The event revives the transhumance tradition, discovering not only the old herd trails, but also the pastoral music, the traditional products and arts, and the scenery of this magnificent region. 

The highlight of this festival will be the street entertainment, with various national and international groups touring the various streets of this Beira Interior town and the activities in the Terreiro de Santo António, showing the pastoral heritage of the Beira Interior region, with talks, workshops, musical performances, handicraft and local product exhibitions and children’s activities. 

Transhumance is the movement of shepherds and their sheep to mountain pastures in summer and back to the valleys and plains at the onset of winter.

Also of note will be the 3rd Specialised Sheepdog Dog Show, the 1st Churra do Campo Sheep Competition, the 1st International Shepherding Competition and the 1st “Francisco Galvão” (Mountain Goat - Serra Ecotype) Competition.

PROGRAMME

Friday, 18 September
7pm – Opening and parade of all the participating groups

The Bard – Terreiro de Santo António
7pm – Opening of Radio Chocalhos
7pm to 12am – Fundão Producers Club Tavern
9.30pm– Demonstration of Cheese Making and Curd Cheese with Maria Carvalho

Riding Arena Palace
8pm – Inauguration of the Exhibition “Notes of Canada Serrana”
9pm – Fashion show “Dreams of the Serra” – Adelma Atelier

D. João V Chafariz Stage
11pm – Concert “The Sounds of Canada Serrana”
The Sounds of Canada Serrana is an imagined pastoral journey through traditional music of violas made with stringed instruments from the Beiras and campaniça guitars, songs from the Alentejo and Beira, adufes and drums, with the violinists Pedro Mestre and Alísio Saraiva, the Beja Choral Group, the Adufeiras do Paul, the Drummers of Lavacolhos and the Ocaia Association. The Sounds of Canada Serrana is a meeting point and a place of passions from Beira and the Alentejo.
From the middle of the 15th century, during autumn, the large transhumant herds left the Serra da Estrela and travelled a long way to the Baixo Alentejo to reach winter pastures in the fields of Castro Verde and Ourique in search of new pastures. This former route was called the CANADA SERRANA.

Saturday, 19 September

The Bard – Terreiro de Santo António
10am – Opening
10am – 2nd “Francisco Galvão Competition (Cabra Serrana – Ecótipo da Serra) “
10am to 12am – Fundão Producers Club Tavern
11am – Lanuda workshop, with Mabília Diamantino
3pm – 4th Specialised Livestock Herding Dog Show
5pm – Shepherd’s workshop, by the Centre for livestock routes of Malpartida de Cáceres

Casa da Música António Osório de Sá
4.30pm – Presentation of the poetry book “Lagoas, Dunas & Diversos”, by Luís Boavida

Tourism Office - Old Town Hall Building (10am - 2.00am)
3pm – Chefs de Palmo e Meio, by Dina Marques
3pm – Workshop “On Climate Change” (League of Friends of Alpedrinha)
4.30pm – Guided Tour to the village of Alpedrinha
5pm – Chefs de Palmo e Meio, by Susana Falcão

Casa do Pateo Stage
10pm – “Manta de Ourelos” Concert

D. João V Chafariz Stage
11pm– “Gaiteiros de Lisboa (Lisbon Pipers)” Concert
Few names in Portuguese music can gather such a generalized and solid consensus as the “Gaiteiros de Lisboa”. The “Gaiteiros de Lisboa (Lisbon Pipers)” is a Portuguese band created in 1991 which has published several CDs edited and which has performed all over the Iberian Peninsula, since their live debut on the 21 March 1994. They made their debut in 1995 with the album Invasões Bárbaras released by Farol Música and in 1997 the album Bocas do Inferno was released. “Sátiro” came out in 2006. In 2012, the “Gaiteiros de Lisboa” released their fifth album Avis Rara, produced by d’Eurídice, the publishing arm of the d’Orfeu Cultural Association. They also become the first national group to participate in the Festim festival. The group includes the musicians Carlos Guerreiro, José Manuel David, Pedro Calado, Paulo Marinho, Pedro Casaes and Rui Vaz. The “Gaiteiros de Lisboa” are this year commemorating the release of Invasões Bárbaras, their first record in 1995.

Sunday 20 September

8am – Walking Trail with the flock accompanied by the masked bell-wearing dancers (Chocalheiros) from Vila Verde de Ficalho
Technical Data Sheet: 9 km | Level of difficulty: Easy | Type of Route: Linear | Place of Departure: Municipal Square, Fundão | Arrival point: Alpedrinha | Approximate length: 3h.

Street Entertainment: (10am to 6pm) – masked bell-wearing dancers (Chocalheiros) from Vila Verde de Ficalho, Drumming Group of Castelejo, Drumming Group of Barroca, Drumming Group of the Casa do Povo do Souto da Casa, “As Sementinhas do Castelejo” Singing Group, Friends of Ramboia, Carriços, Charanga la 7ª Quadrilha, Foles da Beira, Grupo Raia dos Sonhos – Ladoeiro, among others.

The Bard – Terreiro de Santo António
10am – Opening
10am to 7.30pm – Fundão Producers Club Tavern
11.30am – Arrival of the Flock
11.30am – Chefs de Palmo e Meio, by Dina Marques
2.30pm – Shepherd’s workshop, by the Centre for livestock routes of Malpartida de Cáceres
3.30pm – “Chefs de Palmo e Meio”, by André Soares
6pm – Final parade of the participating groups
7.30pm – Closing Session
D. João V Chafariz Stage
4pm – Ethnographic Meeting

Tourism Office - Old Town Hall Building (From 10am to 02am)
3pm – Guided Tour to the village of Alpedrinha
2pm – Lanuda workshop, with Mabília Diamantino
5pm – Chefs de Palmo e Meio, by Susana Falcão
6.30pm – Final parade with all the groups
7.30pm – Closing Session