If you’ll be in Lisbon in the next few weeks, there are some special events you may want to catch. Most of them happen every year, so if you return next year at this time, you’ll also be able to attend them. Those are film, music, and gastronomic festivals, but at the moment there is also a special art exhibition and the river cruises that start at this time of year and are offered throughout the summer months.

“MONSTRA” – THE ANIMATED FILM FESTIVAL
From March 21st to the 27th, this animated film festival will present long, short and “very short” features mostly from Europe, Asia and the United States. Most of the screenings will take place in the São Jorge cinema in Avenida da Liberdade, in the Cinema City Alvalade theater, and at the Gulbenkian Foundation. You can find all of the addresses and complete information on the website (click above).

“FISH & FLAVOURS”
Lisbon’s biggest gastronomic festival will happen on the 7th of April this year, and lasts until the 17th. As always, its theme is the art of cooking fish, and although full details haven’t yet been revealed, it has been confirmed that 13 restaurants and 12 chefs will be part of the event which will take place in the new Patio da Galé in Comercio Square.

“DIAS DA MÚSICA”
This year’s “music days” are April 15th, 16th and 17th. It’s an annual event celebrating Spring with a marathon of classical sounds. In total there will be 65 concerts in seven different spaces of the Belem Cultural Center, and tickets cost between 3.50 and 10 euros, depending on the auditorium. This year’s theme is Western music from “between the death of Richard Wagner and the end of WWII.”

THE GOLDEN AGE OF PORTUGUESE PAINTING
We said it was one of the things to do last December, but this exhibition has been extended to April 23rd. It’s being shown in the Ancient Art Museum, and it’s a collection of works from between 1450 and 1550, the time when Portugal was mapping most of the globe.
If you go on a Sunday until 2PM, you may see it all for free.

RIVER CRUISES
From April until the end of October you can always see Lisbon from the river. Take a cruise that goes past the city’s main monuments and under 25 de Abril Bridge, for some fantastic photos to always remember your trip.

Vasco da Gama Tower Fireworks
The Vasco da Gama Tower is currently closed and about to be turned into a hotel, but it will once again be one of the major New Year’s Eve attractions in the city. Sponsored by a local beer company, there will be a major fireworks show at midnight, rising up from the tower and reflecting on the river. It only lasts for about a couple of minutes, but before and after that there will be a celebratory atmosphere in the bars and restaurants nearby. That includes those of Casino Lisboa which will offer free shows.

Comercio Square Celebrations
The riverfront Comercio Square was renovated this year and since two of its sides were closed to traffic, it offers more pedestrian space. That space will be filled on the night of December 31st with concerts by Portuguese bands and with the lights of the fireworks at midnight.

At the Beach
Most Lisbon bars and clubs will naturally have special New Year’s Eve parties, but one that sounds extra special is at K Urban Beach. It’s one of the city’s hottest night time addresses, with a beachy atmosphere by the river. Its “Sakana” bar-restaurant will have a special sushi menu and you may already make your reservation by phone: 96 131 2721

Overlooking the Atlantic
K’s urban beach has sand and it’s by the water, but if you prefer a real, natural beach, you may choose to spend your New Year’s in Cascais. The Hotel Cascais Miragem which this year was distinguished with a Best Luxury Spa Hotel award, will have an open bar and a refined dinner service for a more sophisticated welcome to 2011. Sip a cocktail overlooking the Atlantic and relax — all you have to do is follow the semi-formal dress code of black attire.

Overlooking the City
Lisbon’s Sheraton is one of the city’s tallest buildings and its top-floor bar and restaurant will be among the best places to be on New Year’s. If you want to start with dinner, it includes a cocktail, a six-course menu, wine and champagne, open bar, the sounds of a DJ and views over Lisbon for 295 euros. A less expensive alternative is just 95 euros and doesn’t include dinner, but allows you to stay at the bar drinking all night, enjoying the DJ music and the city views.

