No matter what time of year it is, there’s a festival going on in Portugal, and the locals know how to party. Outdoor concerts and popular saints’ festivals, especially in Lisbon and Porto, are two of the most well-known events, but there are many more to discover and enjoy. In addition to religious events, myths and legends, and even plain old fun, there are a few celebrations that focus solely on having fun.
JANUARY
During Epiphany, a cake shaped like a king’s crown, known as bolo rei, is traditionally eaten (Dia de Reis)
The Festa das Fogaceiras, held annually on January 20 in Santa Maria da Feira, features young girls dressed in traditional attire carrying castle-shaped fogaças cakes on their heads to express gratitude for good health.
FEBRUARY
Carnaval Portugal celebrates carnival as a whole, but there are famous Rio-style carnival processions with floats, music, and costumes in Lisbon, Loule, Nazare, and Viana do Castelo.
The Fantasporto International Film Festival is one of the oldest and most established film festivals in Portugal. The film festival first took place in Porto in 1981 and has been going strong ever since, with past contributors including Pedro Almodóvar, Luc Besson, and David Cronenberg.
The Entrudo dos Comprades in Lazarim, near Lamego, is a raucous, masked carnival celebration complete with fireworks and a male/female face-off.
Essência do Vinho is an international wine show held in Porto’s Palácio da Bolsa.
MARCH
Beja hosts a nine-day agricultural festival complete with music, food, and handicrafts.
From late March to late April, Aveiro hosts the Feira de Março, a historic festival that now includes folk and rock concerts.
The Porto Interceltic Festival honours Celtic music from all over Europe.
Portugal isn’t just about traditional festivals; new ones appear on a regular basis. Film, music, and food festivals, in particular, are frequently sponsored by local governments in order to boost local tourism.
We have attempted to list the major festivals in Portugal, but no list can be comprehensive, so please check with local tourist offices.
APRIL
Semana Santa (Easter/Holy Week)
Braga’s Easter festival, Procissão do Senhor Senhor Ecce Homo, takes place on Holy Thursday and features barefoot, torch-bearing, hooded penitents in a spooky procession through the town. It is part of the city’s Semana Santa celebrations, which attract thousands of visitors each year. Each day of the ten-day festival features a variety of events such as symphonic concerts, biblical pageants, masses, and processions such as Ecce Homo, the Lord’s Burial Procession on Good Friday, and the Resurrection Procession in Braga Cathedral on Easter Sunday.
On Passion Sunday (the second Sunday before Easter), a procession takes place near the church of Nossa Senhora da Esperanca in Porto. On Easter Day, Judas effigies are burned around the cathedral.
The Festa das Toches is an Easter procession held in São Brás de Alportel, Algarve.
Another large Easter festival is the Festa da Mãe Soberana in Loule.
On Easter Sunday in Loulé, the Algarve, eight men dressed in white carry a statue of the Virgin Mary (Nossa Senhora da Piedade) to the Church of São Francisco. This is known as the “Little Festival” (Festa Pequena), and the heavy image is paraded through the streets again two weeks later, accompanied by a band, an open-air mass, and concluding fireworks.
Obidos’ Semana Santa celebrations are among the most vibrant in Portugal, lasting two weeks. Torchlight processions take place at night, and during the day, the last moments of Christ are re-enacted, with a Christ figure wearing a crown of thorns, carrying a cross, and surrounded by Roman soldiers.
Castelo de Vide’s Easter rites combine Catholic and Jewish traditions, while straw figures of Judas are ceremoniously burned in Portalegre.
The large Festas do Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres is held on the fifth Sunday after Easter in Ponta Delgada, Azores (Lord Holy Christ of the Miracles). The streets are carpeted with flowers, and processions with brass bands are held. A flower-adorned image of Senhor Santo Cristo (Lord Holy Christ) is carried through the streets.
MAY
The Fatima romarias (pilgrimage) is held in Fatima to commemorate the anniversary of the Virgin Mary’s apparition.
The lively Festas das Cruzes lasts a week in Barcelos and includes a procession and a handicraft fair.
Throughout May/June, Faro hosts an international music festival.
