The Showcase Outdoor Arts Portugal provides a professional platform to enhance the visibility of national artistic creation in public space. In 2026, it will once again join forces with the LEME festival, combining sectoral efforts and strengthening ties with the European landscape of street arts and contemporary circus. This edition focuses on the digital transition, highlighting the integration of technological tools that amplify artistic impact, fostering new forms of creation, presentation, and audience engagement.

Programa de Apoio a Projetos
– Internacionalização

Project:

Outdoor Arts Portugal
– Delegação internacional – Showcase 2026

dgARTES grant:

7.500€

Project start date:

01/09/2026

Project conclusion date:

15/12/2026

Main goal:

Flemish contemporary circus focus

Flemish Government grant:

4.900€

Project start date:

15/11/2025

Project conclusion date:

15/12/2025

Coordinated by Lieux Publics in close cooperation with more than 20 partners, IN SITU PLATFORM runs from 2025 to 2028 and proposes an innovative and efficient support programme for emerging artists to develop artistic creation at the European level in public space and non-conventional venues. It takes the form of an international consortium composed of one Coordination entity and more than 20 partners from 20+ countries in Europe and beyond.

Project code:

101176382-CREA-CULT-2024-PLAT

Creative Europe grant:

31.533€

Project start date:

01/01/2025

Project conclusion date:

31/12/2028

Project coordinator:

Lieux Publics [FR]

Bússola [Be a Place, LDA] is a structure supported by the Direção-Geral das Artes. The strategic context of the public subsidy focuses on the development of the contemporary circus and outdoor arts sector in Portugal, through the promotion of two structural activities: Outdoor Arts Portugal platform and LEME festival.

Programa de Apoio Sustentado às Artes
– Programação

2025 dgARTES grant:

120.000€

2026 dgARTES grant :

120.000€

Project start date:

01/01/2025

Project conclusion date:

31/12/2026

The central manifesto for Outdoor Arts Portugal activities aims to contribute to the dissemination of contemporary artistic languages, enhancing the capacity of the Portuguese artistic and production agents and increasing their sensitivity to the most current artistic thinking and trends. The key objective aims to contribute to the national legitimization of this artistic domain, which is still fragile and in need of disseminating current discourses and aesthetics, in a context of activities that align with emerging sectoral, social and political concerns: the creation of new intersectoral alliances; the (re)search for (new) artistic forms and aesthetics for public space that respond to sustainability principles and new digital audiences; and envisage the dimension of social and human sustainability as a priority.

Programa de Apoio a Projetos
– Criação

Project:

Outdoor Arts Portugal – Lab 2024/2025

dgARTES grant:

45.000€

Project start date:

01/09/2024

Project conclusion date:

31/10/2025

The strategic context of the public subsidy focuses on the development of an international representation of the Portuguese contemporary circus and outdoor arts sector in Portugal, through the activities of Outdoor Arts Portugal platform.

Programa de Apoio a Projetos
– Internacionalização

Project:

Outdoor Arts Portugal – Internacionalização 2024/2025

dgARTES grant:

3.775€

Project start date:

01/07/2024

Project conclusion date:

30/06/2025

LEME explores new languages in the realms of contemporary circus and artistic performance in unconventional spaces, seeking new creative approaches through experimentation. In 2024, the festival merges with the Showcase Outdoor Arts Portugal, creating a space of heightened visibility for emerging national artistic creation in these domains. People and their relationship with artistic creation are at the heart of this edition’s manifesto, which aims to humanise the common space.

Programa de Apoio a Projetos
– Programação

Project:

Outdoor Arts Portugal – LEME & Showcase 2024

dgARTES grant:

55.000€

Project start date:

15/04/2024

Project conclusion date:

15/12/2024

LEME explores new languages in the realms of contemporary circus and artistic performance in unconventional spaces, seeking new creative approaches through experimentation. In 2024, the festival merges with the Showcase Outdoor Arts Portugal, creating a space of heightened visibility for emerging national artistic creation in these domains. People and their relationship with artistic creation are at the heart of this edition’s manifesto, which aims to humanise the common space.

Programa de Apoio a Projetos
– Internacionalização

Project:

Outdoor Arts Portugal – Delegação internacional – LEME & Showcase 2024

dgARTES grant:

7.500€

Project start date:

01/08/2024

Project conclusion date:

15/12/2024

BETA CIRCUS Participatory experience is a cooperation project that aims to create an European transnational opportunity to explore the participatory circus as a future trend to engage the public participation in the circus creative process, letting the audience to become co-authors, editors, and observers of the artistic work. By applying the participatory arts methodology to the contemporary circus scene, the new BETA CIRCUS cycle will promote the engaging of the local community of the intervention place with a full and integrated creation process applied to unconventional spaces for artistic presentation. BETA CIRCUS is co-financed by the Creative Europe Program of the European Union and República Portuguesa – Cultura | Direção-Geral das Artes, being promoted by Bússola (PT), Teatro Necessario (IT), Ludifico (RS) and Rigas Cirks (LV).

