What to listen to
Brazil sounds louder than Portugal this weekend: Marisa Monte with an orchestra and Luedji Luna in a church are the main Lisbon concerts, while the best of Portuguese music comes to Campo das Cebolas with a free open-air fado gala. The weekend’s pop names, MIKA and UB40, are not playing in Porto but on a riverside meadow in Viseu; Porto gets French Romanticism and kitsch on a market staircase.
Lisbon and surroundings
Marisa Monte — Phonica
📅 September 18, 9:00 pm — Lisbon / September 20 — Porto
📍 MEO Arena, Lisbon / Super Bock Arena, Porto
💸 Tickets, €28–66
One of the defining voices of Brazilian MPB (Música Popular Brasileira — singer-songwriter music that grew out of bossa nova). She studied opera in Rome as a young woman and is now back there: her band, 55 orchestra musicians and old hits in new arrangements.
Marisa Monte performing at the Phonica concert in Rio de Janeiro, November 2025. Photo: Diego Castanho.
Luedji Luna
📅 September 18, 9:00 pm
📍 St. George’s Church, Lisbon
💸 Tickets, €30, first release sold out
A singer from Salvador who won the 2025 Latin Grammy for Best MPB Album, blending neo-soul with Afro-Brazilian rhythms. Just voice and keys, for 50 minutes inside a 19th-century Anglican church in Estrela.
Gentleman — Live 2026
📅 September 18, 9:30 pm
📍 LAV — Lisboa ao Vivo
💸 Tickets, €30–40
The Cologne-born German sings reggae in Jamaican patois well enough for Jamaica to claim him as one of its own. After a quarter-century of touring and collaborations with Bob Marley’s son, he is bringing his new album Mad World alongside the old hits. Standing-room floor.
Noites de Verão: Loraine James / Gabriel Ferrandini
📅 September 18 and 19, 7:00 pm
📍 Jardim da Galeria Quadrum, Alvalade
💸 Free
The final two nights of the free summer series in the gallery garden. Friday brings Loraine James, the London electronic artist known for broken beats, glitch and whispered vocals. Saturday is jazz drummer Gabriel Ferrandini, performing music from an album where drums give way to choir, strings and feedback. Tickets are handed out at the venue.
Orquestra Sinfónica Portuguesa — Season Opening
📅 September 19, 6:30 pm
📍 Teatro Camões, Lisbon
💸 Tickets, €30–40
The São Carlos opera orchestra is opening its season in Parque das Nações while its home venue is undergoing renovation. Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 25 features Latvian pianist Georgijs Osokins, who made a name for himself at the 2015 Chopin Competition; the programme then moves to two suites from Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé, performed with choir. The concert is repeated on September 20 at 5:00 pm in Sintra.
4.ª Gala de Fado de Santa Maria Maior
📅 September 19, 9:00 pm
📍 Campo das Cebolas, Lisbon
💸 Free
For the first time, the gala is moving out of the theatre and onto the square between Alfama and the Tagus, about 400 metres from where fado was born. The evening begins with guitarist José Manuel Neto alongside Ana Moura, who took fado to stadiums and has performed with the Rolling Stones, and António Zambujo, who has fused fado with bossa nova. Traditional fado follows, along with performances by the winners of the district competition.
Porto
Viagem a Itália
📅 September 18, 9:00 pm
📍 Casa da Música, Porto
💸 Tickets, €26–30
French Romanticism of the 19th century. Berlioz’s Harold en Italie is almost a symphony with solo viola, following the travels of Byron’s hero. Paganini commissioned it for himself, then refused to play it, complaining that it did not offer enough virtuoso material. The programme continues with Franck’s only symphony, featuring a melody that is hard to shake. On Sunday at noon, families can hear a version with commentary, with tickets priced at €7–14.
David Bruno + convidados
📅 September 19, 4:30 pm
📍 Mercado do Bolhão, Porto
💸 Free
Four years after its restoration, Bolhão Market is celebrating with a concert on its grand staircase. David Bruno, from Vila Nova de Gaia, has turned Portuguese kitsch into pop art, using cheap synths and lyrics about petrol stations and provincial weddings. He will be joined by Presto, the hip-hop artist from Mind da Gap; Marlon, from pop group Os Azeitonas; and Helena Neto, from jazz-funk group Fatspoon. You will miss the lyrics without Portuguese, but the atmosphere should still work.