The civic festival of Santa Joanna is held in early May to honour the royal princess Joana, who retired to Aveiro’s convent (now a museum) in the 15th century.
The Queima das Fitas is a drink-filled festival in Coimbra that features parades, fado, and the burning of gowns. The Queima das Fitas do Porto is a Porto-specific version.
The Corpus Christi Vaca das Cordas “bull running” ceremony in Ponte de Lima takes place at the end of May or early June.
Since 1978, the Festival Internacional de Teatro deExpressão Ibérica (International Iberian Language Theatre Festival) has been held in Porto in late May/early June.
The Festa do Senhor de Matosinhos in Matosinhos, near Porto, is a religious festival that lasts about three weeks.
JUNE
June is a great month to visit Portugal. There are Corpus Christi celebrations, as well as the more boisterous Festa de Santo Antonio in Lisbon and Festa de São João in Porto.
The Corpo de Deus (Corpus Christi) festival, which includes processions, is celebrated throughout the country.
The Festa de Santo Antonio in Lisbon honours the saint of love,’ with newlywed couples giving thanks and singles praying for a match made in heaven – usually on June 13.
The Feira Afonsina, a Medieval fair in Guimarães, will take place from June 18 to June 21, 2020. There are Medieval costumed participants, processions, and a variety of local products for sale.
On June 23-24, Porto, Aveiro, and Braga celebrate the Festa de São João (John the Baptist). In Porto, people are hit on the head with harmless plastic hammers; in Braga, expect dancing, illuminations, folk dramas, poems to loved ones in basil pots, music, and processions.
In the first week of June, Santarem hosts a 10-day Feira Nacional da Agricultura, which includes horse racing, bullfights, and bull-running in the streets.
Rock in Rio-Lisbon is a massive rock festival that is billed as the world’s largest music festival. It is held annually at the Parque the Bela Vista in Lisbon and attracts some of the biggest names in popular music.
Amarante’s Festa de São Gonçalo features a large procession of single people exchanging phallic-shaped cakes as love tokens.
In June, Setubal hosts an international film festival called Festroia.
On June 29, Porto celebrates the Festa de São Pedro (Saint Peter) with music, dancing, and processions.
Porto hosts a beer festival in Foz do Douro’s Jardim do Passeio Alegre. Serralves em Festa (Serralves Festival), an arts festival of dance, music, and theatre, is also held in the city at the Fundaço Serralves. The Porto Book Fair takes place in June at the Palácio De Cristal’s Rosa Mota Pavilion. The Regata dos Rabelos (Rabelo Boat Races) are held on the River Douro and are sponsored by port wine producers in the city.
Fundão, known for its cherries, hosts a “cherry festival” in June, complete with guided tours of cherry orchards and cherry-themed menus at local restaurants.
Arraial Pride is the largest gay pride festival in Portugal, held in June in Lisbon.
JULY
July is a popular month for relaxing on Portugal’s beautiful beaches in the Algarve or on the coast at Caparica, south of Lisbon. There are also numerous art and music festivals to attend.
NOS Alive is a music and arts festival held each year in Oeiras, west of Lisbon. The event, which began in 2007, was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but it will return in 2022. Beastie Boys, Bob Dylan, Coldplay, Foo Fighters, Metallica, Muse, and Radiohead have all performed at the festival.
Also in Oeiras, the new Jardins do Marquês classical music and cuisine festival hopes to debut in 2022.
The Festa do Colete Encanado in Vila Franca de Xira includes street bull-running, similar to the more famous festival in Pamplona, Spain, with drunken youth running the bulls through the town’s narrow streets.
Estoril’s world-famous classical music festival takes place in July and August, coinciding with the town’s Handicrafts Fair.
The pagan-inspired Festa dos tabuleiros, held every four years in Tomar (during the first week of the month – next in 2023), features a procession of young girls dressed in white, balancing large trays of bread and wheat on their heads.
The Rallye Biker in Faro takes place on the third weekend of July, and it is one of Europe’s largest biker gatherings, complete with rock music and a motorcycle parade through the streets of Faro.
From mid-July to mid-August, Aveiro celebrates its historic heritage of painted boats – moliceiros – with races and general merriment.
At the end of the month, the Vilar de Mouros music festival in Caminha hosts top-tier rock bands from around the world.