www.betacircus.eu

Project code:

101093801-CREA-CULT-2022-COOP-1

Total elegible cost:

250.000€

Creative Europe grant:

200.000€

dgARTES grant:

6.600,66€

Project start date:

01/02/2023

Project conclusion date:

30/04/2025

Project coordinator:

Bússola [PT]

Project partners:

Teatro Necessario [IT]

Ludifico [RS]

Rigas Cirks [LV]

Hand to hand aims to explore the issue of sustainability through learning and experiential spaces of innovation and research for circus artists, in order to develop new capacities of initiating such a transition, transforming artistic and methodological practices in public space for sustainability. Through an itinerary of 4 exploration times and immersion residencies, Hand to Hand offers experimentation spaces with a cross-sectoral collaboration: private firms, cultural and creative industries actors, researchers in ecology and art. This process will be extended by 4 collective testing and sharing prototypes in festivals in public space an experimental approach.

www.handtohandproject.eu

Project code:

101100283-CREA-CULT-2022-COOP-1

Total elegible cost:

348.333€

Creative Europe grant:

199.999€

dgARTES grant:

7.138,32€

Project start date:

01/03/2023

Project conclusion date:

31/07/2025

Project coordinator:

Le Palc [FR]

Project partners:

Bússola [PT]

Passage [DK]

Room 100 [HR]

The central manifesto for Outdoor Arts Portugal activities aims to contribute to the dissemination of contemporary artistic languages, enhancing the capacity of the Portuguese artistic and production agents and increasing their sensitivity to the most current artistic thinking and trends. The key objective aims to contribute to the national legitimization of this artistic domain, which is still fragile and in need of disseminating current discourses and aesthetics, in a context of activities that align with emerging sectoral, social and political concerns: the creation of new intersectoral alliances; the (re)search for (new) artistic forms and aesthetics for public space that respond to sustainability principles and new digital audiences; and envisage the dimension of social and human sustainability as a priority.

www.outdoorarts.pt

Programa de Apoio a Projetos
– Criação

Project:

Outdoor Arts Portugal – Lab 2023/2024

dgARTES grant:

35.000€

Project start date:

01/09/2023

Project conclusion date:

30/11/2024

The strategic context of the public subsidy focuses on the development of an international representation of the Portuguese contemporary circus and outdoor arts sector in Portugal, through the activities of Outdoor Arts Portugal platform and LEME festival.

www.outdoorarts.pt

Programa de Apoio a Projetos
– Internacionalização

Project:

Outdoor Arts Portugal – Internacionalização 2023/2024

dgARTES grant:

20.000€

Project start date:

01/05/2023

Project conclusion date:

31/10/2024

IF Export 2023

Main goal:

Foco de circo contemporâneo francês

Institut Français grant:

3.000€

Project start date:

01/10/2023

Project conclusion date:

04/12/2023

International presentation project

Main goal:

Foco de circo contemporâneo das Flandres

Flemish Government grant:

3.000€

Project start date:

27/11/2023

Project conclusion date:

08/12/2023

BETA CIRCUS (boosting European trends and artists in circus arts) aims to address new trends in contemporary circus and to offset the lack of opportunities for artists to get trained at a high professional level. BETA CIRCUS opens up an international programme to support the training of emerging professionals, based on transnational mobility for learning, and give them the opportunity to take a step forward, internationalizing their careers and introducing them to new aesthetics and techniques. During 2 years, the project highlights a specific new trend in contemporary circus aesthetics: illusionism and new magic, among the most currently interesting tendencies. BETA CIRCUS is co-financed by the Creative Europe Program of the European Union and República Portuguesa – Cultura | Direção-Geral das Artes, being promoted by Bússola (PT), Teatro Necessario (IT), Ludifico (RS) and Rigas Cirks (LV).

www.betacircus.eu

Bússola [Be a Place, LDA] is a structure supported by the Direção-Geral das Artes. The strategic context of the public subsidy focuses on the development of the contemporary circus and outdoor arts sector in Portugal, through the promotion of two structural activities: Outdoor Arts Portugal platform and LEME festival.

www.outdoorarts.pt

Programa de Apoio Sustentado às Artes
– Programação

2021 dgARTES grant:

61.390€

2022 dgARTES grant:

66.390€

Project start date:

01/01/2021

Project conclusion date:

31/12/2022

Relance Export 2022

Main goal:

French contemporary circus focus

Institut Français grant:

4.000€

Project start date:

01/10/2022

Project conclusion date:

05/12/2022

PICE – Mobilidad 2022

Main goal:

Spanish contemporary circus performance

Spanish Government grant:

1.644,72€

Project start date:

01/09/2022

Project conclusion date:

06/12/2022

Navegar project aims to complement the regular programming of the two main activities promoted by Bússola [Be a Place, LDA]: firstly, to reinforce the programme of LEME festival with a selection exclusively of Portuguese artists and a reinforced impact on emerging values, promoting its integration in the programming circuit; and from another perspective, to develop a deconcentrated programme, creating an additional context for the promotion of national artists in the field of contemporary circus, through the Outdoor Arts Portugal platform, associated to summer time and in a second stage with the European circus night.

