MAC/CCB marks its birthday with free admission on 23–25 October 2026. The useful choice is not simply whether to go, but when: Friday has an evening programme, Saturday brings music, and Sunday is the final day of Multiple Eyes.
Treat the anniversary timetable as the starting point. Ordinary museum hours do not explain a special evening opening, and a free programme is not a promise of a place in every activity.
Friday evening or Saturday afternoon?
On Friday, the museum lists a conversation with Ângela Ferreira and curator Nuria Enguita at 18:00, followed by the opening of Ferreira’s exhibition at 19:00. A Chapitô circus-school performance is scheduled in Praça CCB at 19:30, then Party Smith’s DJ set at 20:00.
For a music-led visit, Saturday’s programme puts Nkisi and Gonçalo F. Cardoso / Gonzo together at 17:00. Choose that session as the anchor rather than arriving with an undated list of things to fit in. Check the organiser’s page again before leaving, especially if a single performance is the reason for travelling.
Which exhibition needs the earlier visit?
Multiple Eyes, featuring Patricia Domínguez, Ines Doujak and Lubaina Himid, ends on 25 October 2026. Its focus is storytelling: different generations of artists approaching the stories through which people understand the world. This is the time-limited choice if that sounds more interesting than simply ticking off a museum.
Ferreira’s new exhibition has a longer run, from 24 October 2026 to 28 February 2027, after the Friday opening. Her practice includes installation, video, photography and sculpture. If the weekend feels too full, save that exhibition for a separate visit rather than rushing both.
The closing date and the opening date are different kinds of urgency. One needs a decision now; the other can stay on the list.
Make it an outing, not a timetable
Start with the exhibition or performance that interests you most. Add the rest only if there is room. A group can agree on a meeting point and a loose finish instead of requiring everyone to move between galleries together.
Read the activity details before bringing children, and confirm language or access requirements directly if those would change the day. Free admission does not establish either. Leave time to find the right entrance and ask staff which parts of the programme need a separate place or registration.
Keep the waterfront optional if the weather is poor. The Belém guide below helps shape the rest of the outing; the rainy-day guide offers alternatives without turning the day into a race between museums.
Open the official anniversary programme below, pick the session, then build the rest of the day around it.
If you’re here
- Check the organiser’s current timetable and any activity conditions before setting off.
- Choose one main session, leave the rest flexible and keep the river walk weather-dependent.