On the last Saturday of each month, Barcelos hosts the Festival de Folclore, which includes traditional singing and dancing.
In July, Sintra hosts its annual Sintra Music Festival, which includes events in Sintra, Cascais, and Estoril.
The FMM Sines – Festival Musicas do Mundo is a world music festival held in July in the Atlantic Coast towns of Sines and Porto Covo.
EDP Cool Jazz at the Hipódromo Manuel Possolo in Cascais has a devoted following, attracting jazz performers from around the world such as John Legend and Herbie Hancock.
MEO Marés Vivas is a music concert held in mid-July in Vila Nova de Gaia, the port wine district south of the River Douro across the Ponte Luis I Bridge from Ribeira in Porto. It features both international and Portuguese performers. In July, Gaia hosts the Porto Wine Fest.
In July, Porto hosts the Festival Internacional de Folclore Cidade do Porto (Porto International Folklore Festival), which features folk music acts from Portugal and around the world.
The Festival ao Largo takes place in the open air in front of the Teatro Nacional São Carlos in Lisbon. The Portuguese Symphony Orchestra, the National Ballet Company, the Teatro Nacional São Carlos Choir, and the Teatro Nacional D. Maria II all offer free performances of classical music, opera, ballet, and choral singing.
The Vilar de Mouros Festival (EDP Vilar de Mouros) is the Iberian Peninsula’s oldest rock festival. In the 1960s, the festival began as a local folk music festival. It expanded to include rock music in 1971, with the first edition featuring Elton John and Manfred Mann. Due to financial constraints, the festival was only held infrequently in the years that followed until it was revived in 2014. The festival is now held in late August on a regular basis.
The Umbrella Sky Project is welcomed in the town of Águeda. The vibrant event first took place in 2012 as part of the Ágitagueda Art Festival. In the hot summer months, umbrellas and parasols help to create shade and pleasing shadows. The practice has spread to other cities in Portugal, including the capital and the northern city of Bragança.
AUGUST
In August, there are several music festivals as well as traditional religious festivals to enjoy in Portugal.
The Romaria da Nossa Senhora da Agona (Our Lady of Sorrows), held around August 20 in Viana do Castelo, includes an impressive parade of floats, displays of local crafts, carnival giants (gigantones), local music, nightly fireworks, and plenty of drinking.
Since 1452, the Festas Gualterianas (St Walter) has been held in Guimarães on the first weekend of August.
The Festa Sao Bartolomeu in Porto (the Sunday following August 24) features a parade of puppets and a healthy dip in the sea at Foz do Douro.
The Ocean Festival (Festival dos Oceanos), held on an irregular basis at Parque das Nações in Lisbon, celebrates the city’s ties to the high seas through boat races and a variety of special events.
The Week of the Sea Festival, held in Horta on the island of Faial in the Azores in mid-month, is a 7-day celebration of marine sports and traditional whaling boat regattas.
The Rio Formosa Festival, held in Faro’s cathedral square, is a modern civic seafood and beer festival that emphasises the importance of preserving the area’s Rio Formosa lagoon.
The Silves Medieval Fair (Silves Feira Medieval) lasts ten days and features historical re-enactments, horse tournaments, period costumes, and plenty of food and drink.
On August 14th, Albufeira celebrates the Festa Nossa Senhora da Orada, when an image of the Virgin Mary and the child Jesus is paraded around town and transported on a boat.
Images of saints are carried through the streets of Cascais and then onto fishing boats during the Our Lady of the Seafarers festival, which also includes bull running, music, fireworks, and plenty of food.
The Feira de São Mateus in Viseu lasts from mid-August until September 21. (Dia do São Mateus). This agricultural fair features bullfights, fado, and folk dancing.
From the end of August to the middle of September, Lamego hosts the Festas de N.S. dos Remedios.
Viana do Castelo hosts the Neopop Festival, Portugal’s most prestigious electronic music festival. The main event site is near the Castelo de Santiago da Barra at the river’s mouth.
The Festival Sudoeste is a 5-day rock, indie, and electro music festival held in Zambujeira do Mar that features acts from Portugal and around the world.
