trading Post, a special edition of the cultural publication *Peddy Paper* as part of the Hotel ICON’s Open House, and other initiatives taking place at participating venues.

“Each edition has helped us understand just how far this idea of a ‘living street’ can go. We started by bringing businesses together and opening their doors. Then we managed to draw more than a thousand people to the street. Now we’re bringing together food, music, art, and community spirit in a way that’s increasingly rooted in the community itself. That’s what we want to keep doing,” says Fernando Assis Coelho, from the organizing team.