CREATIVE CHRISTMAS WITH TRADITIONAL PRODUCTS
Held within the safety legislation / subjected to sanitary context
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Christmas is an extraordinarily beautiful season and, in Barcelos, its magic is revealed in many aspects of everyday life, such as in the Christmas lights, in the traditional Christmas markets, where local crafts and folk arts are stars, in the quality of the traditional cakes, that can be found in all local pastries and bakeries and in so many other elements that combined make Christmas an incomparable moment of the year.
- “SWEET BARCELOS”
Experience the Traditional Confectionery. The first weekend of December is always eagerly awaited, it is the weekend of the Christmas Contest “Barcelos Doce” (Sweet Barcelos), which closes the annual promotional program entitled “7 Pleasures of Gastronomy”. Barcelos’ pastries and bakeries bring their most emblematic Christmas Cakes – the king cake; the sponge cake and the Christmas trunk. These cakes, besides being traditional at Barcelos Christmas, are also the signature of many local pastries and bakeries, which year after year work to create memorable flavors.
The contest takes place at Barcelos Tourist Office and is also an opportunity to make these traditional goodies known to those who visit us.
This activity will take place at the Tourist Office of Barcelos on December 5th and 6th
Schedule: Saturday: 10 am | 1 pm and 2 pm | 5h00
Sunday: 10 am | 1 pm and 2 pm | 4:00 pm
Free entry
Contact: Tourism Office, turismo@cm-barcelos.pt
- CREATIVE WORKSHOPS – CHRISTMAS FIGURINES:
Barcelona Creative City has in the imagery related to the Christmas theme one of its greatest expressions and national 
recognition. The clay modeling workshops are conducted by great masters of local craftsmanship and are an invitation to a sensory experience where the participants are free to discover or rediscover creativity, through the creation of their own tailored Christmas Figurine.
This activity will take place at the Medieval Tower of Barcelos on the days: 3, 5, 10, 12, 17 and 19 of December.
Schedule: Thursdays from 10.00 am to 11.30 am and Saturdays from 3.00 pm to 4.30 pm.
Duration: 1h30
Participation: free – by appointment
Contact: Tourism Office, turismo@cm-barcelos.pt
- VINES AND WINES ROUTE, AN INTERPRETIVE TOUR:
Touring Barcelos 2020
December 12th
Explore Barcelo’s rural areas during the holiday season can be a unique experience. It is to enjoy the night frost that melts and turns into water droplets throughout the morning covering the entire vegetation of the fields, it is the deciduous leaves that spread on fields and make them multicolored, it is discovering that the winter cold can transmit a lot of natural warmth. When added to this route the experience of crossing a wine territory, then it is to observe the cycle of the vines that end, only to return again just before spring. Yet, these vines have already produced wine and with this route, participants will be able to update their information on Barcelos’ wines, namely on the 2020 harvest. This route ends with a traditional tasting.
This activity will take place on December 12th
Wine farms to visit: Tamariz, Paços and Balão.
It will have a duration of 3h00
Schedule: 8.30 – 13.00
Participation: free – by appointment
Contact: Tourism Office, turismo@cm-barcelos.pt
- Edition of the Booklet “Creative Tourism in Barcelos”
Barcelos bets considerably on promoting a tourism of experiences, highly leveraged in creativity, in a distinguished offer of contact with the reality and the authenticity of the territory, together with its main actors. The recently launched booklet “Creative Tourism in Barcelos” is, therefore, an innovative tourist offer, which invites tourists to leave their traditional role of observers, to integrate the role of actors and creators.
This booklet will be available during 2021/2022.
CHRISTMAS TRADITIONAL ARTS AND CRAFTS MARKET:
In Barcelos, the entire month of December will be marked by the Christmas Market, which will include the promotion of various local products, among which, stand out wines and handicrafts. It is not just a market dedicated to shopping, it is a showcase of local tradition. Here, visitors will be able to communicate directly with wine producers or meet the work of Barcelos great craftsmanship masters, appreciate the different creations that traditionally characterize local crafts, from woodwork, embroidery, iron and derivatives, basketry and wickerwork, figurines and pottery and even the most contemporary handicrafts very characterized by the use of recycled materials, in a theme that alludes to this season. All of this in a classic environment, where lights and music exalt Christmas.
Dates: December 10th to 31th
Location: Avenida de Liberdade
Hours Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday: 1 pm | 7 pm
Thursday, Saturday and Sunday: 10 am | 7:00 pm
Christmas Day: closed
- NATIVITY SCENE EXHIBITION:
The Tourist Office and the Medieval Tower, every year, welcome a Christmas Exhibition of Barcelos handicrafts, not only in the production of clay figurines but also in timber, ironworks, embroidery, contemporary and/or recycled materials. Creations that reveal an identity connected to the way Christmas is experienced in Barcelos, but also pointing to the constant search for innovation of local artisans.
This exhibition is a true milestone in the annual cycle of Barcelos handicraft exhibitions, not only because of the theme but because of the enormous variety and implicit innovation, that comes out each year by the hands of local artisans.
This activity will take place at Barcelos Tourist Office and Medieval Tower
Free entry
Contact: Tourism Office, turismo@cm-barcelos.pt
- TRAVEL GUIDE EDITION- 15 REASONS TO VISIT BARCELOS:
This guide was launched very recently, in the last quarter of 2020, and is an online promotion tool for Barcelos, with a wide national and international scope, as it is available in two languages, Portuguese and English.
It presents the most beautiful points of interest, but also the paths and visits less traveled. It is a guide that calls for a memorable and evocative experience concerning new concepts of tourism focused on experience and creativity.
It is a guide that invites you to discover the territory, to visit what we consider essential to experience a 3-day adventure in Barcelos.
BARCELOS CREATIVE FRIENDLY DESTINATION
