Organised to mark the 449th anniversary of the elevation of the town into city, on January 27, 1573, by El Rei D. Sebastião, the festivities last for three days, with cultural and recreational initiatives alluding to the historical date of one of the most important Algarve cities from the Portuguese Discoveries period.

To mark the anniversary, the program starts next Thursday, at 17:00, in the Paços do Concelho auditorium, with the presentation of the book “Baía de Lagos – Comida do Mar”, a work that intends to be a tribute to local gastronomy with connections to the sea.

On the same day, the Orquestra Clássica do Sul meets on the stage of the Cultural Center, at 19:00, for the concert “Contrastes e Afinidades”, in which they will perform songs by composers Johann Sebastian Bach, Igor Stravinsky and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

On Friday, at 21:30, the same stage welcomes the winner of the RTP da Canção and Eurovision Song Contest 2017, musician Salvador Sobral, who will present “bpm”, his latest record.

On Saturday, the program includes a guided tour entitled “Lagos, D. Sebastião e Memórias”, the lecture “Lagos, Terras do Infante, D. Sebastião and Sebastianismo”, by historians Artur de Jesus and José António Martins, and the opening of the “LocalArte” exhibition at the Lagos Cultural Center.

The exhibition brings together works by 49 local artists and will be on display at the Cultural Center until March 19.

The exhibition of the short film “Memories of the Future”, a project developed by the cultural association “A Caravana” in the cities of Lagos, Santarém and Sever do Vouga, a tribute to all grandmothers and to their experience and memories, closes the celebrations, at 17:00, at the Cultural Center of the city.

In a statement, the municipality announced that during the three days of celebrations, all museum facilities in the municipality will be able to be visited free of charge, in what is “an excellent opportunity to get to know history better and to visit the renovated Museum of Lagos Dr. José Formosinho”.

The celebrations of the 449th anniversary of the elevation of Lagos to the city "will follow strict compliance with the health measures in force, for the safety and convenience of all participants", assures the municipality.