50 YEARS OF HISTORY
SINCE 1975.
MILESTONES
1975
First performance, at the São João festival of Barcelinhos — still without a name
1976
First performance under the name Banda Plástica
1992
EXPO 92 in Seville
1998
EXPO 98 in Lisbon
2025
50 years of Banda Plástica
THE ORIGIN
1975 ·
BARCELINHOS
The idea emerged spontaneously on a street, at the São João festival of Barcelinhos. A group of revellers broke with costumes copied from the clay musicians. It was a joke. It became forever. The name came the following year: in 1976 it performed for the first time as Banda Plástica.
ORCA · 1976
THE MAESTRO OF MAESTROS
ANTÓNIO
DURÃES FARIA
“FARTURAS”
Blacksmith by trade. Maestro by vocation. He led the band for decades, turning every appearance into a spectacle of humour, charm and Barcelos identity.
THE SUCCESSION
01
Gigo
02
Manuel Faria
03
Jorge Amaral
04
Bonito
CURRENT05
Adriano Faria
ACROSS THE WORLD
WHERE THERE'S
A PARTY,
THERE'S THE BAND
From Rio to Expo 92 in Seville, from Vierzon in France to Portuguese communities in the USA — Banda Plástica brought Barcelos to stages that never forgot.
- _ BRAZIL
- _ EXPO 92 · 98
- _ FRANCE
- _ USA
THE COSTUME
THE UNIFORMS
Over the years, the Banda Plástica uniforms went through several versions, following the group's own evolution and gradually strengthening its visual identity — until they became true to the clay musicians that inspired it.
The first
Borrowed from a band of the Areias de S. Vicente potters: green, with yellow bands and a red bow tie.
The most iconic
Red trousers, blue jacket and a red hat with a yellow tip — for a long time, the image of the band.
Today's
White trousers, blue jacket and a green hat with a red tip: the clay musician of Barcelos, in person.
FACTS AND MISHAPS
A ROOSTER
ALONG THE WAY
The dented rooster
On the trip to Orca, the band carried a giant Barcelos Rooster on the bus roof. A viaduct less impressed by its grandeur dented it — but, between laughs and improvisation, the rooster was patched up and made it to the destination.
A week that lasted a month
The trip to Brazil was planned for seven days. The promoters' disorganisation turned it into a whole month — one of the many adventures the band still remembers.
At Portugal Fashion
Master António Durães Faria and the band took their irreverence to Nuno Gama's show, sharing the catwalk with Claudia Schiffer and Sofia Aparício.
British Airways, 1991
The band was part of a British Airways promotional campaign and turned an airport activation into a real party.