Organized by
Municipio Santiago do Cacém
Saturday 9 August – Sunday 10 August
12:00–00:00
Saturday 9 August – Sunday 10 August
12:00–00:00
From August 8 to 10, the traditional São Romão Festivities will take place, with the recreation of the centuries-old São Romão baths, the sale of local fruit and sweets, a quinceañera, dances, traditional music and much more, on the Santo André coast, in the multi-purpose tent. It's a tradition that the Santo André Parish Council organizes and the Santiago do Cacém Town Council supports, to keep it alive.
Every year, until the middle of the last century, the country folk would come down to the Santo André coast at the end of their farm work. They came in large numbers in carts pulled by beasts. The bathers were dressed from head to toe, "they in black pants and white shirts, the women in dark round skirts and light blouses with long sleeves. On the beach, the cars were placed with their poles up. Awnings were improvised out of bedspreads, to protect them from the sun during a delicious lunch of red wine and the inevitable watermelon dessert." (in carvalho, o.; sousa, j.; vale, f. & matias, j. (2015) - Cultural and Natural Heritage Report (polycopied). Santiago do Cacém Town Hall).
But the festivities didn't stop there: when the heat got hot, they would roll up their pants and the girls their skirts to cool off in the waves of the sea. The merrymaking would continue, the girls would be courted, jokes would be played and shared, and there would be dancing to the sound of the accordion or the bagpipes throughout the night by the light of oil lamps.
Those who go to Costa de Santo André are invited to embark on a journey into the past, with a program marked by various initiatives, also from the present.
09 August (Saturday)
11h00 - Ethnographic parade and recreation of the São Romão Bath
- Ninho de uma Aldeia Folkloric Group
- Lagoa de Santo André Costumes and Traditions Group
13h00 - Shared lunch | Conviviality
16h30 - Folklore with Rancho Folclórico Ninho de uma Aldeia
18h30 - Cante Alentejano with Cercante - Children's Singing Group from
Cercal do Alentejo
21h30 - Dance with Eliseu Brás
Fri, 7 Aug · 19:00
Another edition of the São Romão Festival is coming up! 😍 August 7, 8, and 9 on the Santo André Coast. A great weekend where tradition comes to life. @ Multipurpose tent, next to the Al Tarik Hotel
Sat, 8 Aug · 12:00
Another edition of the São Romão Festival is coming up! 😍 August 7, 8, and 9 on the Santo André Coast. A great weekend where tradition comes to life. @ Multipurpose tent, next to the Al Tarik Hotel
Sun, 9 Aug · 12:00
Another edition of the São Romão Festival is coming up! 😍 August 7, 8, and 9 on the Santo André Coast. A great weekend where tradition comes to life. @ Multipurpose tent, next to the Al Tarik Hotel
Fri, 28 Aug · 22:00
Throughout the month of August, the “Noites no Largo” initiative presents the play “A Bilha Quebrada,” performed by Baal17—the Baixo Alentejo Educational Theater Company—which will tour various locations in the municipality between August 13 and 30 at 9:30 p.m., in Alvalade, Costa de Santo André, Cercal do Alentejo, Vale de Água, Cruz de João Mendes, Abela, Santiago do Cacém, Ermidas-Sado, Santa Cruz, Vila Nova de Santo André, São Domingos, and São Bartolomeu da Serra. The Santiago do Cacém City Council, with the support of the parish councils, aims through this touring initiative to provide the public with free street theater performances, as part of a clear commitment to cultural decentralization. Musical procession through the streets of each town – 9:00 p.m. | Start of the show – 9:30 p.m. In a village court, Dona Marta demands justice: someone broke into her daughter Eva’s room during the night and smashed her favorite jug. Adão, the authoritarian and corrupt judge, prepares to settle the case for his own benefit, but as luck would have it, on that very day he receives a visit from an inspector from the city. Eva refuses to tell the truth, and suspicion falls on her fiancé. For Dona Brígida, who never misses a thing, the Devil is involved in the matter. After all, who broke Dona Marta’s jug? Text: h.v. Kleist |Translation: Christine Zurbach |Direction: Rui Ramos |Cast: Bárbara Soares, Carolina Carvalhais, Filipe Seixas, Marco Ferreira, Marisela Terra, Miguel Magalhães, Pedro Ramos, and Sandra Serra |Set Design: Fabrice Ziegler |Costume Design: Inês Galveias |Hair: Eduardo Estevam |Makeup: Abigail Machado |Lighting Design: Filipe Seixas |Photography: Fabrice Ziegler |Graphic Design: Ana Rodrigues |Production Manager: Sandra Serra |Executive Producer: André Batista |Management: Rui Ramos Street Band: Musical Direction and Trumpet: Alexandre Pintasilgo |Tenor Saxophone: Pedro Guerreiro |Sousaphone: Sérgio Pisco |Percussion: Pedro Sequeira Duration: 70 min Rating: Ages 12 and up Free Admission