Popular Marches of Lisbon: The last were the first in 2025

Alcântara and Bairro Alto Win the 2025 Popular Marches

This year, the Alcântara Marches and the Bairro Alto march won the Lisbon Marches jointly. Interestingly, the last two marches to parade on the Avenue were the winners of the event, proving true to the popular saying "the last are the first".

The 2025 event brought together more than 1800 participants, including marchers, godfathers and godmothers, standard bearers, mascots, water carriers, musicians (horsemen), rehearsals, those responsible for the groups and the organization.

Once again, the Avenue was too small for the thousands of people who came to see the Marches parade and who, in unison with the marchers, sang "Alma de Lisboa" - the central theme of this year's edition, with lyrics and music by Gimba, performed by all the participating groups (in addition to their own songs).
The Macau Street Dance group from the semi-autonomous Chinese region opened the parade on Avenida da Liberdade with the Golden Fish Lantern Dance. This was followed by the Children's March of the Lisbon Schools and the three extra-competition marches, namely: A Voz do Operário, Mercados and Santa Casa.
The most anticipated moment came next, with the 20 competing marches marching down the Avenue.

The marches were once again evaluated by the jury chaired by Vítor Agostinho and composed of Bruno Cochat (Choreography Appraisal), Daniela Cardante (Set Design Appraisal), Catarina Vasques Rito (Costume Appraisal), Sofia Hoffmann (Lyrics Appraisal), Osvaldo Ferreira (Music Appraisal) and Leonor Padinha (representative of EGEAC).
A curiosity: On their 93rd anniversary, the Popular Marches of Lisbon were recognized as Intangible Cultural Heritage, in an application supported by the CML.

Image: informacao.lisboa.pt

Results of the Marches in Competition

Alcântara and Bairro Alto won the Lisbon Popular Marches in this 2025 edition. Note that in 2024, Alcântara was also the winning march and Bairro Alto won in 2021.
The Marcha da Bica was ranked third, having been the winner of the 2023 edition.
São Vicente and Alcântara won in the categories of Best Choreography and Best Scenography, respectively. The award for Best Lyrics went to Alcântara, a march that shared the award for Best Musicality with those of Bairro Alto, Bica and Marvila. In the category of Best Original Composition, the winner was Bica, with “Meia porta, porta e meia”. The Best Parade on the Avenue went to the marches of Bairro Alto, Bica and Madragoa.
Below are the classifications of all the marches, with some tying for the place achieved.

1.º March of Alcântara
1.º March of  Bairro Alto
3.º March of  Bica
4.º March of  Alfama
5.º March of  Madragoa
6.º March of  Marvila
7.º March of  São Vicente
8.º March of  Alto do Pina
9.º March of  Mouraria
10.º March of  Penha de França
11.º March of  Bela Flor-Campolide
11.º March of  Carnide
13.º March of  Bairro da Boavista
13.º March of  Castelo
15.º March of  Benfica
16.º March of  Olivais
17.º March of  Beato
18.º March of  Graça
19.º March of  Lumiar
20.º March of  São Domingos de Benfica

Special classifications:

Best Choreography: March of  São Vicente
Best Set Design: March of  Alcântara
Best Costume Design: March of  Alcântara and March of São Vicente
Best Lyrics: March of  Alcântara
Best Musicality: March of Alcântara, March of Bairro Alto, Marcha da Bica e March of Marvila
Best Original Composition: Meia porta, porta e meia, March of Bica
Best Parade on the Avenue: March of Bairro Alto, March of Bica e March of Madragoa

Images: lisboa.pt e informacao.lisboa.pt

The Winning Songs

Alcântara

In a masterful touch, Alcântara brings the mystique of seven, showing that 7 is more than just a number: it is a magical link between the past and the present, bringing together tradition and modernity. The song speaks of the seven hills of the city, the seven skirts that turn in the wind and the seven days of the week that weave the rhythm of life.
The Alcântara March is organized by the Sociedade Filarmônica Alunos Esperança and is directed by Francisco Ferreira. The rehearsals are Mafalda Matos and Vítor Kpez and Renato Godinho is the costume and set designer. It was sponsored by Pedro Granger and Ana Sofia Cardoso and its mascots are Dânia Duarte and José Tomás Ramos.
The new marches presented were "Alcântara somos todos nós", by David Ferreira and Jorge Ramos (lyrics) and João Aborim (music and arrangements); and "Alcântara, bairro místico de Lisboa", with lyrics by David Ferreira and Jorge Ramos, and music and arrangements by Carlos Dionísio. The third march presented was "Alcântara vem cantar", by Silva Nunes (lyrics), Jorge d’Ávila (music) and Carlos Dionísio (arrangements).

