Held between 26 July and 10 August 1930, the Great Regional Exhibition of Setúbal was one of the most significant economic, industrial and cultural events in the city’s history. Organised by the Municipality of Setúbal under the leadership of its mayor, Carlos Botelho Moniz, the exhibition sought to showcase the district’s economic potential at a time marked by the crisis of the Portuguese canning industry and widespread unemployment, while simultaneously projecting an image of progress and modernity.

The exhibition brought together hundreds of exhibitors and was organised into four main sections—industrial, agricultural, livestock and artistic—representing virtually every sector of the regional economy. The fish canning industry naturally occupied a central place, alongside fishing, salt production, agriculture, wine, cork and the many other activities that characterised the District of Setúbal.

The exhibition grounds were designed by the municipal architect Able (Abel) da Silva Pascoal, who created the monumental entrance gateway and developed a modern architectural language inspired by the great European exhibitions of the period. The inauguration was attended by the President of the Republic, Óscar Carmona, and also marked the official inauguration of the city’s electric street lighting and the laying of the foundation stone for the Port of Setúbal, turning the event into a powerful demonstration of the new regime’s programme of modernisation.