The April Festivals celebrate spring, freedom and heritage. 

Blending tradition with new sounds, this month once again brings opportunities to enjoy music, as well as comedy, theatre, literature and sightseeing, marking the return of the sun and the swallows.

From 11 to 25 April, the Festivals will take place at Terreiro do Paço, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, the Beato Innovation District, Cinema São Jorge, and many other cultural venues across the city.

Particular mention must be made of the Great March, held on the afternoon of 25 April, which attracts people of all ages, from those who lived through the early days of democracy to the youngest generation, underscoring the importance of passing on the torch.
Thousands of people thus march down Avenida da Liberdade in a procession that blends celebration, historical remembrance, the celebration of freedom, the defence of fundamental rights, and social demands.

EVENTS: egeac.pt

April is known here as the month of freedom.
On April 25^th 1974, a group of military officers started a revolution, the Carnation Revolution, as it is known, which overthrew the dictatorial regime and established democracy in the country. This day is a national holiday, the ‘Freedom Day’.

Lisboa was the stage for most of the events and it is possible to walk through and visit several spaces which witnessed that moment.

The revolution started during the night of 24^th April in the Pontinha Barracks, where the military officers commanded all operations of the Revolution until the 26^th. Today, this place is open to the public for visits and the operations room has been kept intact since then.

It was over the microphones of the radio station Emissores Associados de Lisboa, which building still stands at Avenida Elias Garcia, that the group of military officers communicated the beginning of the operation, by playing one of the key songs – ‘E depois do Adeus’, by Paulo de Carvalho. The next signal, which confirmed the unfolding of the revolution, was given through Rádio Renascença, which studio was then located at Rua do Capelo, with the song ‘Grândola, Vila Morena’, by Zeca Afonso, that was censored at the time.

It is already on the morning of the 25^th April that the group of military officers commanded by captain Salgueiro Maia arrives in Lisboa, coming from Santarém, to occupy the Terreiro do Paço. However, before arriving at this iconic square, which has been a historical symbol of political power for centuries, at Rua do Arsenal and at Avenida Ribeira das Naus they face resistance by the supporters of the regime.

After moments of tension and negotiation, the military officers occupy the Praça do Comércio, one of the biggest squares in Europe. The buildings surrounding it are still occupied today by some government departments, such as ministries, and the Supreme Court of Justice.

The bridge over the Tejo was also a stage for the events of this day, having been occupied by the Revolution troops in order to prevent the pro-regime army from retaliating. It is still today one of the most important connections between the 2 river banks, it is an icon of Lisboa and it was renamed as 25^th April Bridge on the fifth anniversary of the movement which established democracy in the country

After taking the ministries which were at Terreiro do Paço, the revolutionary movement went on to the Carmo Barracks, because the head of government of the time, Marcello Caetano, was there.

The Carmo Barracks is an old convent of the Carmelite Order and its gothic church, due to its grandeur and monumentality, was able to compete with the Cathedral of Lisboa (Sé de Lisboa). The monument was reduced to ruins in the earthquake of 1755 and was not rebuilt, having remained until now as one of the main witnesses of the catastrophe. Nowadays, the unaffected area is the headquarters of the General Command of the National Republican Guard (Guarda Nacional Republicana), and it was here that, in 1974, the Head of State of the time found refuge and surrendered by the end of the day.

This day marked a turning point in the history of Portugal!
The Carnation Revolution is celebrated with various initiatives in Lisboa.