Bairro Alto 

Bairro Alto paid tribute to time with the theme "Where time keeps stories", representing the passage of eras and the preservation of knowledge through time.
Each story, thought and human creation is protected by symbolic guardians: the second-hand bookshops, which keep these memories in books.
The Bairro Alto March is organized by the Lisboa Clube Rio de Janeiro and is directed by Vítor Silva. The rehearsal directors are Dino Carvalho and Carla Fonseca and the costume designer Paulo de Miranda. The set design was done by Fábio Carmelo, João Esteves, José Alberto and José Condessa. The godparents were Sónia Brazão and Luís Borges and the mascots were Denis Santos and Vitória Freitas.
The new marches presented were "Passa o tempo, troca o passo", by Joana Dionísio (lyrics) and Carlos Dionísio (music and arrangement); and "Tell me how it is?", by José Condessa (lyrics) and Carlos Pinto (music and arrangement).

The Famous Godparents and the Winning Godparents

The Marchas de Alcântara and Bairro Alto won, ex-aequo, first place in the Marchas Populares 2025.
The first was sponsored by Ana Sofia Cardoso and Pedro Granger and revalidated the title won last year. The second was sponsored by Sónia Brazão and Luís Borges and had not won since 2021.

Find out now who the sponsors of the other Marchas were.

• March of Marvila: Matay and Luciana Abreu:
• March of Boavista: Daniel Gregório and Liliana Filipa;
• March of Graça: João Ricardo and Joana Diniz;
• March of Castelo: Gonçalo Quinaz and Joana Machado Madeira;
• March of Alfama: José Figueirasand Raquel Tavares;
• March of Carnide: Luís Simões and Inês Lopes Gonçalves;
• March of Benfica: Francisco Beatriz and Margarida Moreira;
• March of São Domingos de Benfica: Heitor Nunes and Jéssica Vieira;
• March of Bela Flor Campolide: Ricardo and Sónia Landum;
• March of Madragoa: Bruno Cabrerizo and Ana Garcia Martins;
• March of Alto do Pina: Diogo Fernandes and Blaya;
• March of Beato: João Batista and Mónica Sofia;
• March of São Vicente: Vasco Pereira Coutinho and Ana Brito e Cunha;
• March of Penha de França: Rui Andrade and Salomé Caldeira;
• March of Olivais: Paulo Battista and Sara Norte;
• March of Bica: Ricardo Guedes and Lili Caneças;
• March of Mouraria: Duarte Siopa and Joana Alvarenga;
• March of Lumiar: Flávio Furtado and Yola Dinis;
• March of Santa Casa da Misericórdia (did not participate in the competition): Pedro Crispim and Liliana Santos.
  
  

Images: Correio da Manhã

Images: Facebook Marchas Populares

Walking down the avenue is one of those experiences that we carry in our hearts forever!

Carlos Moedas (mayor of Lisbon City Council) said in a statement to RTP that it was "The most beautiful day in the city".
He mentioned that "it was an incredible day, full of emotion (...) it is a beautiful city, Lisbon is incredible. This is our identity, and it is impossible not to be moved during this day", added the mayor.
"We are here with incredible energy and it is this energy that defines the Soul of Lisbon, our soul is all these people".

The President of the Republic - Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa - highlighted the fundamental importance of the neighborhoods on the night of the Popular Marches of Lisbon, a tradition that he described as "unique and increasingly alive". Marcelo considered that "neighborhoods are essential and that people do not live alone, they are not islands, they live in communities. Neighborhoods are communities with a fundamental importance", he highlighted. The head of state also stressed that the popular marches are a unique tradition.

Between lots of caldo verde, sardines dripping on bread and a good glass of sangria, let's enjoy some delicious food during the month of June, the time of the popular saints.

You can find out more about the organization of the event in the magazine of the Marchas Populares at this link.

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