Students' Ribbon Burning Week is cancelled again due to coronavirus concerns

The "Queima das Fitas", an event that marks the end of an academic year, was cancelled by the Academic Federation of Porto – FAP, just like last year. FAP’s President, Ana Gabriela Cabilhas stated that “respecting the legacy of the Queima das Fitas do Porto is to identify priorities in an unprecedented context, to protect students and their families”. These preventive measures are taken for the greater good of public health and to fight the new coronavirus. The "Queima das Fitas" is back in 2022.

The "Queima das Fitas", or Ribbon Burning week in Porto, is a traditional festivity of the students of Portuguese universities. Celebrations extend for one week and there are Tunas that perform in town, among other festivities.

FAP released a statement on 19th February, affirming that “the hope to bring back this event, both to the Academia do Porto and to the city, was all the time equated with the fact that all the safety conditions were in place”.

Although students expressed sadness for this situation, they all agree that this is the right decision to be made by FAP, in a time when priorities are set in “ensuring a solid academic training, with pedagogical training, preventing school drop-out and improving higher education” to the more than 70 thousand students.