Valongo Park will be inaugurated in Santos by month's end, ready for Winter Festival preparation

Valongo Park in Santos will be inaugurated on the 28th of this month. The date was revealed by mayor Rogério Santos (Republicanos) during the announcement of the newest attraction for New Year's Eve in the city: the passenger ship Costa Pacifica will remain anchored in the Bay of Santos during the fireworks on New Year's Eve.

"We will officially inaugurate Valongo Park on the 28th. Then, we will start setting up the internal structure for the Winter Festival, which includes restaurants and bars to be used by entities, as well as the stage for shows and other attractions", said Rogério during a press conference at City Hall. The festival will be open to the public on July 12nd.

The project

Valongo Park will occupy the area of the former warehouses 4, 5 and 6 of the Port of Santos. Construction began on September 21st last year, date of the first visit by the minister of Ports and Airports (MPor), Silvio Costa Filho, to the country's main port asset.

The revitalization of the space was funded by Cofco Internacional, which invested R\$ 15 million through a Term of Responsibility for Implementation of Mitigating and/or Compensatory Measures (Trimmc), signed with the Municipality and the Port Authority of Santos (APS) in May 2023. In this first phase, Warehouse 4 was restored and a public square was built at the water's edge, where warehouses 5 and 6 were located.

The park will also feature a playground and a floating pier, funded by Ecoporto Santos, through a Trimmc of R\$ 5 million signed on August 18th, 2023.

On the same date, another Trimmc was signed with Brasil Terminal Portuário (BTP) for the revitalization of the area and surroundings of the former warehouses 1, 2 and 3, in the second phase. A total of R\$ 23.7 million will be allocated. The type of occupation will be defined later this semester by the working group consisting of representatives from the Port Authority and the Municipality of Santos. The idea is to have museums and restaurants in the area.

Fireworks at Valongo Park

The mayor also stated his intention to hold a fireworks show on New Year's Eve at Valongo Park. However, the Port Authority of Santos (APS) stated in a note that "has not received any official information" regarding this proposal.

"Obviously, any activity involving navigational safety will be discussed, before its realization, with the organizer, the Port Authority and the Port Captaincy - which is the authority responsible for the supervision of vessel traffic", says the APS.