Festival das Artes QuebraJazz 2026 — Opening Ballet «Os Maias»
The 17th edition of the Festival das Artes QuebraJazz opens in Coimbra on 12 July at the Convento São Francisco with the ballet «Os Maias», performed by the National Ballet Company. It launches a month and a half of music, dance and jazz across the city.
The Festival das Artes QuebraJazz returns to Coimbra for its 17th edition, running from 12 July to 29 August 2026 under the theme «Contraponto» (Counterpoint). Regarded as one of the anchor events of the city's cultural calendar, the festival offers 28 cultural moments — 13 of them free of charge — blending classical music, jazz, dance, cinema, visual arts and gastronomy.
The opening night takes place on 12 July at the Convento São Francisco with the ballet «Os Maias», performed by the National Ballet Company in a choreographic creation by Fernando Duarte. It is a rare chance to see a production that sold out its runs in Lisbon and Porto, now brought to Coimbra's stage to launch the festival.
From this opening, QuebraJazz unfolds across some of the city's most emblematic spaces. The open-air Colina de Camões amphitheatre, in the gardens of Quinta das Lágrimas, hosts much of the concert programme, while the historic Escadas do Quebra-Costas in the old town welcome free-admission jazz concerts throughout August. Other moments take place at Santa Clara-a-Nova and the Convento São Francisco itself.
The line-up brings together leading national and international names, from the National Ballet Company to the Jeffery Davis Quintet, the Quatuor Tchalik, the Hot Clube de Portugal Orchestra, pianist David Fray and the Gulbenkian Orchestra, which closes the main programme on 22 July.
For visitors, the festival is a wonderful way to experience Coimbra in summer: open-air music nights in the Quinta das Lágrimas gardens, the unique atmosphere of the UNESCO-listed historic centre, and a programme that pairs artistic excellence with free events for the whole family.
Tickets are on sale at the festival box office (with points at Quinta das Lágrimas and the Escadas Quebra-Costas), at FNAC Coimbra, the Almedina bookshop at Estádio de Coimbra, and online via Eventbrite. Early booking is advised given the usual demand for the opening sessions.
