Guimarães – European Capital of Culture 2012

By Victor B | July 6, 2012 at 4:35 pm | No comments | Events | Tags: architecture, art, culture, events, festival, guimarães, music

Festivities have begun in the northern Portuguese city of Guimarães in what is expected to be a massive celebration of the arts. For 2012, Guimarães is the European Capital of Culture. Throughout the year, a multitude of events in performance, music, visual arts, design and architecture are scheduled. Visitors from across Portugal and around the world are guaranteed to be entertained and enlightened.

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Each year, the Council of Ministers of the European Union awards the title of European Capital of Culture to two (sometimes three) European cities. The first city was Athens in 1895. For 2012, the honor goes to Maribor, Slovenia, in addition to Guimarães.

Events will unfold throughout the year in four key themes:

21 January – 24 March – A TIME FOR ENCOUNTERS
25 March – 24 June – A TIME FOR CREATION
25 June to 15 September – FREE TIME
16 September to 21 December – TIME FOR REBIRTH

Within these periods, four programming clusters will play out covering: City, Community, Thought, and Art. And, within the area of art, four key disciplines of music, performing arts, art and architecture, and film and audiovisual will each be represented with numerous events.

To get a sense of what to expect, check out this Guimarães 2012 promo video: