“The international magic festival has five programme lines, which characterise it and make it truly unique, with a great impact and high profitability in terms of investment and return, given the number of people it reaches and how much it is talked about nationally and internationally,” said Luís de Matos.

From 16 to 21 September, Coimbra will host the 29th edition of “Os Encontros Mágicos” (The Magic Encounters), organised by the Coimbra City Council and under the artistic direction of Luís de Matos.

During the press conference to present the event, Luís de Matos explained that the six-day event is divided into five lines of action, including Street Magic, with around 70 performances taking place in the streets, squares and gardens of the city of Coimbra, and Solidarity Magic, with magicians visiting the Paediatric Hospital and the Prison.

Magic in the Region will also visit four locations in the non-urban perimeter of the municipality: Eiras, Brasfemes, Torres do Mondego and Trouxemil. There will also be a School of Magic, with classes taught by Paulino Gil, aimed at children and young people, as well as international magic galas, which will take place at the São Francisco Convent on 19 and 20 September.

As for guests, Luís de Matos pointed out that some magicians who stood out in this year’s World Magic Championship, organised by the International Federation of Magic Societies, will be present.

"We will have Lucas Kaminski with us, who is from Germany and was the winner of the most original act in the entire world championship, in which almost 200 magicians competed. He will be at the international galas on Friday and Saturday evenings, at the Convento São Francisco, on the 19th and 20th," he said.

The company “Mind 2 Mind”, winner in the mentalism category at the World Magic Championship, will also be present, this being “one of their first performances after being crowned world champions”.

“Of the 14 companies that will be present, eight of them, a large percentage, about 60%, will be coming to Coimbra for the first time,” added the artistic director of Encontros Mágicos.

The closing ceremony of the festival will take place on 21 September at 11:00 am in Vale das Flores Park, with all the magicians in attendance.

The press conference to present the Coimbra International Magic Festival, which began in 1992, was attended by the Mayor of Coimbra, José Manuel Silva, who considered this to be a strategic event that “will continue to be so, increasingly and with better conditions to grow and take the name of Coimbra further afield”.

“To take Coimbra to the world and bring the world to Coimbra,” he said.

The mayor also said he had no doubt that next year, the Coimbra City Council would provide the conditions for the 30th magical encounters to be unforgettable.

“These events contribute to the social, cultural, business, tourist and economic dynamics of the municipality. All this support is an investment because it has a return on multiple levels, both tangible and intangible, for the city of Coimbra,” he concluded.