The Foundation Inês de Castro, a private institution with headquarters in Coimbra and the Quinta das Lágrimas, have organised the 2nd edition of The Festival of the Arts (Festival das Artes) First launched in 2009, this year the theme is  "Water Endless."  This is a summer festival that takes place outdoors in the amphitheater "Colina de Camões" in Quinta das Lágrimas, winner in 2008 with the National Prize for Landscape Architecture.

The event takes place in the last 2 weeks of July and is a fantastic cultural event for those living in Central Portugal and beyond.

The Arts Festival reaffirms its ambition to become a reference point for  national and international outdoor summer festivals, not forgetting the intention of becoming an anchor of cultural tourism that helps to promote Coimbra.

A Garden Festival is held at the Quinta das Lágrimas, near the Fountain of Love, a place of undeniable historical and mythical influence, therefore benefits from this natural space. It has a unique view of the "holy mountain" of Coimbra, offering aesthetic enjoyment integrated with musical and visual sensations.  Also this year, it extends its influence to various historical sites in the city of Coimbra.

The aim of this multi-arts festival is to hold events related to the Arts, including Music, Theatre, Dance, Cinema, Photography, Comics, the Food, Poetry and Narrative each year.

For Festival 2010, the main intention was to increase the number of events, create a festive atmosphere in the city of Coimbra to improve their visibility, conduct joint promotional activities with sponsors and patrons and thereby enhance the opportunities to strengthen the image of alliance between the Foundation Inês de Castro and this festival, and each of its’  supporters.
The Quinta das Lágrimas is, in itself, quite impressive as it has nearly 30 acres of gardens and a palace that has been converted into a luxury hotel

The origin of the estate is uncertain. It is known that it was a hunting ground for the Portuguese royal family and that it later belonged to the University of Coimbra and afterwards to a religious order. It was acquired by the Osório Cabral de Castro family in 1730 who ordered the  palace to be  built. In 1879 a large part of the palace was lost during a fire. It was rebuilt in the late nineteenth century by Miguel Osório Cabral de Castro, in a style different from that of the original.

The location of the festival is in the Santa Clara area of Coimbra and the GPS Coordinates are: 40°11′53″N 8°26′0″W