Amarante officially presented its candidacy for Portuguese Capital of Culture 2028 at the CCDR NORTE headquarters in Porto. The municipality, led by president Jorge Ricardo, revealed the strategy it intends to follow to win the title, presenting the work carried out so far and the vision underpinning the project to the president of CCDR NORTE, Álvaro Santos, and vice-president Rui Costa.
The project is based on Amarante's strong cultural identity, with figures such as Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso, Teixeira de Pascoaes and Agustina Bessa-Luís as references. The candidacy aims to transform this cultural legacy into a starting point for a project that combines artistic creation, community participation and heritage enhancement, placing culture at the centre of the territory's development strategy.
Álvaro Santos expressed confidence in the project, considering that Amarante presents a candidacy based on a very strong cultural identity, participatory work with the territory and a vision of the future that recognizes culture as a driving force for development. For the president of the Municipal Council, the goal is to build a candidacy capable of mobilizing the municipality and projecting Amarante at national level.
The decision on the Portuguese Capital of Culture 2028 is expected to be known in December 2026. Until then, Amarante continues to prepare a candidacy that aims to assert the municipality within and beyond the region, involving cultural agents, institutions and the local community.
