Porto Coliseum
Modernist concert hall of 1941 on Rua de Passos Manuel, Porto's main stage for touring music and dance.
The Porto Coliseum opened on 19 December 1941, at a moment when modernism was reshaping the city. The building passed through several hands before completion: Júlio de Brito's first studies were rejected by the municipal aesthetics commission, Cassiano Branco then took charge of the works and gave the front its final form, and the Dutch architect Jan Wils and the French designer Charles Siclis contributed drawings. José Porto designed the main hall and Mário Abreu reworked the interior, staircases and façade tower in the closing phase.
The auditorium seats around three thousand and was built for the full range of popular performance, from circus and revue to symphonic concerts. It remains Porto's principal venue for touring artists, with a programme mixing Portuguese and international popular music, fado, classical and film-music concerts, ballet, comedy and children's shows. The Coliseum is run by a non-profit association, keeps an education department and a circus programme, and offers guided visits to the modernist building and backstage areas.
Highlights
- Modernist façade and tower by Cassiano Branco, completed 1941
- Main hall of about three thousand seats designed by José Porto
- Year-round programme of concerts, ballet, circus and comedy
- Guided tours of the building and its backstage areas
