A "Dream Factory" featuring holograms and virtual reality will be part of São João da Madeira's Christmas celebrations, which the local government describes as "an unprecedented immersive experience in Portugal”. The “Dream Factory”, which was set up in Praça Luís Ribeiro, will be open until 31 December and feature 20-minute sessions of three narrative moments: the “Journey to the North Pole,” the “Christmas Story,” and the interaction with Santa Claus.

The “county’s first immersive Christmas” was thus the main focus, with a covered structure that incorporates “cutting-edge technology such as virtual reality, holograms, and video mapping” and a narrative “that should become a reference for all residents of São João”, explained the Mayor Jorge Vultos Sequeira. As he further added, “It will be a truly distinctive and also inclusive experience, because, to ensure that everyone can experience it, we will take virtual reality glasses to the municipality’s social solidarity institutions, to share the ‘Factory’ with those have reduced mobility or other limitations.

61,500 euros for entertainment (up 12,300 from 2023) and 135,300 euros for public lighting (up 18,450 from the previous year) make up the portion of the investment that the city council and parish council set aside for the Christmas season, according to the proposal from S. João da Madeira in Aveiro’s district and the Porto Metropolitan Area.

The ideas in question show “the importance of synergies in local governance”, as stated by Rodolfo Andrade, the parish council president, who is providing 18,450 euros for the events. As he added, “We felt that there was a need to present a Christmas program that would distinguish us and project us as a differentiating municipality, but always allied to tradition, music, colours, smells and the magic of this time of year”.