The "Bienal Internacional de Artes e Ofícios" took place on September 4 and 5, 2026 at the Centre for Contemporary Culture of Castelo Branco, in parallel with the Festival Sabores de Perdição. This was the first edition of an event that sought to connect heritage, industry, creative economy and international cooperation, bringing together participants from Portugal, Brazil and Cape Verde. The organization was handled by the Museums and Culture Division of the Castelo Branco City Council, led by Sónia Abreu, who made a very positive assessment of the initiative and the audience present.
The second day was dedicated to sharing practices among UNESCO Creative Cities, with sessions that featured representatives from Portuguese municipalities such as Castelo Branco, Barcelos, Caldas da Rainha, Amarante, Leiria, Braga, Covilhã, Idanha-a-Nova and Matosinhos, covering categories that include Crafts, Music, Digital Arts, Design and Gastronomy. The afternoon included a round table on entrepreneurship and internationalization of creative industries, moderated by Eduardo Barroso, focal point of João Pessoa, Brazil, with interventions from representatives of CPLP, Cape Verde and Paraíba.
The mayor of Castelo Branco, Leopoldo Rodrigues, stressed that integration into the UNESCO network creates scale, opportunities and value for embroidery and local crafts, opening doors to new markets. Several participants highlighted the importance of involving new generations in crafts, ensuring economic sustainability for artisans and using the Portuguese language as an instrument of cooperation between territories. The certification of traditional productions was also discussed, with Teresa Costa from A. CERTIFICA noting that Castelo Branco's Embroidery is recognized nationally and internationally.
The Biennial also included the Opening of the exhibition "O Mundo Bordado à Mão" (The World Embroidered by Hand), with pieces from Portugal, Brazil and Cape Verde, and ended with a guided visit to the Embroidery Interpretation Centre. Castelo Branco was officially integrated into the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in 2023, in the category of "Crafts and Folk Art", with Castelo Branco's Embroidery taking a central role in the application and the municipality's cultural strategy.
