The Braga Brief, Week of 6 November 2026: IHRU Pre-Approves 298 Affordable Flats in Lamaçães, Barcelos' Former Mayors Are Acquitted, and Braga Beat Famalicão 3-0

Good morning from the Minho. Braga has a first green light for nearly 300 affordable flats, a court has cleared Barcelos' former mayors, and Melgaço has a new school cheque. Here is your roundup for 31 October to 6 November.

IHRU pre-approves 298 affordable flats in Lamaçães

Braga council has a pre-approval from IHRU, the national housing institute, for 298 apartments at controlled cost in the parish of Lamaçães. Mayor João Rodrigues said on Thursday that IHRU has confirmed the project meets the rules for affordable rent, and that the next step is a full application to fund the building work. He gave no timetable and no cost. At the same meeting he said the city now has shelter places for everyone sleeping rough.

Barcelos' former mayors acquitted

The Braga court on Thursday acquitted Miguel Costa Gomes and Domingos Pereira, formerly mayor and deputy mayor of Barcelos, of favouring two event-hire businessmen. Prosecutors said 19 contracts for sound, lighting, stages and portable toilets, signed between 2013 and 2018, were split across different companies to stay under the limits for direct awards. "Nothing is proven," the presiding judge said: no evidence of money, calls or messages. The two businessmen were also acquitted.

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Melgaço's 30 euro school cheque

Melgaço council has created a 30 euro education cheque per pupil, from pre-school to Year 12, for families who have lived in the council for at least two years and do not get school social support (escalões 1 and 2 are excluded, as they have their own help). It refunds school materials, sports kit, clothing and shoes bought in local shops. The rules were published in the Diário da República on Tuesday.

Sports

Sp. Braga beat Famalicão 3-0 on Sunday, three days after losing to them on penalties in the League Cup, with goals from Ricardo Horta, a Rofino own goal and Pau Victor. Braga are eighth on 14 points; Famalicão are eleventh on 10. In the Conference League Braga drew 0-0 at Aarhus on Thursday and have four points. Gil Vicente and Vitória SC drew 0-0 in Barcelos. This weekend Vitória host league leaders FC Porto on Sunday, Braga visit Rio Ave and Famalicão host Arouca.

What's On in Braga

Events in and around Braga over the next 14 days, from our What's On calendar.

• OCELO: Fri 6 Nov, 10:30; Theatro Circo, Braga; €2.50. OCELO comes to Theatro Circo, Braga's historic theatre and one of the main stages in the North. The organiser has not yet published details of the programme, so check the venue's own page before you book. It is worth a look for residents who follow the theatre's season.
• Ana Lua Caiano: Fri 6 Nov, 21:30; gnration, Braga; €15. Ana Lua Caiano plays a live show at gnration, the Braga venue for contemporary and experimental music. This suits residents who like new Portuguese music and want an evening concert in an intimate city-centre setting.
• FENDA ACADEMY 2026: Sat 7 Nov; Conservatório de Música Calouste Gulbenkian, Braga. A series of hands-on Saturday morning sessions for secondary school students. Participants help compose and produce the soundtrack for a video game being developed this year, learning music production, sound recording and sound manipulation. Students sign up through their own teacher, so it suits teenagers already enrolled in a local school.
• Gambito de Inverno (Winter Gambit): 1st Chess Tournament: Sat 7 Nov; Conservatório de Música Calouste Gulbenkian, Braga. The first edition of a chess tournament at Braga's Calouste Gulbenkian music conservatory, run with the local youth association Associação Juventude Curiosa. A chance for players in the city to sit down at the board and meet others who enjoy the game.
• The Role of the Audience in Building Meaning: Sat 7 Nov, 11:00; Theatro Circo, Braga; Free. A session at Theatro Circo in Braga on how audiences help shape the meaning of a performance or artwork. It should suit theatre-goers, arts students and anyone curious about the relationship between stage and spectator. Expect it to be in Portuguese.
• The Role of the Audience... | Companhia de Espectadores: Sat 7 Nov, 11:00; Theatro Circo, Braga. A Companhia de Espectadores session at Theatro Circo in Braga. As the title suggests, it looks at the part the audience plays in live performance. It suits residents who go to the theatre and want to think about how they watch it. It is likely to be in Portuguese, so you will need to follow the language.
• guelra: Maria Inés Villasmil: Sat 7 Nov, 18:00; gnration, Braga; €3. Maria Inés Villasmil presents her work at gnration, Braga's contemporary arts venue, as part of its guelra programme. This one should suit residents who like new and experimental performance and want to find artists they may not know yet. Check the venue's own page for full details before you go.
• Opening of the exhibition "Corpo e Alma: Jazz and Its Champions in Portugal": Thu 12 Nov, 18:00; Centro Cultural Vila Flor, Guimarães. The opening of an exhibition at Centro Cultural Vila Flor about jazz in Portugal and the people who helped bring the music to a wider audience here. It should suit jazz fans and anyone curious about the country's music history. Exhibition texts are likely to be in Portuguese.
• Exhibition opening: Corpo e Alma: O jazz e os seus divulgadores em Portugal: Thu 12 Nov, 18:00; Grande Auditório Francisca Abreu, Guimarães; Free. The opening of an exhibition about jazz in Portugal and the people who promoted and spread it in the country. It suits jazz fans, music lovers and residents curious about Portuguese cultural history. Any speeches at the opening will probably be in Portuguese.
• Toninho Horta Quartet with the Guimarães Orchestra: Thu 12 Nov, 21:30; Centro Cultural Vila Flor, Guimarães. Toninho Horta's quartet shares the stage with the Orquestra de Guimarães for a concert that pairs a small band with a full orchestra. A good evening out for residents who enjoy live music in a concert hall setting at one of the city's main cultural venues.

That's the Minho this week. See you next Friday.