Festa de São João do Porto

A night in the street

São João is the most revered saint of Porto, and for more than six centuries the city has celebrated him; in the nineteenth century his feast became Porto’s most important festival. Portugal’s tourism board notes its pagan origins in the celebration of the summer solstice, and the party mixes sacred and profane traditions.

The celebration starts early in the afternoon of 23 June. Thousands of people crowd the city centre and the old neighbourhoods for street concerts and dancing, jump over bonfires, eat grilled sardines, meat and caldo verde, drink wine and release illuminated, flame-powered balloons into the summer sky. A tradition with roots in old courtship rituals is to tap people on the head — once with garlic flowers, now more often with soft plastic hammers.

Fireworks and sunrise

At midnight everyone pauses to watch the São João fireworks, which now include multimedia shows and mark the end of the official festivities. Many people carry on until the early hours, walking from the riverside Ribeira down to the sea at Foz do Douro or nearby Matosinhos to wait for the sunrise — and sometimes to take a dip in the ocean.