A Year in
Portugal
A flower festival in spring, sultry summer parties with neighbourhood dance-offs and alfresco dining, chestnuts and grape harvesting in autumn, and colourful carnival parades to shake off the winter chill. Whatever the season, Portugal celebrates in style all year round.
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Madeira Flower Festival in full bloom in Funchal
Spring
Portugal’s hillsides burst into life as spring flowers bloom across the country and mark the start of the cherry-picking season. The biggest celebration comes around mid-May with the Madeira Flower Festival and its lively parade in Funchal. Around the same time, Easter festivities begin in earnest, with religious processions taking place nationwide. Every year, Freedom Day (April 25) celebrates the success of the Carnation Revolution and is observed throughout Portugal.
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Praia Da Prainha near Alvor in the Algarve
Summer
Summer is synonymous with endless beach days and green wine. It’s also the season of music festivals, Lisbon Pride and the Santos Populares. The capital celebrates Santo António with dancers competing for the top spot, while Porto celebrates São João in a less conventional manner: by jovially hitting their neighbours over the head with plastic hammers.
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Harvesting grapes in Quinta de Chocapalha
Autumn
Warm weather and the scent of roasted chestnuts linger in the air. September is the season of the grape harvest, and many wineries allow you to participate in the process. In November, locals bring flowers to their family graves and processions are held to honour the dead. In Madeira, the season ends with a sampling of the year’s new wine on Saint Martin’s Day.
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Lisbon illuminated at Christmas
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Bolo Rei, a traditional Portuguese fruit cake
Winter
Winter sees colder temperatures and the first snowfall on Serra da Estrela, Portugal’s highest mountain. In December, Christmas markets emerge, and villages like Óbidos and Penamacor welcome the winter revellers. On Christmas eve bacalhau (salt cod) is served, but bakeries fill their counters with sweets like the bolo rei (king’s cake) all season long. The festive spirit continues until Carnival with costume parades brightening the streets around mid-February.
The Carnation Revolution
The Carnation Revolution celebrates the end of dictatorial rule in Portugal. On 25th April 1974 a military coup overthrew Salazar and his regime. The day was named after the red flowers that soldiers placed inside their guns during the peaceful demonstrations.
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Winter Carnivals
Podence
Young men turn into masked devil figures known as caretos for this Celtic celebration.
Lazarim
Lazarim locals parade the streets with a marching band.
Ovar
Samba performances are the highlight of the Carnival in Ovar, one of the oldest in the country.
Torres Vedras
A week-long party with colourful floats and masked figures.
Madeira
Madeira celebrates a Brazil-style carnival showcasing an array of exuberant costumes.