The Municipal Chamber of Setúbal organized the Bocage Celebrations, a cultural program that takes place throughout September with concerts, exhibitions, guided visits and community involvement initiatives. The central point of the celebrations is marked for September 15th, the date of the birth of Manuel Maria Barbosa du Bocage, who this year turns 261 years old, and which is a municipal holiday in the city.
The Língua Terra Festival opened the celebrations on the 11th, at the Municipal Forum Luísa Todi, bringing together Brazilian Josyara and Portuguese Gisela João in a show dedicated to dialogue between cultures. Josyara presented the "AVIA Acoustic" format, while Gisela João brought to the stage "Inquieta," a tribute to Portuguese protest music with songs by José Afonso, José Mário Branco and Fernando Lopes-Graça. The festival edition, under the theme "Connecting Worlds," continued in the following days with Lucibela and Nani Medeiros, focusing on the cultural approximation between Portugal, Brazil and Cape Verde.
Visual arts were featured at the Michel Giacometti Work Museum with the exhibition "Echoes of the Past – Traditional Sustainable Art," which recovers memories of other eras through sculptures in a reflection on cultural heritage and sustainability. At Casa Bocage, an exhibition presented nine drawings by Júlio Pomar about the Setúbal poet, simultaneously celebrating the centenary of the artist's birth. The Casa da Cultura also hosted the "Book in the City" project, with illustrations resulting from a collaboration with the educational community of the Sebastião da Gama School Grouping.
Fado marked the weekend of celebrations, with the XI Coimbra Fado Serenata at Largo de Jesus, which brought together groups such as AD Lucem, Coimbra no Sado and Tertúlia Coimbrã de Miratejo, and a closing gala for the Fado in Setúbal 2026 cycle. The vice-president of the Municipal Chamber, Maria do Carmo Tiago, and councilor Paulo Maia attended these events, with Tiago highlighting the contribution of artists and audience to affirm Setúbal culture through fado.
