WOOL 2026

The 13th edition of WOOL took to the streets to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Portugal’s oldest urban art festival. A model of decentralization, inclusion, social cohesion, and territorial transformation through art and culture, WOOL saw its highest-ever level of community participation in 2026. During the festival’s 11 days, the streets of Covilhã were filled with a multidisciplinary program and intense artistic creation in public spaces, all centered on one certainty: the possibility of building a more participatory and cohesive community through art and culture.

In this edition, which featured a record number of partners (a total of 65 public and private entities joined WOOL), we hosted more than 40 free activities and reinforced community involvement as a fundamental premise for a sustainable collective experience.

Following the intense artistic activity that took place over 11 days, we are left with a record of the works resulting from this edition, which are now part of the well-established WOOL Art Route—a route that is undeniably part of Covilhã’s landscape and collective imagination today: the murals by Ben Johnston (ZA), Ruído (PT), Tellas (IT), and Nasarimba (CA); the installations by Addam Yekutieli (USA) and Octavi Serra (ES); and the tile panels by Mariana, a miserável (PT). In addition, the monumental result of the community art project “A Nossa Casa”.

Ben Johnston created a massive mural (365 m²) in Covilhã, inspired by a verse from Amália Rodrigues’s fado song “Covilhã Cidade Neve,” which calls for a (new) beginning and constant renewal—a message of hope that is born every day with the sun, just as the sun rises. The “Novo Dia” mural created by Ben Johnston in Covilhã marked WOOL’s first venture into Covilhã’s new district, far from the usual Historic Center, where a new community joins WOOL’s already diverse network.

Ruído came to Covilhã to honor and celebrate the centennial of a historic institution in Covilhã and the region: the Orfeão da Covilhã. On the occasion of this institution’s 100th anniversary, a mural has been created depicting a story of great significance—one built not only on music but also on theater, film clubs, philately, numismatics, and a strong sense of community—revealing the collective strength of many people who, when they come together, are able to build an institution that fosters great talent.

Right in the heart of the city, in Covilhã’s main square, Tellas has created a double-sided mural in a single color (blue), painted without a sketch or drawing, entirely inspired by the local flora and various patterns he captured and recorded during his regular visits to the area.

Also inspired by the patterns they encountered throughout the city of Covilhã, Nasarimba has created a mural featuring a variety of colors, patterns, shapes, and textures—a project that is part of a European tour organized by the Calgary Arts Development program (Canada), with stops in Berlin, Milan, and Covilhã.

On a smaller scale, and evoking memory, oral tradition, and the expressions and accents of Covilhã, are 10 small tile panels created by Mariana, a miserável scattered throughout the city and inviting visitors to discover, without a guide, one of the defining aspects of our community’s identity.

Joining the murals on the WOOL Art route are installations by Addam Yekutieli and Octavi Serra. One of the major highlights of this edition of WOOL is Addam Yekutieli’s diptych, which, through a dialogue between two interrogative panels, raises questions about themes such as colonialism, history, memory, and our relationship with civilization—a clear inquiry into the current moment in history, more precisely the genocide in the Gaza Strip perpetrated by the State of Israel. Octavi Serra used humor to delineate different locations in the city and offer a perspective on what these places once were and what they might become.

As part of the WOOL 2026 Community Art Projects, “A Nossa Casa” was one of the most memorable moments of this year’s festival, culminating in a emotional unveiling in the heart of Covilhã—a celebration of everyone who contributed to the more than 7,000 crochet and knitting squares that now cover a house built by and for the community. The project involved more than 1,000 participants (from the city, the region, the country, and abroad) and more than 105 organizations (including nursing homes, day centers, senior centers, Santa Casa, social welfare institutions, etc.). Work on the piece began back in February 2026 with a dedicated group of residents and expanded to include thousands of people, culminating during WOOL with a community snack, a mini-concert, and plenty of photos in front of what is now Covilhã’s most beautiful house.

The March for Hope, led by artist Mantraste (PT), involved 29 community work sessions, a total of 19 schools, and more than 600 students from the municipality of Covilhã—including kindergarten, elementary, and middle school students—as well as participants from APPACDM in Covilhã. More than 200 children took to the streets on the afternoon of June 19 to express their wishes, thoughts, hopes, and demands regarding the world around them, as part of the festival’s introduction to activism and the civic role of the population—especially the youngest members, who represent the future of generations to come.

In terms of music and community gathering, one of the highlights of this edition of WOOL—which completely filled the main hall of the Covilhã Municipal Theater—was the concert showcasing the artistic residency between Noiserv and the Covilhã Music Conservatory. On stage, a total of nearly 40 people—including the lead artist and 7th- and 8th-grade students from the Covilhã Conservatory—created one of WOOL’s most iconic nights, showcasing their combined talent in a brilliant performance that left no one unmoved.

Still on the topic of music, for this 13th edition of WOOL, we opened the long-closed doors of the Garagem de São João—an iconic building in Covilhã that currently stands vacant—for a memorable concert by Unsafe Space Garden, an unclassifiable alternative rock band. Next, the Garagem space came back to life as the best music of the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s was revived through vinyl records spun by DJ Solid State.

The now-traditional late-afternoon mini-concerts once again brought the community together in unusual or forgotten spots around Covilhã, inviting everyone to (re)discover the places that make a city what it is. In this edition, WOOL shared with the city the emerging local talent of Ema Ferreira & Marco Pereira, Patife, and the EntreLaçado project.

The “Industrial Heritage” exhibition, featuring photographs and objects by Pedro Seixo Rodrigues showcasing Covilhã’s immense industrial heritage, reminded us that we have a commitment to the heritage we’ve inherited and must decide what to do with it (right) now. It welcomed more than 200 visitors over the course of 7 days, a record number of visitors for this venue.

The Community Lunch, held once again in Covilhã’s Public Garden, brought together several generations for a moment of fellowship; this year’s event featured a birthday cake and a performance by the Viés Choir—Vozes em Intervenção, from Coolabora, a social intervention cooperative.

The final day of this 13th edition also featured the WOOL Race, which saw dozens of runners—young and old alike—trek through the city as they passed along the WOOL Public Art Route, marking our first foray into sports and the promotion of physical well-being.

From this edition of WOOL, we’ll also feature the best highlights in the next issue, courtesy of the young and talented writer Bernardo Fortuna, who spent the entire festival in a literary residency, observing and absorbing everything that took place. We don’t know the final result yet, but from the previews we’ve seen, we can guarantee: it was—and will be—well worth it.

WOOL 2026 wrapped up its 13th edition and its 15th-anniversary celebration, drawing visitors from various parts of the country and abroad. It was a true celebration of the Covilhã community, which over the course of these 11 days expanded to welcome people from both within and outside the region, all united by a shared desire to create and enjoy art.

Despite the significant funding cut announced in early May—which forced a readjustment of the program—WOOL rose to the occasion (with its usual resilience) to deliver a celebratory edition that brought together, across its various initiatives, a very large and diverse group of people.

For WOOL, the greatest achievement has never been measured by the number of murals it produces, but rather by the relationships it patiently builds between artists and residents, visitors and locals, and people who—even if only for a few days—become part of the same community.

And we firmly believe there is no greater achievement than this.