Going out and stuff is now a little easier here in Lisbon, at least for those of us that chose to get vaccinated. Moreover, both the sun and the moon have been shining down on the city in full force day and night recently. Yes, there’s still no central heating (and probably won’t be in your lifetime), and human nature —in all its magnificent horror and glory — is also revealing itself a lot more than usual recently due to you know what… But, overall, and in retrospect, early 2022 Lisbon is a lot less depressing than early 2021 Lisbon. For example, on average, there are ten times fewer deaths this January than last. Oh, and there are a lot more events happening around town this weekend too! Here are some of them:
Jan 21
BEGINNER LATIN DANCE CLASSES:
Tonight (and every Friday night for the foreseeable future), Huelva native, now Lisbon local, and dancer/dance instructor Celia Fernández Franco invites you to take a pandemic-friendly dance lesson or two, with the first one being free. Tonight it’s bachata.
PERFORMANCE-INSTALLATION:
! WART ! is a multimedia performance by local artist Manoel Barbosa. It’s a sort of culmination of the stuff he started doing on January 21st, 1972 — painting, performance, drawing, installation, video art — sprinkled with an “uncontrollable desire to throw napalm around.” It’s free to enter.
HIP-HOP CONCERT:
Underground Porutugese hip-hop legend for years now Nameless comes to Benfica this Friday night to spit some tunes off his debut EP, released in 2020. Entry is 5€.
DOUBLE ROCK CONCERT:
If, however, you’re looking to experience a ritual, an exorcism, the musical rebirth of one Violeta Luz (and, thereby, her band), as well as some sounds where “the death of the city or its disruptive change are the primary combustion points for a band that has sonic and compositional exploration as its foundations,” then DAMAS invites you to a double-concert by locals Dead Club and Erosão. Tickets are also 5€.
Jan 21-23
THEATER:
País das canções de embalar (or “Lullaby Country”) is, in the words of the people behind it, “a search for an identity, be it the identity of Vitor, of a country, of a city, or of a dog,” and it asks questions like “what if the differentiation between you and me were impossible?; what if the certainty and authenticity of an ‘I’ no longer constituted a problem?” If you speak some Portuguese and have 10€, you can try to find some answers for the next three nights.
Jan 22
ANNIVERSARY CONCERT:
Meanwhile, seven-year-old local party monsters who have “already set many dance floors on fire with their funaná music” Fogo Fogo come to Casa Independente this Saturday night, with a guest DJ, for seven hours of musical goodness. Because they’ve missed you. Tickets are 10€.
LP RELEASE PARTY:
Lisbon-bred renaissance man in cool hat Shaka presents his debut solo LP Shaka’s Lo-Fi Experience at BOTA this Saturday night. Inspired by the two years he spent in Seattle a while back, Shaka uses his berimbau, his “lo-fi apparatus,” and his sultry voice to tell us tales of the refugee crisis in 2015, the construction of the oil pipeline on native Standing Rock land in North Dakota in 2016, the fire at the National Museum of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro in 2018, and other stuff that is vital to our survival. Entry is 6€.
Jan 22-23
ART AND FLEA MARKET:
In 2021, after nine joyous years, Lisbon was set to say goodbye to one of its most cherished “alternative” monthly markets… But that was then, and this is now. And so, this weekend, Anjos70 Art and Flea Market is alive and kicking, in its usual spot, which is sure to make many a local and visitor happy. Entry is still free too.
to Jan 30
MULTIMEDIA EXHIBIT:
“Life happens at an overwhelming pace, with millions of processes occurring every millisecond, in which we can only manage a few choices, big or small, that influence, each one’s path, in general.” That’s not only true but also what local artist Catarina Sampaio Teixeira says about her new solo exhibit Circumstance at Com Calma, which deals with “this fugacity that rules our lives.” You can view it Thursday through Sunday until the end of the month, Entry is 3€, or free if you’re a member.
For more happenings around town in early 2022, see our what’s on section.
And Happy International Fetish Day to those celebrating!
Have a good weekend, be safe, be weird, and be well.
