The Braga Brief — Week of 17 April 2026

Welcome to this week's Braga Brief, your weekly roundup of everything happening in and around the Minho capital.

SC Braga Storm Into Europa League Semi-Finals

The biggest story in the city this week has nothing to do with politics or potholes — it is pure football glory. SC Braga produced a stunning 4–2 away victory over Real Betis at Seville's Estadio de La Cartuja on Wednesday night, winning 5–3 on aggregate to book a place in the Europa League semi-finals. Ricardo Horta led the comeback after Betis had taken an early two-goal lead, turning the tie on its head in a breathless second half. It is the furthest Braga have ever gone in European competition, and the city erupted in celebrations that lasted well into the early hours. The semi-final draw takes place on Friday.

Bosch's Braga Factory Produces 17.5 Million Radars — And Counting

Braga is quietly becoming one of Europe's most important hubs for automotive technology. According to a detailed report by ECO, the Bosch factory in Lomar has produced 17.5 million radar sensors since 2022, and output is accelerating fast — the plant now turns out 38,000 units a day across six production lines, one every four seconds. By the end of this year, annual production is expected to reach ten million radars.

The 100,000-square-metre facility, which opened in 1990 and now employs 3,500 people, recently received between EUR 25 million and EUR 30 million in investment to double capacity from three to six lines. The radars — which enable automated emergency braking, blind-spot detection, and interior cabin monitoring — are shipped to more than 20 global customers including the Volkswagen Group, BMW, Honda, Nissan, and BYD. A new generation-seven radar enters production in 2027, with a premium version following in 2028.

City Doubles Road Paving Budget to EUR 20 Million

Mayor João Rodrigues announced at a regular executive meeting on 14 April that the Câmara Municipal de Braga will spend approximately EUR 20 million on road repaving across the municipality this year — double the EUR 10 million originally pledged during the election campaign. Rodrigues attributed the increase to the damage caused by a particularly harsh winter. Among the first contracts approved is a EUR 379,000 repaving of sections of Avenida Miguel Torga and Avenida Doutor Francisco Salgado Zenha.

Museu da Imagem Still Closed Six Months After Inauguration

The Museu da Imagem, which was officially inaugurated on 31 October 2025 despite renovation work remaining incomplete, is still closed to the public. Liberal Initiative councillor Rui Rocha challenged the mayor during a council meeting, noting that the HVAC system was only finished in early April 2026 and that no reopening date has been set. More than EUR 500,000 has been invested in the museum's modernisation since it closed for works in 2019. Mayor Rodrigues declined to commit to a timeline, saying only: “When the work is ready, the Museum will open.”

Quinta da Veiga School Pupils Relocated for EUR 3.3 Million Renovation

More than 200 children from pre-school and first-cycle classes at Escola Básica da Quinta da Veiga have been temporarily relocated to the Escola de Educação Rodoviária while a EUR 3.3 million renovation project, funded through the NORTE 2030–FEDER programme, modernises their two-decade-old school. The Câmara says the work addresses “functionality, safety, and comfort” and responds to growing school-age populations in the São Vicente parish.

Doctors Rally for SNS Defence on Friday

The Sindicato dos Médicos do Norte has joined forces with the Comissão de Utentes de Saúde de Braga to stage a public rally on Friday, 18 April, in defence of the National Health Service. The event, planned as a tribuna pública, will highlight staff shortages, long waiting lists, and the deterioration of public healthcare in the Minho region — issues that mirror the national picture but carry particular weight in a city that has seen its hospital stretched thin in recent years.

Norte Classic Rally Rolls Through the Minho

More than 100 classic cars from across the country are converging on Braga this weekend for the seventh edition of the Norte Classic, a regularity rally that runs from Friday to Sunday. Registration opens at Praça Conde de Agrolongo at 14:00 on Friday, followed by a cultural tour of the city. The rally departs from Braga's Municipal Market on Saturday morning and takes in Ponte de Lima, Arcos de Valdevez, and Paredes de Coura before finishing in Fafe on Sunday, with the famous Rampa da Falperra stage at 09:10.

Enterro da Gata Returns for Eight Nights in May

The University of Minho's iconic academic festival, Enterro da Gata, returns from 5 to 16 May under the theme “A Gata Dispara(tada)” — a satirical nod to what organisers describe as “a world marked by impulsive decisions.” The expanded eight-night programme includes the traditional Velório da Gata on 8 May, finalists' ceremonies, and a musical lineup featuring Quim Barreiros, Bispo, Wet Bed Gang, and Dealema. This year's edition introduces a plastic-free sustainability initiative and an expanded health and safety programme called Gata na Saúde.

European U-17 Roller Hockey Championship Coming in July

Braga will host the European Under-17 Roller Hockey Championship from 20 to 25 July at the Pavilhão das Goladas — the first time a competition of national teams in the sport has been held in the city. The tournament, organised in partnership between the Câmara Municipal, the Federação de Patinagem de Portugal, and HC Braga, will feature men's and women's under-17 selections from across Europe.

That's your Braga Brief for this week. See you next Thursday.