Four hundred and eighty events will take place in 100 venues throughout the city, 55 countries will be represented, 100 musical groups from the five continents will perform. These are just some of the figures of the ” Youth Festival”, a major religious, artistic, cultural and sports event that will offer opportunities for entertainment and reflection under the banner of creativity and religious witness from August 1 to 6. Young people will share their experiences with their peers, in different languages, on open-air stages and venues, as well as in auditoriums, cinemas, museums, exhibition centres and churches. Music will take centre stage, with no fewer than 290 concerts on the programme, ranging from classical to rock, rap, pop, folk and Christian music.
The programme also includes a variety of theatrical and dance performances. A large number of shows by 16 international companies will be inspired by saints such as St Anthony, St Francis, St Thérèse of Lisieux and St Joan of Arc, while there will be at least three shows by Portuguese artists (“Evangelho – o Musical”, “Teatro com luz negra – Amor a Portugal” and “D. Bosco, o Musical”), as well as numerous dance performances, including those by the World Youth Dance Crew and a flash mob by young members of the Salesian World Youth Movement.
There will be plenty of opportunities for prayer or learning about the ecclesial world thanks to 55 events organised by dioceses, Catholic groups, associations and movements. Participants will be offered a range of activities to deepen their knowledge of religious themes such as spirituality and evangelisation, as well as citizenship, employment and integral ecology. Indeed, a total of 38 conferences – using different languages – will provide an opportunity to discuss the major challenges of today and the contribution of faith that young people can offer to the various areas of life. The events planned include a focus on the economy of Francis, at the centre of a debate with various experts on the subject, which will take place at the Catholic University of Lisbon, as well as meetings at the Champalimaud Foundation with relatives and friends of some of the WYD patrons, such as Blessed Chiara Badano and Carlo Acutis, or other contemporary witnesses, such as the Venerable Guido Schaffer, a Brazilian doctor and seminarian known as the “Angel of Surfing”.
Vocations – from marriage to the priesthood and consecrated life – will be at the centre of the discussions and dialogues organised at the Cultural Centre of Belém in collaboration with the Centre for Research and Anthropology of Vocations.
Finally, a “sports WYD” (on 2 August), with a beach volleyball tournament on Carcavelos beach and a 7-a-side football tournament at the Estádio Universitário, will be held alongside the exhibitions and film and documentary screenings. Indeed, the World Youth Day is also about recreation, arts, culture and sports.
