Festa de São João
Porto’s biggest party of the year.
Hi friends and family!
We just experienced the biggest event of the year in Porto, so this week, I’m going to talk about:
Festa de São João
Quick Hits
And that’s it! Vamos!
Festa de São João
Ever since we arrived in Porto, locals have asked us: “Have you been here for São João yet? If not, don’t miss it.” So June 23rd has been circled on our calendar since last August.
São João (or Saint John) is one of the patron saints of Porto. His name is all over this town, from subway stops to street signs. Every year on the night of June 23rd, the whole city comes out to party in honor of his day.
The buildup starts at the beginning of June. Carnival rides pop up in locations around town, including the big rotunda near our flat. There are rides, games, fartura stands, and carts selling Super Bock beer, the official sponsor of pretty much all of Northern Portugal.
As the month progresses, the carnivals fill out with more rides, stages go up around town, vendors sell bush basil (signals of love) and plastic hammers on the street corners, and grilled sardines hit menus hard.
It all comes together in a colossal blowout affair on the evening of June 23rd.
People pack the streets to have sidewalk BBQ parties with friends. The carnivals have grown to include full pop-up restaurants. Hordes of people make their way into the city center bopping each other on the head with plastic hammers (the current incarnation of hitting each other with wilted garlic flowers for good luck).
Downtown is almost completely shut down to cars and the metro goes all night. The epicenter of the party for the locals is Fontainhas (where we went), Massarelos, and the Ribeira on the riverfront, where the crowds become unpassable as midnight approaches.
Live music rocks the stages and beer and caipirinhas flow from the bars, and at 12 am there’s an epic fireworks show along the Dom Luis bridge. The most impressive I’ve ever seen.
By now the crowds are so thick at every carnival location around town that you can barely move. Once the display is over, people make their way up the river toward the coast, with parties lasting all night. The goal is sunrise on the beach.
We were completely blown away by the event. It’s very local (not advertised to tourists), so it’s a unique chance to experience something truly authentic. From the elderly to toddlers, everyone lights up when they get bonked on the head with a squeaky plastic hammer.
We danced, bonded with the masses, bopped heads, watched fireworks, and made our way across town through party after party.
We did not make it to sunrise. Maybe next year. If you ever have the opportunity to be in Porto on June 23rd, do not miss it.
Quick Hits
Summer heat is here and we had our first real beach day at Praia dos Ingleses last Sunday, basking in the baking sun and dipping in the frigid waters of the North Atlantic. It’s a 20-minute bus ride from our front door. What a great way to decompress from a crazy weekend. We also got fried in the midday sun. 🥵
This Saturday we journeyed down to Praia da Madalena with our upgraded sunscreen and learned another valuable local lesson: always check the wind forecast before heading to the beach. Last week was a bit breezy but bearable. This week it was not windy at all in town, but when we got to the beach we encountered 19-22km/h winds, which kinda blows. We still soaked up the sun but it was too windy to swim.
I’m sidelined from running again. Injury frustrations continue with what could be a small stress fracture in my right foot. I just had an orthopedist tell me I should hang up my running shoes for good. It’s too long of a story for quick hits, but it’s time to figure out a new workout regime.
What was your highlight this week?
In celebration of beach time, today’s music selection is my tried and true reggae mix. Lots of roots classics. Not much new stuff:
The wind on the beach sounds like our NorCal beaches. You really chose a great town to move to. Fantastic how you keep discovering new things and enjoying every day.