Coimbra hosts the country's largest confectionery exhibition in March

The Coimbra Conventual and Contemporary Sweets Exhibition, scheduled for March, will feature almost 50 national and international confectioners, making the event the largest in the country in terms of the number of exhibitors.

In its 14th edition, the initiative brings together 48 confectioners and is thus “the largest confectionery exhibition in the country in terms of number of exhibitors”, with representation from north to south of Portugal and, for the first time, with the presence of the Azores and Madeira, as well as international representatives, announced today the head of the Culture Division of Coimbra City Council, Rafael Nascimento.

The event features international stands from Spain (Salamanca, Zamora and Santiago de Compostela) and France (Aix-en-Provence).

The 14th Conventual and Contemporary Sweets Exhibition of Coimbra takes place on the 22nd and 23rd of March, in different areas of the Convent of São Francisco (CSF).

During the press conference to present the event, late this morning, Rafael Nascimento explained that one of the new features of this edition is the opening of the CSF Cloister to host the initiative.

The space will accommodate confectioners and will have a lounge area, aiming, in addition to safety and comfort, to “open up contact and the possibility of enjoying the heritage” that the Convent has to the public.

Over the weekend of March 22nd and 23rd, in addition to sweets and two craft beers, the public will be able to enjoy activities such as workshops, one of which is aimed at children on Sunday, and an artistic program, with two shows planned.

Commissioned by the Municipality, the CSF will host, on Saturday, the premiere of “Poetry is for eating – volume II”, by Pedro Lamares and 'chef' Luís Lavrador, with tickets on sale from today, and, on Sunday, the interactive 'stand-up comedy' show “Aleixo Amigo – um show muito seu amigo ao vivo” (already sold out).

The program also includes knowledge and tasting workshops, organized by the Coimbra Hotel and Tourism School and the Coimbra Confectioners Association, as well as the “Twinned Sweets” activity, which is also taking place for the first time and where the public will be able to discover the Spanish way of making almond tart.

In addition to permanent entertainment, the Exhibition will “value intangible heritage”, with a craft exhibition.

The president of the Coimbra City Council, José Manuel Silva, throughout the conference, argued that events of this type “are only possible with partnerships”, revealing an investment of 63 thousand euros.

“The Exhibition has been growing, invading other parts of the Convent”, stated the mayor, highlighting the implementation of the tourist tax, “a healthy source of income”, to promote events that make Coimbra more attractive.

The 14th Conventual and Contemporary Sweets Exhibition of Coimbra will take place at the Convento São Francisco, between 2:00 pm and 10:00 pm on March 22nd and between 10:00 am and 8:00 pm the following day.