In a press conference, the president of the Association of Festivities, Firmino Marques, said that, in total, this year's São João will have more than 30 concerts, seven parades and more than 270 hours of programming.

"This year, the focus will be on popular "rusgas", so that the population can feel São João in the streets", he said.

In the field of music, the organization also highlights the performances of the GNR Symphonic Band, Carlos Ribeiro, Jorge Loureiro, Siga a Farra, Canto d'Aqui and the presentation of the project "São João Hoje -- Cancioneiro Sanjoanino Bracarense".

According to the president of the Braga Business Association, Daniel Vilaça, the festival should mean a financial return for economic agents of more than 20 million euros.

This year's edition of São João has a budget of more than half a million euros.

The program also includes meetings of drums, giants and big heads, concertina and cavaquinho players, cascade and "fartura" contests and the return of the historical parade.

This year, São João de Braga may already extend along the renovated Avenida da Liberdade, which was closed for works.

For the mayor of Braga, Ricardo Rio, the local São João has a "completely distinctive" character from the others held in various parts of the country, since it is not limited to a night of revelry, but is rather a "long-lasting" event, with a "very intense program".

Rio took the opportunity to announce that the City Council will sign a loan agreement with the archdiocese, giving the Church the management of the chapel of São João for 50 years.

"The City Council has no vocation to manage religious spaces", said the mayor.

In May 2023, the Supreme Court of Justice (STJ) confirmed that the Parque de São João da Ponte, in Braga, which houses the chapel alluding to that saint, is the property of the municipality, thus deeming the appeal of the local Archdiocese, which claimed possession of that space, to be unfounded.

The Archdiocese of Braga had filed a lawsuit against the local City Council, asking to be declared the exclusive and legitimate owner of the Parque de S. João da Ponte.

In the lawsuit, the archdiocese also asked that the use and partial occupation of that space by the municipality be declared illegal and abusive and that the municipality be ordered to refrain from using, enjoying, using and occupying the park.

The archdiocese also wanted the municipality to be ordered to return to it the part of that park that it occupied with a car park in the state in which it was found, free and clear of people and property.

However, it ended up being ordered to recognize that the Parque de S. João da Ponte is part of the public domain of the municipality of Braga.

Read Also: David Carreira joins his father and brother for a tribute to Sara (Portuguese version)