After the success of another edition of the Azores Birdwatching Arts Festival, the project that encourages birdwatching through field trips and artistic cultural events, the Vice-President of Lajes do Pico, Manuel Pimentel, has guaranteed MiratecArts’ support to continue developing the festival next year.

Present at the event, Manuel Pimentel declared that “this festival, which not only has a program open to the general public but also reaches all the schools in the municipality, is something we want to continue supporting and developing in Lajes do Pico.”

“This kind of project can only be produced with partnerships like the one we have with the Municipality of Lajes do Pico,” admits Terry Costa, artistic director of MiratecArts, ”from financial support to logistics and even programming, as is the case with Pedro Silva, a senior technician from the Municipality.”

On the other hand, Pedro Silva says that “initiatives like this are of the utmost importance for training young people, they playfully encourage nature conservation and birdwatching.”

The edition that closed last Sunday, in addition to the birdwatching events and environmental educational presentations, featured films, storyteller Estefânia Surreira, photography and creative writing workshops, and exhibitions that included Azoreans Joana Castro, Márcia Ávila, and various flag photographers who colored the town center. Azores Birdwatching Arts Festival is a MiratecArts project with the Municipality of Lajes do Pico and this year had the participation of the associations SPEA – Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds, Birdrace Awards 2024, Asas do Mar – IOMA, Birdwatching Club of the Triangle and Zeiss optical equipment, providing good experiences for the participants, this year on the islands of Faial, São Miguel and Terceira, in addition to the epicenter in Lajes do Pico. Entities and artists working with birds can propose a program for the next edition, to be held in November 2025.

From MiratecArts Press Release

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.