Imaginarius is a cultural project of the Municipality of Santa Maria da Feira dedicated to artistic creation in public space. Its most visible expression takes place through the annual festival of performing arts in public space held in Santa Maria da Feira in Portugal, which brings together artists and audiences from different geographies in a context of strong international visibility. Imaginarius builds a continuous movement of creation, experimentation, and critical thinking, where different artistic languages intersect and where public space ceases to be a backdrop and becomes an active material for creation.

This open call represents an opportunity to be part of the programme of a festival with strong international visibility, within a demanding, carefully curated, and artistically driven context, where each proposal is supported and integrated into a coherent curatorial vision and a shared urban experience. It is addressed to projects with a clear artistic approach and a grounded relationship with public space.

Proposals are accepted across the fields of theatre, dance, music, circus, performance, intervention, installation, new media, and multidisciplinary practices, including projects that combine languages and explore non-conventional formats. Particular value is given to proposals that incorporate a performative component. Different presentation formats are accepted, including fixed, itinerant, durational, or continuous works, provided they are suited to the context of public space. Up to 18 projects are expected to be selected for the 2027 edition. The call is open to artists, collectives, and organisations working within the field of artistic creation in public space. It is addressed to creators at different stages of their trajectory, including emerging artists, early-career creators, and projects in the process of consolidation within the national and international circuit. Each selected project will be presented between three and five times during the festival period. Artists participating in the festival may not carry out any form of direct donation collection from the public during the festival.

The 2027 edition will be taking place from 20 to 22 May 2027. Applications are open until 30 July 2026 and must be submitted through the form available on the Imaginarius website. The following must be included:

• description and specifications of the artistic project
• biography(ies) of the company and/or members of the collective
• images of the project
• video (preferably)
• artistic and technical credits
• technical rider and production requirements

In the event of selection, it will not be possible to introduce significant changes to technical requirements or presentation conditions.

The selection results will be communicated to all applicants by 15 October 2026. The selection will take into account:

• artistic quality and consistency of the proposal
• singularity of the approach and clarity of the artistic positioning
• relationship with public space as a context for creation, rather than merely presentation
• capacity to generate experience, activation or engagement with diverse audiences
• capacity to take artistic risks and propose new approaches within public space
• uitability to the festival context, presentation conditions and the overall programme

Financial support for the presentation of the works is granted under the following terms:

• 150€ per person, per performance during the festival
• 200€ per person, per programming day in the case of installations.

For eligibility purposes, the number of participants considered corresponds to the number of performers on stage, plus one technician per project.

The festival provides a fixed contribution towards travel costs, in order to support the participation of artists, under the following terms:

• 150€ per person, for projects originating from mainland Portugal
• 400€ per person, for projects originating from other European territories, including Madeira and the Azores, as well as from North Africa
• 1.200€ per person, for projects originating from other countries

Imaginarius ensures hosting conditions:

• accommodation in twin rooms and meals for the artistic team. This support covers arrival on the day before the first performance and departure on the morning following the last performance
• shuttle service to and from Porto Airport, in the case of participants travelling by air
• technical equipment and production support
• inclusion in the festival’s communication, including printed materials, digital platforms, and press

Any questions should be sent to program@imaginarius.pt.