Away from the capitals
Rock & Dão
📅 September 18–19, doors open at 5:00 pm
📍 Parque de Santiago, Viseu
💸 Tickets, from €35 per day, €60–65 for two days
Viseu’s first festival brings two evenings to a riverside meadow, surrounded by Dão wines and regional food. September 18 is headlined by MIKA, the British pop singer whose high register has often drawn comparisons to Freddie Mercury (Grace Kelly, Relax, Take It Easy). Before him come David Bruno, Lisbon indie-pop band Cassete Pirata and Kelux-based garage-rock group Os Pontos Negros. On September 19, UB40 feat. Ali Campbell bring British reggae from the 1980s, with the band’s original lead singer performing Red Red Wine with his current lineup. Also on the bill: Delfins, the 1990s Portuguese pop-rock band; Samuel Úria, known for his ironic singer-songwriter style; and indie-rock act Ganso.
Where to dance
In Lisbon, Friday at Lux is the main event, with a Manchester acid-house veteran on the bill; after that, the bigger parties move north and into the woods. Porto gets a disco legend for one night, Maia gets an entire airfield, while the most unusual event is an hour from Coimbra: Moodymann on a riverside stage where you can swim between sets.
Lisbon
A Minha Casa Ocupa — Lux Frágil
📅 September 18, 6:00 pm–6:00 am
📍 Lux Frágil, Lisbon
💸 Tickets
A Guy Called Gerald is a Manchester native whose Voodoo Ray became the first British acid-house hit in 1988, before he went on to help pioneer jungle. He is performing live. Next up is I-F, the Dutch producer behind Intergalactic FM and a key figure in the electro underground. The bar features Australian ambient artist Laila Sakini, alongside local acts Scam Dust and John Lotman. It starts on the terrace and runs until morning.
A Guy Called Gerald at the mixing desk.
All Nice Records #1
📅 September 19 (date to be confirmed)
📍 Collect, LX Factory
💸 Tickets
The first party from the Lisbon label brings together its founders Bobby Dreams and Lake Haze, known for acid house made with vintage drum machines; Italian producer Simoncino, whose Chicago-style house is built around vintage synths; and local DJs CVLT and NSX3000. The party takes place inside a record store with a bar.
Porto and surroundings
Dimitri From Paris
📅 September 19, 11:00 pm–6:00 am
📍 Switch, Porto
💸 Tickets
The Istanbul-born French DJ helped bring disco back into fashion in the 1990s, with remixes for Chic and Björk and the first house show on French radio. Expect disco, house and funk all night.
Patrick Mason + Meibi + Küiã
📅 September 20, from 6:00 pm
📍 Gare Porto
💸 Tickets
The Berlin-based DJ sits somewhere between house and techno and is known for dancing behind the decks with more energy than most of the crowd. Two local residents join him. A Sunday evening to close out the weekend without an all-night marathon.
Bloom Festival
📅 September 18–19; Fri 2:00 pm–4:00 am, Sat 4:00 pm–8:00 am
📍 Aeródromo de Vilar de Luz, Maia (near Porto)
💸 Tickets
Two days of electronic music on a runway, named Iberia’s Best New Festival at the 2025 Iberian Festival Awards. Friday features The Blaze, the French duo playing a DJ set here; Detroit-born house star Seth Troxler; New York melodic techno duo Bedouin; and DJ Vibe, a patriarch of Portuguese house. Saturday brings Louie Vega, one half of Masters at Work and a key figure in 1990s New York house; NTO, the French melodic live act; and Lisbon-based Xinobi, with the programme running until 8:00 am on Sunday.
Away from the capitals
Chronosphere Festival
📅 September 18–20; Fri from 3:00 pm, Sat & Sun from 1:00 pm, running until 3:00–4:00 am
📍 Góis, one hour from Coimbra
💸 Tickets, from €45
The debut edition of this boutique festival takes place on a single stage in the forest beside the Ceira River, with swimming between sets and camping on site. Moodymann, the Detroit house legend, is joined by fellow Detroit electro heavyweight DJ Stingray 313; Gerd Janson, German house DJ and founder of Running Back; Dutch producer Young Marco; London techno artist HAAi; plus Bambounou and Dan Shake. There are no shuttles, and buses from Coimbra do not run on Saturday, so arrive Friday or come by car.
