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Events in Portugal

Portugal has a range of jazz festivals, music festivals, expos and fashion shows, as well as sports events like the Lisbon International Equestrian Jumping Competition, Lisbon Half Marathon, Estoril Open - International Tennis Tournament and UEFA champions league soccer events. For more detail on these events check out www.whatsonwhen.com

Some other annual cultural and religious festivals and events, throughout Portugal include

Carnaval Lisbon, Portugal
This popular event is celebrated throughout Portugal and features a sensational parade comprised of beautiful costumes and floats. Held in February.

Dia da Liberdade (Liberty Day) Lisbon, Portugal
The April 25th annual celebration of 1974's Carnation Revolution, an event that replaced 48 years of dictatorship with parliamentary democracy and a free trade economy. Festivities are held throughout the city and include a military parade, marathon and political speeches.

Feira da Luz Largo da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal
This festival celebrates the city's enduring cultural heritage. Exhibits showcase clothing, plants, pottery, farm tools, traditional handicrafts, industrial products, plastic household items, and toys. Equinoctial fair also marks the end of harvest and ushers in a new agricultural season. Held in September.

Feira do Livro (Book Fair) Parque Eduardo VII, Lisbon, Portugal
This amazing exhibition is devoted to the promotion of reading. Nearly 200 exhibitors participate, showcasing a variety of popular titles and special interest topics such as technical manuals, educational resources and comic strip books. Great selection of children's material, as well as autographed, rare and used collections. Held May 25-June 13.

Festas da Cidade de Lisboa Lisbon, Portugal
This celebration of the city sees Lisbon resonate with cultural events such as dancing, parades, films, concerts, ballet, sidewalk parties, crafts and barbecues. Held June 8-30.

Festival do Vinho Lisbon, Portugal
This festival spotlights Portugal's choice wines and demonstrates the significance of wine to the country's culture. Will be held November.

Festival of Santo António Avenida da Liberdade, (Festival of St. Anthony), Lisbon, Portugal
Millions participate in this annual procession honouring St. Anthony. Illuminated streets glow with lanterns, streamers and bonfires as a colourful procession of singers, musicians and dancers make their way through most of the city. Held June 12-13.

Fia Lisboa International Handicrafts Fair FIL (Exhibition Center), Lisbon, Portugal
This fair recognizes the ongoing economic role of handicrafts and features work by nearly 600 Portuguese and international exhibitors. Approximately 100,000 visitors attend this annual event.

Ocean Festival Parque das Nações, The Festival of the Oceans, Lisbon, Portugal
This festival promotes greater appreciation and understanding of oceanography via shows, parades, regattas, and exhibitions. Festival also addresses Portugal's cultural, economic and social relations with America, Africa and Asia. Held August 12-27.

Pilgrimage to Fátima Fátima, Portugal
Located 100 kilometres (62 miles) north of Lisboa, this annual event attracts participants from around the world. Held May 12-13.

Festa das Fogaceiras Santa Maria da Feira, Portugal
January each year sees in all day event, in the town of Santa Maria da Feira, which boasts one of the prettiest castles in Portugal and also plays host to the Festa das Fogaceiras. On this day young people dressed in white carry breads and cakes on their heads in decorated baskets.
This is undertaken in order to fulfil a vow made by St Sebastian in the 16th century during a serious epidemic, and the Saint can be invoked to ward off and help cure infectious diseases. So if you're not feeling too well, bread hats (fogaças) are the order of the day!

Festa da São João Porto, Portugal
In Porto, on the nights of 23 Jun and the afternoon of 24 Jun, the streets are overtaken with dancing and flying vegetables. The party begins days before this saint's day (24 June) with every neighbourhood group and community creating cascatas, models depicting villages or religious scenes - there is a prize for the best one. The streets are decorated with streamers and ribbons hanging between the buildings, stalls are set up and stages are erected. By the evening of 23 June - drinking, eating grilled sardines, hurling greens at each other, leaping over bonfires whilst making a wish, waving garlic under each other's noses and banging plastic hammers on tables along to the music. The origin of these strange customs has been forgotten but the tradition still persists.
There are stalls and stages throughout the centre of the city but the best place to go is the historic centre and particularly the Ribeira, down on the banks of the river Douro, packed with bars, restaurants and stalls, also the best place to see the spectacular fireworks later in the evening. After this, if you're still in the party mood head down to Foz for a beach party that starts in the early hours and continues right through to the morning.
Of course the saint's day itself is a well-needed holiday for those with sore heads, and for others it's time to go to church. The afternoon sees a regatta along the Douro, with the rabelos, the traditional wooden boats used to transport the port wine, racing each other along the river.

Festival of the Sea S. Joao do Estoril Beach, Cascais, Portugal
Each year, in Jul/Aug, the Fishermens' Association in Cascais organises an all day event. The young fishermen spend the first part of the event strutting their stuff in front of the local ladies, and then turn their attention to the bulls that are sent running along the beach. Anyone brave or foolhardy enough tries to grab onto the horns for the exciting prize of some dried codfish. The event includes a procession in true Portuguese style of Our Lady of the Seafarers, complete with colourful costumes and music. The nights are lit up with fireworks and ring to the sound of fado (a traditional style of singing). The hushed, dramatic rendering of folk songs can be wonderful to hear. All sorts of weird and wonderful games are laid on during the fiesta, including one where people bet on which hole a mouse will choose to run down! Dates may vary, as the festival only starts when the fishermen are ready.