The 3rd edition of the "É UM ENCONTRO" Festival will take place between September 11 and 13, 2026 at Parque Central in Amadora, bringing together gastronomy, music and world cultures. The event is part of the celebrations of the municipality's 47th anniversary and is promoted by the Associação Crescer association, with the support of the Municipality of Amadora, as part of the Comunidades em Acção initiative and the project co-funded by the PRR and the European Union through NextGenerationEU.
The festival features Portuguese chefs such as Pedro Pena Bastos, Kiko, Tia Cátia, Chakall and Vítor Sobral, who will share the stage with cooks and representatives from various immigrant communities. The organization proposes three days of programming dedicated to gastronomy, music, dance and traditions from different geographies, including culinary demonstrations, fusion encounters, workshops and roundtables.
On the first day, September 11, the opening is scheduled for 5 PM, followed by a performance by Cape Verdean musician Juvino Varela and a demonstration by chef Pedro Pena Bastos. The program also includes conversations about the impact and responsibility of organizations. On the second day, there are moments dedicated to local kitchen and memory, with Irene Pimenta from the Amadora Gastronomic Confraternity, and encounters between different culinary traditions.
On the last day, September 13, there are planned demonstrations by Jangbu Sherpa, a Nepali chef, and by Chakall, conversations about gastronomic literacy and stories from the Amadora community. The festival ends with a fusion culinary demonstration by Vítor Sobral and Fátima Vera Cruz. The organization presents the event as an open space for discovery, participation and inclusion, where gastronomy functions as a common language between different cultures.
