Fado in Chiado show
About 50 minutes of live fado with singers, Portuguese guitar and acoustic guitar, and images of Lisbon landmarks, in a seated theatre room. Booked by date and seating option, free to cancel until 24 hours before.
Why this fado
Why a fado show belongs in Chiado
A song that began in Lisbon's streets
Fado can be traced to the 1820s in Lisbon, and Lonely Planet places its birth among the tavern crowds of Mouraria. UNESCO calls it a blend of Afro-Brazilian sung dances, local song and dance, rural music brought to the city and early nineteenth-century urban song. UNESCO inscribed it in 2011.
Twelve strings in a theatre
The Portuguese guitar, a twelve-string cittern, shaped like a pear, found only in Portugal, leads the sound, with an acoustic guitar beside it. Chiado places them in a seated theatre rather than a tavern, which suits listeners who want to hear every note.
A quarter built for evenings out
Chiado is named after a 16th-century poet nicknamed Chiado and is known for theatres and cafés, including Lisbon's opera house. A short fado show on Rua da Misericórdia sits easily between a coffee, a walk and dinner.
The show, fado by fado
Fifty minutes, six moments
A fado show strings together small moments. What follows lists the ingredients of the Chiado show rather than a running order, because singers and programme can vary between dates.
The start time depends on the date: read it in the booking calendar, and again on your confirmation.
- I
A seat in a theatre
The show runs in a seated theatre room, not a tavern, and the ticket offers several seating options. Pick yours on the booking page for your date.
- II
The voices
The line-up on the ticket is a male and a female singer. UNESCO notes that fado is usually sung by a solo singer, the fadista, who shapes every phrase.
- III
Two guitars
Portuguese guitar and acoustic guitar play together. The Portuguese guitar has twelve wire strings and is unique to Portugal.
- IV
Lisbon on screen
Images of Lisbon landmarks are shown during the performance, a thread for first-time listeners who do not know the Portuguese words.
- V
Silence, then applause
Fado asks for silence while a song is sung. Guests describe the room singing along to parts of some songs, and applause comes at the end.
- VI
Back into Chiado
The show lasts about 50 minutes, which leaves room for a coffee, a walk or dinner in the quarter around it.
Inside the hall
A theatre room, not a tavern
Most fado venues are taverns or dinner restaurants. This one is a seated room where the whole audience faces the stage, and where the music is the only thing on offer.
- The room
- A seated theatre-style room on the 2nd floor at Rua da Misericórdia 14. Guests call it comfortable and spacious.
- The music
- Singers with Portuguese guitar and acoustic guitar, and images of Lisbon landmarks during the songs.
- The seats
- The ticket offers several seating options. The booking calendar shows which are open for your date.
- In the room
- Flash photography is not allowed. The ticket is described as wheelchair accessible, so check the booking page before you pay.
Around the show
Chiado before and after the show
Chiado is a quarter of theatres, cafés and old squares, named after a poet. Three places around it frame a Lisbon evening.
- Square
Largo do Chiado
The square carries the sign António Ribeiro Chiado, poeta do século XVI. A bronze statue of the poet stands here, placed in 1925, according to Wikipedia.
- Ruins
The Carmo convent
Founded in 1389 and ruined by the 1755 earthquake, its roofless Gothic church is the main trace of that earthquake still visible in the old city.
- Stage
The opera house
The Teatro Nacional de São Carlos, Lisbon's opera house, stands in the Chiado district and opened in the 1790s.
Strings, tiles and squares
Strings, tiles and squares
Fado instruments, rooms and the Chiado streets around the show. The photographs show fado and Lisbon in general, not the venue itself.
Three ways to hear fado
Three ways to hear fado in Lisbon
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Fado in Chiado show
About 50 minutes of live fado with singers, Portuguese guitar and acoustic guitar, and images of Lisbon landmarks, in a seated theatre room. Booked by date and seating option, free to cancel until 24 hours before.
