Future Days 2025: How TimeOut turned a magazine into a destination food market

Portugal – Just days after a climate-induced power outage plunged Portugal into darkness, Lisbon emerged as a beacon of resilience and innovation with the opening of Future Days 2025. This year’s event, themed Towards Symbiotic Futures, brought together global thinkers and local innovators to explore regenerative models of living, working and consuming.

Day one of the summit started with a city-scanning experience through the heart of the capital that led us to the iconic TimeOut Market Lisboa. 

Ana Alcobia, director of TimeOut Market Lisboa, shared the transformation story of the TimeOut brand – from publishing house under financial strain to global gastro-cultural tastemaker. It now boasts 11 markets worldwide with a 12 set to launch in Budapest. The secret? Editorial curation as commercial strategy. Journalists who once reviewed restaurants are now instrumental in selecting the chefs and concepts featured at each location. The result is a market experience that transcends street food, spotlighting tasting menus from Michelin-starred local chefs to immersive culinary workshops.

Tapping into Future Day's central theme, Alcobia outlined how sustainability is baked into TimeOut Market Lisboa’s infrastructure. All meals are served on high-quality Portuguese ceramic tableware – a deliberate departure from single-use culture. Behind the scenes, a closed-loop cleaning system keeps waste to a minimum. But the market isn’t just about green practices, it’s a hub of cultural continuity and local empowerment.

Stay tuned for LS:N Global’s daily coverage of Future Days 2025.