Associação de História e Arqueologia de Sabrosa

THE SUMMER SOLSTICE FESTIVAL

The Summer Solstice Festival is a unique celebration that unites archaeology, art, and nature in a single sacred space: the Medieval Necropolis of Touças, located in the picturesque village of Garganta, in the municipality of Sabrosa, in the heart of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro.

This event originated from an archaeological project developed by the Sabrosa Association of History and Archaeology (AHAS), and has transformed, over the years, into a contemporary ritual of reconnecting with heritage, landscape, and the Sun—an eternal symbol of life, renewal, and energy.

Held annually between June 20th and 21st, the festival marks the exact moment of the Summer Solstice, when the Sun reaches its highest point in the sky and the day becomes the longest of the year. It is an invitation to stop, observe, and feel the cyclical miracle of the light that is reborn.

The highlight of the event is an original theatrical piece, created especially for this moment and performed by the Teatro Solo company. This poetic staging blends music, performance, poetry, and ancestral symbolism, evoking themes such as nature, the Sun, the environment, and the harmony between humankind and the cosmos.

It all begins ten minutes before sunrise. In the twilight of dawn, the Druid appears, a mystical figure who guides participants on a symbolic journey among ancient menhirs and orthostats, inviting them to observe the horizon. And then, at the precise moment the Sun rises, the light touches the archaeological structures, revealing a perfect alignment—a silent dialogue between earth, sky, and time.

The Summer Solstice Festival is, therefore, more than a cultural event: it is a sensory and spiritual experience, an encounter with the past and with the mystery of nature. It is a moment to celebrate life, art, and heritage, in a setting where history and the cosmos illuminate each other.

Year after year, the festival attracts visitors, researchers, artists, and curious onlookers, all united by the same desire to experience the sunrise as the ancients did—with reverence, emotion, and an awareness of time that connects us to our origins.

Come discover the power of the sun, the silence of the earth, and the magic of history at the Summer Solstice Festival in Sabrosa—where the light of the past continues to illuminate the present.