8 Unique Things to Know About World Youth Day 2023 in Lisbon
After four years of waiting — one year longer than expected, due to the pandemic — and fears that the Pope’s health issues would force another postponement, World Youth Day (WYD) 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal, will finally take place in a few days, from Aug. 1 to 6, and it promises to be unique in many ways.
This is the first time WYD will take place in Portugal, the westernmost country in Europe with the oldest borders on the continent. It will be the second time that Pope Francis will visit Portugal; in 2017, he went to Fátima, one of the most visited Catholic pilgrimage sites in the world, for the centenary of the apparitions there. He will pay another visit on this trip.
As a small country of 10 million inhabitants, Portugal will welcome pilgrims from every country around the world for WYD, except for one: the Maldives. The United States is the country with the largest number of participants from outside Europe: More than 27,000 Americans will cross the Atlantic for the five-day event.
Here are 10 things the pilgrims — and all participants near and far — should know before the gathering begins.
1. This will be the most “sustainable” WYD to date.
The organizers of World Youth Day 2023 committed to promoting sustainability from the outset and are striving to fulfill this pledge. But it needs the help of all participants. For this reason, one of the first challenges posed to everyone will be to use the first carbon footprint calculator in the history of the WYD, which will be included in the WYD Lisbon 2023 app that participants must install on their mobile phone when arriving in Portugal.
The calculator works on the basis of a questionnaire. By recording their activities from their points of departure for WYD to the last day of the event, pilgrims will be able to discover their estimated carbon footprint (the total amount of greenhouse gases — including carbon dioxide and methane — generated by their actions) by the end of WYD, and with the help of an associated manual, they will learn how to reduce their impact.
One of the initiatives carried out to offset part of WYD’s environmental footprint is the planting of trees, which has been taking place all over the world in partnership with the Global Tree Initiative. According to the organization’s latest balance sheet, close to 17,000 trees have already been planted.
A reusable water bottle will also be included in the “pilgrim’s kit” to discourage the use of plastic and promote more sustainable water consumption.
2. Music, art and culture will be on display throughout Lisbon.
WYD is much more than the main events with the Pope. Throughout the week, Lisbon will be the stage for the Youth Festival, which includes more than 500 events spread over 100 spaces with free admission.
Music will have the greatest prominence at this festival, with 290 performances scheduled to be performed by more than 100 bands or solo artists from the five continents with various musical styles. Efren Rivera, PJ Anderson, Ivan Diaz, Ryan Tremblay, Communion, and JoEmma are just a handful of the names from the United States who will be present on the different stages of WYD.
Cinema lovers will be able to choose from 27 screenings of documentaries about the life of those who dared to follow Jesus, feature films, and other movies about relevant figures in the life of the Church. They can also watch Pope Francis’ favorite films in a special rotation prepared by the Cinematheque. Those who love theater will have the opportunity to watch seven different shows, including musicals that star young pilgrims.
Lovers of new technologies can take a trip to Martim Moniz, one of the largest plazas in Lisbon, which will be called Criston@utas (Christon@uts) Park during WYD, with an interactive digital circuit that will culminate every night at 9:30pm in a video-mapping show dedicated to the history of salvation and WYD.
Throughout the city, there will also be traditional, contemporary and street dance performances, and there will be 17 exhibitions displayed simultaneously dedicated to themes such as ecology, peace and Fátima.
