No matter the season, Porto offers activities to entertain during the weekend

Rather than "cocooning" from cooler days, take time to rediscover Porto this fall season; the options are multiple. For starters, the Municipal Audio Room (aka Fonoteca Municipal de Vinil da Câmara do Porto- FMP) opened doors on 26th September and now tells a fascinating story. There are lots of vinyl records and a large collection of phonograms in vinyl format, which was the result of two donations to the Municipal Sound Archive by Rádio Difusão Portuguesa and Rádio Renascença, back in 2008. 

Take the opportunity to discover this sort of creative collaboration that is now established between the Fonoteca and all types of audiences - the aficionados, the curious, the nostalgic and the collectors. All is in place at number 122 of Rua de Pinto Bessa (Armazém 12), near the Campanhã train station.

Take note: these facilities, which are part of the Plataforma Campanhã, in the Arda Complex, are a space devoted to appreciating music, audio-visual, sound and the music industry at large, featuring circa 35 thousand vinyl records, both national and international productions, which the public will have the possibility to explore.

During the pandemic and till further indications by the DGS, it is mandatory that visitors to the Fonoteca previously register for a visit or to query the archive; each session will last up to a maximum of one hour, one person per session. All visits will be accompanied by an archivist.

Schedule your visit via email fonoteca@cm-porto.pt or phone number 221 146 789. Operating hours are from Tuesdays to Saturday, between 2pm and 7pm.

Another option to balance your weekend with a sense of harmony is to take part in the municipal initiative "Days with Energy" to boost stamina and wellbeing levels.

Starting this first weekend of October, the programme "Days with Energy" is no longer held outdoors and will offer four indoor venues within the municipal equipment, every Saturday morning, with free classes of Pilates, Yoga and Tai chi. Participation is free, but the number of participants varies according to the venue. Between 9am and 9.30am choose the activity that suits you best.

All the activities are carried out in compliance with the public health measures issued by the DGS amid the current pandemic, namely social distancing, compulsory use of face masks and hand sanitation.

Previous appointment is mandatory via email desporto@agoraporto.pt. Applications should be carried out on a week by week basis, starting the previous Monday, as the number of participants is limited.

Bear in mind that the Days with Energy activities are ill-advised for pregnant women, people aged 60 or more and people with chronic diseases.

Or, perhaps, your favourite moments over the weekend are to be spent journeying the Rectory of the University of Porto, and discovering the project "Monstros Marinhos (Sea Monsters), an exhibit filled with artwork made of garbage collected from the beaches of Porto. The main goal is to raise awareness on the emergent threat of plastic.

The exhibit is jointly organized by the Interdisciplinary Center of Maritime and Environmental Investigation (CIIMAR) and the campaign Ocean Action Hub. The result is a set of sculptures and installations by Ricardo Nicolau de Almeida in the entrance hall of the Rectory building, which will be on display till 31 December. Entrance is free.

The exhibit has been designed for entertaining and educational moments, featuring an extravagant octopus with plastic tentacles, a blue fish with googly eyes and a jerrycan body, or marine plants made of fishing ropes and nets and the "Sala dos Idiotas" [Room of the idiots", free translation], which is filled with coloured human faces, also objects and items dragged by the sea currents and tides and a site-specific installation that shows a variety of shapes and colours of marine garbage.

This exhibition is entrance free and can be visited room Monday to Saturday, from 10am to 6pm.

Another suggestion might be going for a movie at the Cine Auditorium at Theatre Campo Alegre, where the filmography by Akira Kurosawa is on display on the big screen featuring the long film "Ikiru". This is the first commercial premiere of "Ikiru" in Portugal.

The film tells the story of Kanji Watanabe, a municipal worker that is informed he has a cancer and he only has circa three months to live. Acknowledging the fact that he had done nothing worthy with his life, Watanabe commits to a project that will bring happiness to the community, by transforming a waste land in a park where children from the neighbourhood can play.

This film was nominated for the Golden Bear in the Berlin Film Festival, Special Prize of the Senate of Berlin, in 1954.

We leave you with some routes to weekend harmony! Do enjoy!