Union of Freaks
📅 September 18–20, from noon Friday until midnight Sunday
📍 Parque de Campismo de São Gião, Oliveira do Hospital
💸 Tickets, €100
A throwback to 1990s Goa trance for those who know their classics. The festival closes with a three-hour set from Etnica/Pleiadians, Italian pioneers of the genre, preceded by Dick Trevor of Green Nuns of the Revolution, the British act from the same era. Camping takes place in the forest below Serra da Estrela, with a river nearby. The festival has moved here from Mafra. Expensive, scenic and deliberately off-grid.
What to see
Lisbon wraps up summer with two anniversaries — the 10th edition of Iminente in Marvila and the 30th Queer Lisboa — plus a parade of historic trams that can be watched for free from any square along the route. Porto answers with light installations at Serralves and street theatre that turns spectators into part of the scene.
Lisbon and surroundings
Iminente 2026
📅 September 17–20
📍 Escola Industrial Afonso Domingues, Marvila
💸 From €20, weekend pass €38
The 10th edition of the street-culture festival founded in 2016 by Vhils, the artist known for carving portraits directly into the walls of buildings. For the first time since 2022, it returns to a four-day format, taking over an industrial school that has been closed for 15 years. More than 100 names across five stages include Sam The Kid, Portugal’s leading rapper, performing with an orchestra; Cape Verdean-Portuguese soul singer Dino D’Santiago; Porto rapper Capicua; fado singer Gisela João; and Buffalo hardcore rapper Conway the Machine. Saturday brings DJ Premier, one half of Gang Starr and one of the defining hip-hop producers of the 1990s. The classrooms host exhibitions, including works by Vhils and his portrait of José Saramago, who studied here.
Queer Lisboa 30
📅 September 18–26
📍 Cinema São Jorge and Cinemateca
💸 Tickets and programme
The 30th edition of the city’s longest-running LGBTQ+ film festival brings 94 films, including national premieres by Pedro Almodóvar and Jane Schoenbrun (I Saw the TV Glow; her horror film screens Saturday at 10:00 pm at São Jorge). The festival opens with The Man I Love by American independent filmmaker Ira Sachs, starring Rami Malek. The anniversary retrospective spans classic queer cinema from avant-garde filmmaker Kenneth Anger to the Wachowskis and Sally Potter. Films have English subtitles.
The cast of The Man I Love at the Cannes Film Festival photocall, Cannes, May 21, 2026.
Desfile dos Clássicos
📅 September 19, 11:00 am and 4:00 pm
📍 Santo Amaro → Praça da Figueira
💸 Free to watch from the street, €10 to ride
Historic trams and buses from the Carris Museum, including an open-sided early-20th-century tram with wicker seats, will cross Lisbon to mark 125 years of electric traction. The route passes through Praça do Comércio — find a spot on the pavement and watch for free.
The Dog Days Are Over 2.0
📅 September 19, 7:00 pm; September 20, 5:00 pm
📍 Centro Cultural de Belém
💸 Tickets
The Portuguese premiere of Belgian choreographer Jan Martens’s breakthrough work from 2014. Eight dancers, 70 minutes and 7,200 jumps arranged in a strict mathematical pattern — until exhaustion breaks the synchronisation and the person behind the performer starts to emerge. The idea was inspired by photographer Philippe Halsman, who famously photographed celebrities mid-jump: in the air, the mask falls away.
Porto and surroundings
Serralves em Luz
📅 September 18–20, from 8:30 pm
📍 Fundação de Serralves, Porto
💸 €15, free for children under three
A two-kilometre nighttime route through the museum’s park, featuring 20 light installations exploring the theme “Light Against Darkness.” The soundtrack was created by Rodrigo Leão, formerly of Madredeus; Lisbon one-man-band Noiserv; and jazz singer Maria João. The installation runs until November 8, Wednesday to Sunday.