The most spectacular Christmas-related activities in the Lisbon region are not in the capital but in the medieval village of Obidos. Known for its festivals throughout the year, the village is also home to the big “Christmas village” festival every December.
This year it happens from the 10th to January 2nd, and in addition to the annual ice skating rink and house of Santa Claus, the 2010 edition also features an ice bar and a “chocolate lounge” (Obidos is also the stage of an international chocolate festival in early spring).
The photos below show last year’s “Christmas Village” and the official website has more information: http://www.obidosvilanatal.pt/

Lisbon’s Christmas lights were switched on this weekend. Budget cuts cancelled the annual gigantic Christmas tree but the streets downtown and in major commercial areas are now lit up and decorated with the spirit of the holiday season.
The biggest attraction is Rossio Square, where an ice skating rink and a merry-go-round have been placed. Perhaps this funfair atmosphere was not the best choice for the city’s most historical square, but it did attract hundreds of people this weekend, and will continue to do so until January 9th.

A New Look at the Design and Fashion Museum Collection
Lisbon’s Design and Fashion Museum is always free, and this month (until January 30th) you may see part of the collection rearranged by Tenente, one of Portugal’s top fashion designers. He selected about 30 outfits by some of the world’s top designers, from Christian Lacroix to Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen, and Jean Paul Gaultier among others, and presents some of his own creations as well.

Architecture Triennial Exhibition in the Berardo Museum
The Berardo Museum of Modern Art is one of Lisbon’s major cultural attractions, and it’s taking part in the city’s architecture triennial. This exhibition (which is free just like the rest of the museum) discusses the world’s housing conditions based on the specific needs of each region of the globe, and how architecture is defined by local solutions.

The Golden Age of Portuguese Art
The Ancient Art Museum is presenting an exhibition about the “golden age” of Portuguese art (the artists and works created between 1450 and 1550). The stars of the 160 pieces on display are the famous “St. Vincent Panels” which are always a highlight of the museum, but here they’re “dissected” and explained through infrared images.
Most of the other works are part of the museum’s collection, but many were also brought from the Évora Museum, while others are Portuguese works now found in museums in Italy, France, Belgium and Poland.
This exhibition is free if you go on a Sunday until 2PM.

The International Urban Culture Festival
The Lisbon International Urban Culture Festival is taking place around the city until December 11, and one place you should not miss is Palácio Verride, a pink palatial building by the Santa Catarina viewpoint where dozens of Portuguese and foreign artists present their work. The program includes performances, workshops and themed exhibitions, all related to urban culture and contemporary art.

Christmas Concerts
Lisbon’s annual Christmas concerts in several of the city’s churches are back. Among the locations is Memoria Church, for a concert at 4PM on Saturday the 11th, Graça Church on the following day at the same time, Estrela Basilica on the 17th at 9:30PM, and chamber music in São Domingos Church on Sunday the 19th at 4PM.

Lisbon’s major concert season is the summer when the big music festivals take place. But from now until then there are already some famous names lined up for concerts in the city.
Until the end of the year some of those names include Deftones, Lady Gaga, and 30 Seconds to Mars, while for 2011 the scheduled acts include Katy Perry, The National and Bon Jovi.
GoLisbon has updated its Lisbon concerts guide, and it will continue to do so whenever new events are scheduled.
On that page you’ll also find links to complete concert information, including how to get your tickets.

The weekly travel Q&A column of the New York Times travel section will this week answer a question about the holiday season in Portugal.
I have contributed to this report which will be published in this Sunday’s printed edition and is already available on the newspaper’s website.
It highlights the events scheduled for this year in Lisbon, but also tells you about the city’s annual traditions at this time.
Outside the capital, the biggest celebrations in Portugal take place in Obidos and in the island of Madeira.
More specific information about the holidays in Lisbon will be posted here when it’s fully scheduled and confirmed, and you can now read the entire New York Times article here: Q&A Portugal for the Holidays

