Tradition burns again in Vila do Conde, yet as always here, it burns to give light. The 21st edition of Queima do Judas returns to public space on 4 April 2026 at 10.30pm at the Vila do Conde Memory Centre, reaffirming the project as one of the most consistent examples of the contemporary reinvention of Portuguese popular traditions.

This year the creation begins with a gesture of tribute. Under the theme “Isabel Lhano, In Praise of the Essential”, the 2026 edition draws inspiration from the visual universe of the Vila do Conde painter, bringing her chromatic strength, poetic imagery and deep connection to the territory into public space. The scenography, costumes and visual elements of the performance enter into dialogue with her work, bringing together visual arts and performing arts in a collective, sensory and deeply symbolic experience.

Artistic direction is led by Pedro Correia, who guides a process in which community participation is not an accessory element, it is structural. Over several weeks, residents, local associations and invited artists collaborate in building the performance, from the creation of the Judas figure to the scenography, including movement, video, costume and traditional dance workshops. This working model ensures a rare balance between artistic rigour and civic involvement, making Queima do Judas a genuine device for shared creation in public space.

The performance combines installation, live music, physical theatre and circus language, while also integrating multimedia contributions developed with the community. The collection of anonymous testimonies from local people, which feed the traditional Judas Testament, keeps the critical and satirical dimension of the event alive, transforming collective concerns into poetic and performative material.

Beyond the night of the performance, the parallel programme extends the tribute and strengthens the link between art and community. Highlights include the painting of a collective mural dedicated to Isabel Lhano, a public talk on her life and work, and the concert “Os Queimados, 21 Springs”, which revisits the project’s musical memory with new arrangements and different generations on stage. These actions expand Queima do Judas beyond the performative moment, embedding it in the everyday life of the city as an ongoing cultural practice.

More than a festive ritual, Queima do Judas stands as a long term artistic and social process in which tradition and contemporaneity do not oppose one another, but instead intermingle. In Vila do Conde, burning Judas is, year after year, a way of thinking about the present collectively, through art, humour and an impressive capacity for collective mobilisation.