Marcelo and Costa start celebrations with concert and fireworks

The official celebrations of the Day of Portugal, Camões and the Portuguese Communities return to Portugal, to Peso da Régua, after a decentralized celebration with the Portuguese communities in South Africa that brought together the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister.

According to the published programme, at 10:30 there will be a military ceremony for the raising of the national flag in the town square, in Peso da Régua, but Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa only arrives at the site in the late afternoon.

At the Douro Museum, from 20:00, the presentation of greetings from the diplomatic corps accredited in Portugal to the President of the Republic will take place, where the Prime Minister, António Costa, will join for a ‘cocktail’ and “representative cultural animation Of region”.

Then, at 9.30 pm, in the same place, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and António Costa will attend a concert commemorating the Day of Portugal, Camões and Portuguese Communities, open to the public, by the Ligeira Army orchestra.

The day’s program ends with a commemorative fireworks display from the Douro River.

On Saturday, Portugal, Camões and Portuguese Communities Day, the two government officials will participate in the commemorative military ceremony, which will feature the traditional intervention of the head of state and supreme commander of the Armed Forces and the chairman of the organizing committee for the celebrations, winemaker João Nicolau de Almeida.

This year, the Day of Portugal celebrations began on the 5th in South Africa and ended in Portugal, in Peso da Régua, district of Vila Real, where the military ceremony on the 10th of June will take place.

The current model of double celebrations of the Day of Portugal, Camões and the Portuguese Communities was launched by Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa in the year of his inauguration, 2016, in conjunction with the Prime Minister, António Costa.

In Portuguese territory, a ceremony of a more solemn and military character takes place, which associates the 10th of June with the Armed Forces. Abroad, the date is celebrated with Portuguese emigrants and Portuguese descendants, whom the head of state refers to as part of the “spiritual territory” of the nation.

In 2020 and 2021, this model was interrupted due to the covid-19 pandemic, and there were only ceremonies in national territory. In 2022, for health reasons, António Costa did not participate in the ceremonies of the 10th of June, which took place in Braga and London.

In 2016, Portugal, Camões and Portuguese Communities Day was celebrated between Lisbon and Paris, in 2017 between Porto and Brazil, in 2018 between the Azores and the United States of America and in 2019 between Portalegre and Cape Verde.