Project code:

POCI-2A-08D9-FEDER-169919

Main goal:

Support for the financing of cultural creation and programming activities aimed to for audiences

Total elegible cost:

64.000€

Europen Union funding – ERDF:

50.000€

Project start date:

17/05/2021

Project conclusion date:

12/12/2021

Project code:

POCI-02-08D6-FEDER-125507

Main goal:

APOIAR – Liquidity Incentive System

Total elegible cost:

621,20€

Europen Union funding – ERDF:

621,20€

FOCUS FRANCE is a remarkable ending point for the first strategic cycle for the LEME festival, pushing the Portuguese contemporary circus scene by the strong French experience. More than artistic programme with 3 French artists, the project includes a new edition of CIRCUS FORUM, with focus on the French situation, especially on dramaturgy experience, as well as the education for circus arts.

Relance Export 2021

Main goal:

French contemporary circus focus

Apoio do Institut Français:

5.000€

Institut Français grant:

01/10/2021

Project start date:

10/10/2021

Project conclusion date:

28/01/2022

Project code:

POCI-02-08D6-FEDER-072867

Main goal:

APOIAR – Liquidity Incentive System

Total elegible cost:

10.000€

Europen Union funding – ERDF:

10.000€

Bússola [Be a Place, LDA] is a structure supported by the Direção-Geral das Artes. The strategic context of the public subsidy focuses on the development of the contemporary circus and outdoor arts sector in Portugal, through the promotion of two structural activities: Outdoor Arts Portugal platform and LEME festival.

www.outdoorarts.pt

PEES – Linha de apoio às entidades artísticas profissionais

dgARTES grant:

16.597€

Project start date:

01/01/2020

Project conclusion date:

31/12/2020

International public presentation

Main goal:

Flemish contemporary circus focus

Flemish Government grant:

1.600€

Project start date:

01/09/2020

Project conclusion date:

05/12/2021

Outdoor Arts Portugal, promoted by Bússola, is a project characterized by an interdisciplinary platform for creative and production agents in the fields of contemporary circus and outdoor arts in Portugal, which aims to enhance the conditions for the development of contemporary artistic creation in this context. Provide training conditions for artists and educating audiences, combined with national and international promotion of this artistic domain and focus on research and observation, are essential axes of activity, focusing on a mission to promote and disseminate contemporary languages and new dramaturgies. In this context, different activities/projects are developed every year responding to different needs.

www.outdoorarts.pt

Programa de Apoio a Projetos
– Procedimento Simplificado

 2023 dgARTES grant:

5.000€

Project start date:

01/09/2023

Project conclusion date:

30/06/2024

2021 dgARTES grant:

5.000€

Project start date:

01/01/2021

Project conclusion date:

12/12/2021

2019 dgARTES grant:

4.920€

Project start date:

22/05/2019

Project conclusion date:

07/07/2019

2018 dgARTES grant:

4.995€

Project start date:

04/05/2018

Project conclusion date:

09/09/2018

PICE – Mobilidad 2019

Main goal:

Spanish contemporary circus focus

Spanish Government grant:

4.200€

Project start date:

01/10/2019

Project conclusion date:

07/12/2019

Promoting Irish Arts Worlswide

Main goal:

Irish contemporary circus focus

Irish Government grant:

3.000€

Project start date:

01/10/2019

Project conclusion date:

07/12/2019

International public presentation

Main goal:

Flemish contemporary circus focus

Flemish Government grant:

3.900€

Project start date:

01/10/2018

Project conclusion date:

08/12/2018

Other Centres – Paths, Perspectives, Practices, a broad topic connected to thereality and cultural positioning of Porto today, was the starting point for the IETM Porto Plenary Meeting – IETM’s first return to Portugal in twenty years, connecting around 700 participants from 40 countries. Sincethen, artistic geography itself has become more dynamic than ever. How do thefocal points on today’s maps evolve, how do the centres shift and theperipheries transform? Porto, a city which has been performing remarkablecultural policies, has hosted the challenging debate on how art relates to theprocesses of transforming centres of creation, dissemination and decision-making.

www.ietm.org/en/meetings/ietm-porto-plenary-meeting-2018

Contrato de Apoio Extraordinário

Main goal:

IETM Porto Plenary Meeting, Spring 2018

dgARTES grant:

50.000€

Project start date:

01/01/2018

Project conclusion date:

30/04/2018