Peniche’s Festa do Nossa Senhora da Boa Viagem, with land and sea processions.
Ritual Rock Nights (Noites Ritual Rock) at Porto’s Palácio De Cristal is a rock festival for emerging bands.
The Festival do Marisco in Olhão is a seafood and music festival that lasts six days. It is held on the beach in Jardim Pescador Olhanense.
Paredes de Coura, now known as Vodafone Paredes de Coura, was founded in 1993 and has hosted artists such as Coldplay, Foo Fighters, Kasabian, Morrissey, and Nine Inch Nails. It was last held in 2019 and hopes to resume in 2022 following the Covid-19 pandemic. The location is Praia do Taboão in Paredes de Coura, a small town on the Spanish border about 50 kilometres northeast of Viana do Castelo.
SEPTEMBER
In early September, Aveiro hosts the Festas do São Paio, which includes a traditional boat race on the northern lagoon.
Porto’s Nossa Senhora do Ó – a procession in honour of the pregnant Virgin beginning at the church of Nossa Senhora da Piedade do Cais – takes place on the last Sunday of the month.
Ponte de Lima’s Feiras Novas (New Fairs) date back to 1125 and feature music, dancing, processions, and general revelry.
On the first Sunday of each month, Tomar celebrates Nossa Senhora de Piedade with a candle-lit procession of decorated floats.
The biggest festival in Nazare is the Nossa Senhora da Nazare Romaria festival (September 8). In the evenings, expect to see a solemn religious procession, bullfights, and folk dancing.
In early September, Leiria hosts a Festival de Gastronomia, complete with food stalls and folk dancing.
The Festival Internacional De Marionetas Do Porto is a Porto-based international puppet festival. In September, Porto also hosts the Vinho Verde Wine Fest at the Customs House (Alfândega Do Porto) and the Porto Blue Jazz Festival in the Jardins do Palácio de Cristal.
In late September, Elvas hosts the Festas do Senhor da Piedade and the Feira de São Mateus.
OCTOBER
The Feira de Outubro takes place in Vila Franca de Xira in early October. In the Praça de Touros Palha Blanco, there is bull-running and a series of bullfights.
The second large annual pilgrimage to Fatima to commemorate the ‘Miracle of the Sun’ of 1913 takes place on October 12-13.
Faro’s largest traditional Festa, the Feira de Santa Iria, is held in the middle of the month.
Lagos celebrates its connection to Portugal’s maritime past with the Festa dos Descobrimentos (Festival of the Discoveries), which includes processions through the town’s streets in period costume (late October/early November).
Santarem hosts the National Gastronomic Festival from late October to early November. The festival began in 1980, and each day is dedicated to a different region and its food culture.
The Festival da Francesinha in Porto honours the city’s signature Francesinha, a dish of bread, grilled steak, ham, and cheese in a beer and tomato sauce, frequently topped with a fried egg.
NOVEMBER
All Soul’s Day (All Saints’ Day) is a national holiday celebrated on November 1 with processions across the country.
The Feira de São Martinho is held in Golega Ribatejo and features bullfighting, horse parades, and general good cheer.
Golega hosts the Feira Nacional do Cavalo (National Horse Fair).
The Porto Marathon is held in November and begins and ends at the Parque da Cidade do Porto.
DECEMBER
Independence Day, a public holiday celebrated on December 1, is typically marked by fireworks and joyous parties.
Dia do Natal (Christmas Day) is a family festival celebrated on December 25th, with the tradition of burning a Xmas oak log to ensure good fortune.
Vespera de Ano Novo (New Year’s Eve) is celebrated throughout the country with fireworks, music, and, like in Spain, the consumption of 12 grapes as the clock strikes midnight. Lisbon’s well-known party is in Belem, near the tower.
The Festa dos Rapazes (Festival of the Boys) has become a rite of passage for adolescent boys, who wear rattles and pigs’ bladders as fertility symbols.
These pagan festivals were incorporated into Christianity and became the Carnival celebrations that are celebrated throughout much of southern Europe.
From December 24-26, several villages in the district of Bragança in the Trás-os-Montes region of northeastern Portugal will host the festival. Participants are dressed in traditional garb and wear the region’s highly ornate folk masks.