Efectos Especiales
📅 September 18–19, 7:30 pm
📍 Rua de Passos Manuel → Praça D. João I, Porto
💸 Free
The city theatre’s season opens with a production that is entirely free for the first time. Argentine artists Luciana Acuña and Alejo Moguillansky turn the streets from the Coliseu to Rivoli into a film set. One scene is shot three times, each time with a different performer inventing their own death — in rain, snow and coloured smoke — and each take is immediately screened at Rivoli. For the final take, the audience is invited to step into the frame. On Friday at 9:30 pm, the same venue also hosts Mindy Seu: Mindy Seu, a free lecture-performance on the history of the internet, in English, with a ticket required.
Away from the capitals
Encontros Mágicos
📅 September 15–20; galas September 18 and 19, 9:30 pm
📍 Convento São Francisco, Coimbra
💸 Street performances are free, galas require tickets
The 30th edition of Coimbra’s magic festival brings around 75 free street performances by illusionists from ten countries, culminating on Sunday at 11:00 am in Parque Vale das Flores. The centrepiece is the two gala shows hosted by Luís de Matos, Portugal’s best-known magician and a longtime RTP presenter. The line-up includes French performers Florian Sainvet, specialising in card manipulation, and Léa Kyle, known for instant costume changes, plus Spanish magicians Mag Marín and Nacho Samena.
This weekend, Portugal eats over fire: Michelin-starred chefs in Cascais, grape-stomping in Alenquer and the Douro, and steaming pots of caldo in a schist village outside Porto. And for anyone who still feels like moving afterwards, Oeiras is giving over a stadium and the coastal road to sport for two days — free of charge.
Eat/Drink
Chefs on Fire Cascais
📅 September 19–20, 12:00 pm–midnight
📍 Parque Marechal Carmona, Cascais
💸 From €50 entry, €85 with five dishes and two drinks
Food from a dozen Michelin-starred restaurants around the country, all in one place and without a reservation: more than 40 chefs cook exclusively over fire, from Vasco Coelho Santos of Euskalduna to Ricardo Costa of The Yeatman, a two-Michelin-starred restaurant. In the evening, AGIR performs with Paulo de Carvalho, whose song at Eurovision 1974 became a signal for the Portuguese Revolution. Attendance is capped at 5,000 people per day.
Chefs on Fire at Parque Marechal Carmona in Cascais. Photo taken during the festival.
Alma do Vinho
📅 September 17–20; Sat 12:00 pm–4:00 am, Sun 12:00 pm–10:00 pm
📍 Parque Urbano da Romeira, Alenquer, 40 minutes from Lisbon
💸 €15, free for children under 10
The entire Lisbon wine region in one field: around 300 wines from 35 DOC Alenquer producers, with tastings included in the ticket (until 10:00 pm Saturday and 6:00 pm Sunday). There is also cooking over fire, while grape harvesting and foot-stomping in traditional stone lagares are available for an extra fee. On Saturday, Miguel Araújo, one of the defining Portuguese singer-songwriters of the 2010s, takes the stage.
Rosé Days Portugal
📅 September 19, 2:00 pm–midnight
📍 Quinta Mira Rio, Monte de Caparica
💸 From €20
A pool overlooking the Tagus and the 25 de Abril Bridge, rosé in your glass, a pink-and-white dress code and the weekend’s most international crowd. This is more of a social scene than a wine event: serious wine enthusiasts may want to look elsewhere, but if you are there to meet people, this is the place.
Douro Wine Train (CP)
📅 September 19; departing Porto-Campanhã at 8:01 am, returning at 9:05 pm
📍 Special train to Pinhão, followed by a bus to Quinta da Avessada
💸 €86 adults, €46 children, all included
Harvesting grapes in the Douro without a car and without having to organise anything yourself: two hours along the river with a bar carriage, vineyard work with pruning shears, a traditional Douro lunch with wine, grape-stomping in a lagar and a Moscatel tasting. The return journey is by train from Régua.
Festa do Caldo de Quintandona
📅 September 18–20
📍 Quintandona, Penafiel, 40 minutes from Porto
💸 4 caldos for the day — caldo (“broth”) is practically the local currency, at around €1 a bowl
A schist village where the residents themselves have been putting on this festival for 18 years. Traditional caldos are served in the streets, alongside cozido, spit-roasted suckling pig and the local liqueur Mijo do Jebo. This is the Portugal you rarely get to see in Lisbon.
