Each year's festival is based on a specific theme that all selected designers must interpret.
The festival is one of the few permanent locations in the world dedicated to temporary landscape architecture exhibitions.
Installations are dismantled and replaced annually to provide a fresh experience for returning visitors.
The project serves as a showcase for international landscape architecture talent, including students and established professionals.
The garden plots are designed to be self-sustaining throughout the duration of the exhibition season.
The International Garden Festival in Ponte de Lima is an annual temporary landscape architecture exhibition featuring a rotating series of themed creative gardens. Each year, an international jury selects approximately 12 projects from competitive entries to be constructed along the banks of the Lima River. The site acts as a laboratory for contemporary landscape design, focusing on sustainability, artistic expression, and botanical innovation. Designers from across the globe participate, resulting in a diverse range of materials and conceptual installations that change annually. The festival grounds occupy a dedicated riverside space specifically curated to host these ephemeral displays. The event maintains a rigorous thematic selection process for its landscape designers. Visitors navigate a series of contained, distinct garden compartments that demonstrate different horticultural philosophies.
The raised viewing platforms that offer an overhead perspective of the garden grid.
Bring a hat and sunscreen as the riverside location offers limited natural shade.
Wear comfortable walking shoes suitable for gravel and grass paths.
Check the official website for the current year's theme before visiting to better understand the design choices.
Do not assume the gardens are permanent; the entire site is re-landscaped every year.
Open seasonally from spring through autumn; closed during winter months for the construction of the following year's exhibits.
Do not touch or climb on the art installations, and remain on marked pathways.
