Between 4pm and 8pm on Saturday, September 21, the Porto Art District's Simultaneous Inaugurations are celebrating their 17th anniversary. On the day of the festivities, this outstanding annual program announces that it aims to convene a meeting between creators and those who live, work or are visiting the city of Porto.

As happens every two months, there will be new exhibitions in the contemporary art galleries and new collections in the exhibition, commercial and alternative spaces, accompanied by free cultural entertainment programmed by Ágora - Cultura e Desporto do Porto, as workshops, music, routes and even a live podcast.

In the pedestrian area of Rua de Miguel Bombarda that intersects with Rua de Cedofeita, there will be a drawing session of the human figure with a live model throughout the afternoon, promoted by the Porto Drawing Club, a community of people who meet to draw “in good company”. Participants of all skill and experience levels will be welcome and materials will be available on site.

At the same time, but on the opposite side of Miguel Bombarda, on the pedestrian segment that intersects with Rua da Boa Nova, the “abstract composition” painting workshop will take place, led by mynameisnotSEM, a big name in graffiti from Porto. Again, no previous knowledge is required to take part, you just have to show up willing to collaborate, regardless of age.

Also on this side of the street, another workshop will take place, in this case on creating and giving away personalized badges. Participants will be able to create models with images alluding to the anniversary.

Also in this area of the street (near the Palácio de Cristal), there will be a live recording of an episode of the “FEMINA” podcast, dedicated to “listening to women artists”, with Vanessa Augusto. This is an independent project with female guests who share their achievements, purpose and mechanisms for personal and creative empowerment.

The musical choice at Rua de Miguel Bombarda will be in the hands of MVRIA (Maria Ferreira), a DJ who has been frequenting club booths in Porto and other national and foreign cities for over a decade. The programmer and coordinator of Passos Manuel is part of the first generation of women to gain space and a voice in the Porto club scene.

The afternoon also includes the collective performance “Crystal Beings - I Believe in Good Things Coming”, an itinerant proposal conceived and directed by Luísa Mota. The artist and the organization of the Simultaneous Inaugurations are inviting the community on a walking tour, starting at 5.30pm in the Crystal Palace Gardens and lasting approximately one hour. The “crystal beings” will march around the block, announcing the future: “I belive in good things coming”.

The author explains that the aim of the performance “is to provide an exercise in collective and individual self-awareness”. No specific training is required for applicants, who must register using this form by September 16 (more information: rafaela@anti-house.com).

The program also extends to Largo da Maternidade de Júlio Dinis, where the second edition of a showcase of alternative editions, own and independent publications will be held, curated by ZineFestPT. The event aims to “present, stimulate and support local know-how in sustainable, interdisciplinary, multicultural and innovative development”.

In the same space, there will also be a workshop to massage the imagination, led by illustrator Catarina Gomes, in which participants (of any age and skill level) will be able to experiment in a fun way with different ways of drawing, inspired by books by the author herself. At the end, they will take away a notebook with all their work.

The soundtrack in the square will be provided by Farofa, a music researcher, DJ and producer who has been traveling through Brazilian, African and Latin music for over 20 years.

As usual, visual arts students from the Porto School of Education will lead two guided tours of some of the galleries opening exhibitions this Saturday. What's new this time is that the activity will be translated into Portuguese sign language by the Association of Portuguese Sign Language Translators and Interpreters (ATILGP). Participation is free and those interested should send an email to visitasguiadasbombarda@agoraporto.pt by 13:00 on September 20, indicating your name and the time you want to attend (16:00-17:00 or 17:30-18:30).

At 7pm, to close this special edition of Simultaneous Inaugurations, the Acoustic Shell of the Crystal Palace Gardens will host a concert by the trio Expresso Transatlântico, a recent project that mixes influences from Portuguese tradition and contemporary global sounds.