Theatro Circo was created in 1906, by a group of Bracarenses headed by Artur José Soares, José António Veloso and Cândido Martins. At that time, the city only had a small São Geraldo Theater, so Theatro Circo could meet the needs of the city that, like the rest of the country, was witnessing a great theatrical development. In 1911 the project began to take shape in the hands of the architect João de Moura Coutinho and, on April 21, 1915, Theatro Circo was inaugurated, coinciding with a period of great economic and social development in Braga. Throughout the decades, the space was readapted to the new needs imposed by the evolution of the times and acquired new features, among which the installation of the sound cinema stands out. Great international artists of the time, such as the cellist Guilhermina Suggia, the violinist Isaac Stern and the pianist Arthur Rubenstein, the National Orchestras of Florence, Prague, Madrid or Vienna, the London Opera, among many others, passed through its stage. However, not resisting the competition of the new cinemas and television, and, together with the revolutionary euphoria that was felt until the beginning of the 80’s, the decline of the equipment and its performances became more pronounced, initiating a discussion in the city about the future of the Teatro Circo.

In 1986, the Companhia de Teatro de Braga became a resident company of the Theatro Circo and, in addition to guaranteeing its own theatrical production, it also assumed responsibility for the artistic programming. One year later, and taking into account the great sociocultural and patrimonial importance of the equipment, the City Council of Braga acquired almost all of its social capital, thus assuming the strategic importance of this equipment in the cultural policy of the Municipality. In the late 80’s and throughout almost the entire decade of the 90’s, the Theatro Circo continued to offer a varied program of theater, cinema, opera, ballet, music, exhibitions and educational activities.

The remodeling process began in 1999, and the Teatro Circo underwent extensive restoration and requalification works, by decision of the municipal executive that followed a protocol established between the City Council of Braga and the Department of Culture, co-financed by the ERDF.

The requalification, consisting of the restoration of the entire building with total respect for its architecture and the reinforcement and consolidation of its structure and security, aimed to convert the Teatro Circo into a great cultural center, equipped with the most current and complete stage and sound technology, capable of responding to the needs of contemporary art in its most varied dimensions.

This whole process culminated on 27th October 2006 with the reopening of the Theatro Circo, in a moment of celebration marked by the performance of the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, which returned to the city a space of unusual grandeur and architectural beauty that would be difficult to surpass by any other hall, Portuguese or European. Two years after the completion of the works, in 2008, the City Council acquired the rest of the shares and became the owner of 100% of the company’s capital.