Economy

As usual, the "Serralves em Festa" kicks-off the day before the official opening, on 31st May in downtown Porto with a colourful display of sight and sound, parading through Santa Catarina Street and presenting a contemporary dance performance in the Santo Ildefonso Square.

Book the event in your agenda. On 20, 21 and 22 July, the Parque da Pasteleira will play host to a new "genre" of a summer music festival, featuring dance music, for children and adults alike. The eclectic line up combines Jazz and techno to soul, funk, disco and house music.

North Music Festival debuts in Porto with the best line-up ever on 25 and 26 May at the Customs Building in Porto. Festival goers can head to Porto to see artists play, from The Prodigy, Gogol Bordello, Guano Apes, Mão Morta, to Linda Martini, Slow J or DJ Ride. But there is plenty more on the calendar: besides music there are food trials, wine tastings, a gamming zone and film screenings just to mention a few.

This year's Porto Blues Fest boasted a strong line-up with the usual blend of music, talent, high energy and enjoyment. A strong-line up, including both national and international artists, who shared the blues with a packed audience in the Gardens of Palácio de Cristal, at the Acoustic Shell.

The two-day working sessions within the Urban Agenda for the EU's Jobs and Skills Partnership kicked-off today at the Customs Building. This is also a superb opportunity not only for partners to get to know the urban dynamics of Porto but also to fund instruments and share knowledge regarding urban areas contribution and potential.

Mayor Rui Moreira decided to take a break from his institutional agenda and went shopping at Bolhão Temporary Market, located at La Vie Shopping Centre. Two weeks after the Temporary Market opened and the rebuilding of the Bolhão Market started, the average daily influx of customers easily exceeds the old market one.

Fatboy Slim, the English DJ, musician, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and master of the beat genre, will perform at Avenida dos Aliados on June 6th. This event is free. This is the warm-up of NOS Primavera Sound Concert, to take place in the City Park of Porto, from 7 to 9 June, and "it will shape the city's agenda so that people can experience what NOS Primavera Sound Festival is", enthuses José Barreiro from the organization.

The Gardens of Palácio de Cristal will host, once again, some of the best breweries in the world. The third edition of Porto Beer Fest runs from 13 to 16 June, in the context of the "Festas de São João" official programme.

Porto Blues Fest will literally make you cry the blues on Friday and Saturday evenings, next 18th and 19th May, by the acoustic shell in the Gardens of Palácio de Cristal. Pat Cohen, Tatanka and Chino & The Big Bet, Budda, Maria João and the invitee Pedro Abrunhosa will take over the stage to make you sing or dance the blues for this 2nd edition of Porto Blues fest.

Save this date: May 18th at the Customs Building. The reason? The 4th Porto Tech Hub Conference, debating the topic "Future Jobs and Technologies". Senior corporate executives from Microsoft, Amazon or IBM Research will gather at Porto Customs Building to talk about professional development in an era of rapid technological change.