Who it suitsFirst-time listeners, families and anyone short on time.
-
Fado dinner in a former chapel
Dinner and live fado in a fado house set in a former chapel with 18th-century tiles, with new and established singers. The ticket covers a Portuguese dinner and the live show. Free to cancel until 24 hours before, with reserve now, pay later. Not suitable for wheelchair users.
Who it suitsVisitors who want dinner and songs in one long evening.
-
Museu do Fado and its sound archive
A museum of fado in Alfama, housed in a former water pumping station, with artworks, objects and sheet music, plus an online archive of historic recordings. Opening hours are on the museum's website.
Who it suitsListeners who want the history and the old recordings.
Book your fado night
Pick your fado evening
Each card opens a booking page with live dates. The first card is the Chiado theatre show; the second is a fado dinner in a Lisbon fado house. More Lisbon bookings sit below them.
Fado dinner in a former chapel
Dinner and live fado in a fado house set in a former chapel with 18th-century tiles, with new and established singers. The ticket covers a Portuguese dinner and the live show. Free to cancel until 24 hours before, with reserve now, pay later. Not suitable for wheelchair users.
Other Lisbon bookings
Fado night checklist
Practical notes
- Where to go
- Rua da Misericórdia 14, 2nd floor, in Lisbon's Chiado district. Your booking confirmation has the details for your date.
- When to arrive
- Pick a date and the calendar gives its start time. With a running time of about 50 minutes, the show is brief, so keep your confirmation to hand and reach the street early.
- Food and drink
- Not part of the ticket. A meal is yours to arrange before or after the show, and Chiado has plenty of places to eat.
- Access
- The ticket is described as wheelchair accessible. Flash photography is not allowed. If you have access needs, check the booking page before you pay.
- Cancelling
- You can cancel through GetYourGuide until 24 hours ahead and receive the full fare back. There is no reserve now, pay later on this ticket, so payment is taken at booking.
Guides to fado and Chiado
Guides to fado and Chiado
The show, explained Fado in Chiado show: what to book
What the 50-minute fado show on Rua da Misericórdia in Lisbon is, how it differs from a fado dinner, who it suits and how to choose a date.
Read the full piece → Fado, explained Fado in Lisbon for first-timers
What fado is, where it comes from, what the guitars and voices are doing, and how to listen on your first night in Lisbon.
Read the full piece →More on fado and Chiado
FAQ
Before you book fado
How long is the show?
About 50 minutes. Start times vary by date, so read yours in the calendar and on the confirmation before planning the rest of that evening.
Where is Fado in Chiado?
On Rua da Misericórdia 14, 2nd floor, in Lisbon's Chiado district. Your booking confirmation carries the details, and the quarter sits in the middle of the old city.
Is dinner included?
No, the ticket buys the show alone. For dinner and fado in a single booking, choose a fado-house evening such as the one in the second card above.
What will I hear?
Fado songs sung with Portuguese guitar and acoustic guitar, with images of Lisbon landmarks on screen. The line-up and programme can change from date to date, so no particular song is promised.
Do I need to understand Portuguese?
No. Most people in a fado room do not follow every word, and the images of the city give first-time listeners something to follow. The music carries the mood the Portuguese call saudade.
Can children go?
Yes. The ticket is described as a family-friendly event, and a short seated show is easier for younger listeners than a long dinner. Fifty minutes is a manageable length.
Can I cancel?
Yes. Through GetYourGuide you can cancel up to a day before the show and get the fare back in full. Payment is taken at booking, since this ticket has no reserve now, pay later.
Is this the venue's own website?
No, it is a separate guide written with no link to the venue or its musicians, and it sells no tickets. GetYourGuide handles bookings, dates and refunds.
A 50-minute fado show in Lisbon's Chiado, free to cancel up to 24 hours before.
Reserve a seat for fado ↗Fares are quoted per person, and the booking page shows them in whichever currency you pick.