The relationship between neighbors on Anselmo Braamcamp Street was no different from the norm: a greeting when two more or less familiar faces crossed paths, and both went on with their parallel lives. But in 2016, a tragic event brought the whole street together—a fire spread and destroyed three houses, with two people losing their lives.

In addition to the helplessness felt in the face of such an event, there was a recognition of the strangeness of people who lived side by side and yet did nothing more than exchange a brief greeting. So, a group of neighbors got together to organize a dinner to support the surviving resident, encouraging him not to give up on rebuilding his house and returning to the neighborhood. Shortly thereafter, a neighbor left an invitation in the mailboxes on the street: International Neighbors' Day was coming up, and everyone was invited to participate in a street lunch.

This rapprochement continues gradually—reaching a point of no return when filmmaker Saguenail and writer Regina Guimarães, both residents there, set up a screening of a film recorded in the 1970s on Anselmo Braamcamp Street. From then on, events followed one after another: from informal meetings at the corner café to shared meals and even the formation of a choir.

For about three years, they have been organizing the São João festivities in the neighborhood, and last year they formally established an association. These are intimate celebrations, but everyone is welcome. They start in the afternoon, with DJ entertainment, and there is only a small counter selling water and other essential drinks. Today, residents can no longer imagine São João any other way, as it is a safe environment for children from different families.

The parties on Rua Escura are neither recent nor do they only take place during São João. During the hottest months, when it is certain that rain will not spoil the fun, a small stage is set up for entertainment ranging from DJs to fado nights. It is at the site of all the celebrations, in front of the old Town Hall building and in the shadow of what remains of the north face of the city's original wall, that we find the stalls of Maria João Mendes and Paula Mendes—but since surnames are not used in Sé, only nicknames, we must clarify that we are talking about “Maria Preta” and “Paula do Marco.”

The novelty this year is that the Rua Escura festivities are being organized by the Associação Azul d'Eleição, to which Maria João and Paula belong. The reason for its creation is simple: “if we don't have a party, some people complain, but if we do, others complain—and call the police! So, on the advice of our parish council president, we formed the association so that everything could be organized with the proper permits,” explains Maria João.

While we talk about what will take place this São João, a curious tourist browses through the embroidered handkerchiefs on sale. Without stopping to close the deal (conducted entirely in Portuguese, because after all, the tourist is in Portugal), Paula tells us about the fado nights they used to organize in the building next to the wall: “We called it the Varanda da Saudade. We filled the street! But now the building has been sold, everything is done here on the sidewalk."

But back to the São João festival, Maria João promises the best: ”The entertainment will be provided by Valter Lopes, the same [artist] as last year. When he played here for the first time three years ago, no one knew him, but now we don't want anyone else. Today, even if Marante showed up here asking to be the one to play, I would remain loyal to Valter Lopes.” When asked if there will be food and drink on site for visitors from other parts of the city, Maria João reassures us: ”There will be everything you need here. We'll even have some dancers here for you to feast your eyes on!”

Life in the Bouça neighborhood, designed by architect Álvaro Siza, is a mix of modesty and projection. Despite the guided tours and frequent reports that the work of the Local Ambulatory Support Service attracts (such as the photo report that Agenda Porto conducted in April), daily life goes on quite normally—contributing to this is a huge wall that protects the privacy of residents from a metro station that is almost adjacent to them.

But there is another moment that transforms this discreet neighborhood into a densely public space: the São João celebrations here attract more and more visitors, becoming an unmissable event for many. These parties are organized by neighborhood residents, who have formed a Festival Committee entirely dedicated to this purpose—this is yet another entity that navigates neighborhood life alongside two other essential organizations: the Bouça Residents' Association, which brings together residents from all over Bouça; and the Cooperativa das Águas Férreas, responsible for the maintenance of the Bouça neighborhood and the completion of this project.

António Santos and Nuno Alves belong to this committee, which came about with the slightest of provocations – António recalls that some parties were already being held, but “it was clear that some conditions were lacking.” “How was it possible to have a proper party with an 80-year-old lady eating sardines standing up?” Thus began the process of forming the committee, responsible for collecting contributions to provide the space with benches, tables, decorations, and sound equipment.

Today, they view the success of the parties in their neighborhood with some disbelief—Nuno admits that “we don't put up posters or advertise the party, precisely to maintain the familiar and peaceful atmosphere of these celebrations.” However, the magnetism that the neighborhood exerts on other days of the year reaches its peak on St. John's Day, and yet the family atmosphere remains intact. “Even before St. John's Day, while we set up the decorations, the speakers are already warming up with some music and the neighborhood is coming together in a festive atmosphere.”