From the 30th of this month to November 5th, ten of Lisbon’s top chefs will be presenting some of their most creative menus in their restaurants.
This event (in part organized by Lisbon’s tourism bureau) was created to create awareness about the recent innovation, diversity and excellence in Portuguese cuisine, and the importance it has on local culture and tourism.
Unlike those created for the Lisbon Restaurant Week, these will not be special “low cost” menus. They will be for those willing to splurge on the luxury of fine dining and enjoying signature dishes. For that you’ll have to go to each chef’s restaurant (listed below).
The criteria for the selection of the top 10 chefs for this event was not announced but I’m personally surprised to not see at least a couple of the city’s most prominent chefs on the list, although any of the selected ten surely merit the distinction. They are:

• Henrique Mouro, Assinatura
• Joachim Koerper, Eleven
• José Avillez, Tavares
• José Cordeiro, Feitoria, Hotel Altis Belém
• Leonel Pereira, Panorama, Sheraton Lisboa
• Luís Baena, Manifesto
• Miguel Castro Silva, Largo
• Pascal Maynard, Varanda, Ritz Four Seasons
• Vincent Farges, Hotel Fortaleza do Guincho
• Vítor Sobral, Tasca da Esquina

It’s officially autumn in Europe, but it only gets really cold in Lisbon in December. So, rain or shine, it’s still a wonderful time to walk around the city, and for that reason the Chiado district throws a party every year at this time.
Taking place from the 9th to the 16th of the month, the “Festa no Chiado” is a variety of events and activities which will include special exhibitions in the neighborhood’s galleries and oldest bookstores, outdoor concerts in Praça do Camões and inside São Carlos Theater, and free guided tours of the São Roque Museum and of the Carmo Convent ruins (must be booked in advance to join).
There will also be guided walking tours of the neighborhood which will take participants into the most historical shops and back in time into some of the city’s most historical moments of the last century such as the regicide of 1908.
Everything is free and an excuse to discover little-known or forgotten sides of Lisbon’s favorite neighborhood.
The entire program for each day is found here: Centro Nacional de Cultura

Discover the Treasures of Pagan and Celtic Portugal
It’s a major “temporary” exhibition that’s lasted for eight years, but it’s coming to an end this month. It’s inside Lisbon’s National Archaeological Museum and shows the “Religions of Lusitânia.” Lusitania is pre-Roman and Roman Portugal, when western Iberia or present-day Portugal was a pagan and Celtic territory.
In this exhibition you’ll surely be surprised and impressed by the richness of the archaeological finds, most of them busts and statues of gods and warriors of the time. Some already cover a Romanized Portugal, but most are pieces of a still-enigmatic civilization found all over Portugal.

Join Lisbon in the Celebration of 100 Republican Years
It’s usually open for visits only once a week, but for the first five days of the month you’ll be able to go inside the official residence of the president of Portugal, Belém Palace. That’s part of the 5-day celebration of the Portuguese Republic which is 100 years old on October 5th. The end of monarchy and the beginning of a new republic is also celebrated in the Museum of the Presidency next to Belém Palace.  Other celebrations take place on those first days on the month every night in Comércio Square with a 3D film showing the history of Lisbon and Portugal. That’s from 9:30PM to 11:50PM.

See the City on a River Cruise
They only take place from April to October, so this month is your last chance to cruise the Tagus and get the best photos of the city from a different perspective until next year. The cruise takes you to the modern district of the city, Parque das Nações, to the most historical, Belém, past all of the main landmarks.
It departs at 2:30PM and ends in Parque das Nações at 6:30PM.

Go to the International Documentary Film Festival
This year’s DocLisboa, Lisbon’s international documentary film festival, will take place from the 14th to the 24th of October. Some of the screenings will be inside a couple of theaters in the city (Cinema Londres and City Classic Alvalade), but most of them will be in Culturgest, a cultural center uptown. The opening film will be one about José Saramago, Portugal’s Nobel Prize-winning author who died earlier this year. Most of the other films are from Europe, but there are also many from North and South America.