According to data sent to the Lusa news agency by the Coimbra City Council, the São Francisco Convent (CSF) cost approximately 42 million euros. Its best year was 2025, with 87,769 spectators at cultural events. This figure was almost three times its inaugural year (29,324) and marked the largest annual increase in the first decade—a 51% rise from 2024 (58,340).

With the exception of 2018, 2019, and the COVID-19 pandemic years (2020 and 2021), the CSF (Cultural and Social Services Centre) has consistently shown growth in audience numbers for cultural events. However, this growth is still less than the attendance for congresses and corporate events, which totalled 441,679 people over ten years. Notably, attendance for congresses and corporate events increased significantly from 2023 onwards.

The number of cultural events held annually also increased from 98 in its inaugural year to 306 in 2025, totalling 1,720 shows (an average of 249 people per event), according to data provided by the municipality.

Last year had the most corporate events and congresses (176) of any year, bringing the ten-year total to 1,050.

Combining the audiences from both CSF functions, approximately 870,000 people were registered over 10 years, with each function contributing a similar number.

“The overall data analysis reveals a trajectory of sustained growth for the São Francisco Convent since its reopening,” highlighted an official source from the Coimbra City Council, emphasising the “very significant recovery from 2022 onwards, followed by continuous growth in 2023, 2024 and 2025”.

For the Coimbra City Council, the data shows the São Francisco Convent is now a leading cultural and congress site. It attracts growing audiences and balances cultural and congress activities while diversifying its programming.

In ten years, the São Francisco Convent has never had a director or artistic direction team chosen through a public competition, with executives from the Socialist Party (PS) and a coalition led by the Social Democratic Party (PSD) opting for appointments within the municipality or through direct contracting.

The previous executive, led by José Manuel Silva, after several short-lived director appointments, decided to launch a public competition in 2025 for the artistic programmer of that space.

However, after the jury's final report recommended the former director of the Teatro Oficina de Guimarães, Mickael de Oliveira, the current executive, led by the Avançar Coimbra coalition (PS/Livre/PAN), cancelled the competition, citing a lack of financial resources.

At the same time as it celebrates its tenth anniversary, it was made public that the São Francisco Convent suffered a cut of more than two-thirds in its programming budget for this year, going from approximately 600,000 euros to 183,000 euros.