Society

National Day of Historic City Centres is officially marked on March 28, but the city of Porto celebrates its heritage on the closest Saturday to the date of this event. As such, on 24 March, the city of Porto features a festivities programme to get people involved and interested on the city historic centre and assets. It is the right opportunity to visit hidden places and try out new experiences celebrating the city's history and architecture.

The city of Porto is taking a step forward to take on a brand new technology: electrically powered buses. Powering a vehicle with electricity costs less than using diesel or natural gas.

The city of Porto hosts the Harmos Festival, which kicks-off on March 20, featuring several concerts and lectures, and gathering the best students of the worlds' most renowned music schools.

As of today, the hard Club's Urban Market is the perfect opportunity to browsing through the panoply of goods and items such as non-usual clothing, crafts and antiques. The three-day market can offer you the bargain you have been looking for. Also, the Flea Market, on Saturday, March 17th, awaits you at the seventh floor of Silo Auto.

If one swallow does not make a spring, Porto believes that storefronts throughout town "shouting" spring might just do the trick. The contest "Spring Storefronts" is back. This initiative is in its second edition and its fundamental goal is to boost local trade, through the promotion of creative activity by local traders.

The regeneration of the city's architectural heritage by private initiative was awarded by Mayor of Porto, Rui Moreira, in a prize-giving ceremony held at the main hall of Porto City Hall. The Prize "João de Almada" was presented to the best accomplished rehabilitation projects.

The small auditorium of Rivoli screens German film shows on March 20, featuring "The Marriage of Maria Braun (German: Die Ehe der Maria Braun) directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder at 6.30 pm, and "The Captain" (German: Der Hauptmann) directed by Robert Schwentke, at 10 pm.

The operation "Porto.Luz + Eficiente", regarding the efficient public lighting programme in the city of Porto, involves significant reductions in energy consumption and CO2 emissions. Since the beginning of the operation, on January 1st 2016 and 28 February last, there was a reduction of electrical power consumption, estimated at 2.886.908 kWh.

Environmental sustainability on urban regeneration will be the prominent issue at Casa do Infante, on March 22 and 23. This is the first symposium to be held in the context of ENERPAT, the European project of co-creation of energetically efficient territorial solutions of Patrimonial Residential habitat and eco renovation in SUDOE historical centres, with the support of the Communitarian Initiative INTERREG III C - SUDOE.

Porto was awarded today in Cannes, by the fDi - Intelligence Magazine, a key publication in the financial area, the 8t Best Mid-Sized City for FDI Strategy, at a ceremony held in the context of MIPIM - The world's leading property market that runs from 13 to 16 March 2018 at the Palais des Festivals, in Cannes, France.