The Socialist Party in the Lisbon Municipal Assembly on Tuesday questioned the usefulness of the altar stage in the Tagus Park, built for World Youth Day, with the councillor for municipal works comparing the infrastructure to the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
“The symbol of the city is fundamental. The Eiffel Tower is a brutal and fundamental symbol, marked by an event that marks the city forever. What is the function of the Eiffel Tower?” said Philippa Roseta, councilor for municipal works at the Chamber of Lisbon (PSD), arguing that the altarpiece in the Tagus Park “is an architectural icon of the city.”
At a meeting of the Lisbon Municipal Assembly, the leader of the municipal group PS, Manuel Lage, recalled that the idea of the altar stage in the Tagus Park was to be used after World Youth Day (WYD), which took place in August 2023, noting that this did not happen at the Rock in Rio music festival, which “did not use the WYD stage”, for which “the people of Lisbon paid 2.9 million euros”.
The Mayor of PS asked the municipal leader about the next use of this stage in the Tagus Park.
In response, the council’s councillor for works said the stage was “used and was part of Rock in Rio” as one of 300 structures at the festival.
Filipa Roseta said the stage is an “iconic element” and “a Lego city figure” and will be used for other “more dialogue-based” events, depending on the nature of the event itself.
“This is an element that will mark this giant events area as a memory of the place where the Pope was and as a memory of the place where the Pope called us to come together to build a better city and a better world,” explained the PSD mayor, stating that all events in the city will use this structure and “it will be everything that the people of Lisbon want to imagine.”
The council member also noted that the stage was built using the most advanced technological systems and has already won several awards.
Comparing the Eiffel Tower, Filipa Roseta stressed that the altarpiece is an architectural icon of the city, explaining that “it is not just a functional issue”, “it is an iconic image that will forever remain in the memory of this area of the city”.
As for where the structure of this stage is located, the SDP mayor noted that the boards are stored and can be used at any time.
The PS also inquired about the work on the Lisbon Drainage Master Plan, in particular whether the planned schedule was being met, to which the councillor responded that the project was progressing “at the pace possible”, admitting delays.