Activities
Oeiras Sports Weekend
📅 September 19, from 4:00 pm — Corrida Auchan; September 20, 9:30 am–12:30 pm — Mexa-se na Marginal
📍 Jamor / Avenida Marginal between Caxias and Praia da Torre
💸 Try-out activities are free; race registration required
On Saturday, the lawns around Jamor Stadium host free try-out sessions in golf, tennis, rugby, fencing, archery, canoeing and pedal karts, with no registration required. If you want an actual race bib, there is a 5 km run at 5:00 pm and a 10 km race at 6:00 pm. On Sunday, the Marginal coastal road between Caxias and Praia da Torre is closed to traffic for three hours and handed over to runners, skaters and cyclists. At Praia da Torre, you can also test-drive electric bikes.
Participants in the Corrida Auchan Live at the Centro Desportivo Nacional do Jamor in Oeiras. Photo: Corrida Auchan Live.
Lagoa YogaFest
📅 September 17–20
📍 Pátio das Gerações, Lagoa, Algarve
💸 Free, registration required
Four days of open-air yoga in the town between Portimão and Albufeira. Thursday features Hatha and Yoga Nidra sessions in English; Saturday runs from 8:30 am into the evening, with everything from somatics to gongs and singing bowls, plus a class for children. Groups are small, so sign up in advance.
Supertaça de Portugal de Pickleball
📅 September 18–20
📍 Alameda Shop & Spot, Porto
💸 Free
Portugal’s first official pickleball competition takes place inside a shopping centre. The sport is a hybrid of tennis, badminton and table tennis that has been spreading across the US and Europe. Beginners can book one-hour sessions for groups of four through the Alameda app, or simply turn up for open play: Friday at 9:30 pm, and Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 am. Paddles are provided.
Where to go with kids?
Three screen-free family weekends: in Lisbon, kids can learn to repair things instead of throwing them away; in Barcelos, they can watch muskets fire and storm a gunpowder factory; and in Porto, they can build a robot with their own hands. None of these are strictly “kids’ events” — they are designed for families, with plenty to keep adults interested too.
Cidade do Zero
📅 September 19–20, 10:00 am–7:30 pm
📍 Parque Eduardo VII, Lisbon
💸 Free
The country’s largest festival dedicated to conscious consumption comes to Parque Eduardo VII for the first time. There will be workshops where people repair things instead of throwing them away, a swap market, cooking demonstrations using leftovers, debates and a dedicated children’s area. A good way to explain to a child where waste comes from without turning it into a lecture.
Viagem no Tempo na Fábrica da Pólvora
📅 September 18–20; Fri 5:00–10:00 pm, Sat 11:00 am–10:00 pm, Sun 11:00 am–8:00 pm
📍 Fábrica da Pólvora de Barcarena, Oeiras
💸 Free
For three days, the old gunpowder factory becomes a 17th-century village: a blacksmith, weaver and leatherworker demonstrate their crafts, while a Terço infantry regiment stages military manoeuvres, with fencing and cuisine from the Age of Discoveries. On Saturday evening, there is a theatrical pirate assault.
Fábrica da Pólvora de Barcarena in Oeiras. Photo taken at the entrance to the former gunpowder factory.
Maker Faire Porto
📅 September 19–20, 10:00 am–7:00 pm
📍 Alfândega do Porto
💸 €18 per day, family ticket €35, free for children under 12
A global gathering of independent makers and inventors comes to Porto for the first time: robots, 3D printing, electronics, woodworking and more. Everything is there to touch, build and discuss directly with the people who made it. The format is broader than a children’s event, but for a kid who likes taking machines apart, this could be the most rewarding day of the month.
What else is interesting?
A weekend for people who like engines and sails: historic Formula 1 cars in Estoril, 1980s rally cars in the Buçaco mountains and yachts squeezing into the Douro between Porto’s riverfronts. All three can be watched for free — the only question is how far you are willing to drive.
Estoril Classics
📅 September 18–20
📍 Autódromo do Estoril, Cascais
💸 Paddock €20–40 per day; main-straight grandstand free
The 10th edition of the historic motorsport festival takes place on the circuit where Senna scored his first Formula 1 victory. The programme features pre-1986 F1 cars from Williams, Lotus and McLaren, plus 1990s sports prototypes and GTs, including the Maserati MC12 and Chrysler Viper. Races run on Saturday and Sunday; on Sunday around lunchtime, paddock ticket holders can walk down the pit lane.
Participants in a historic motor race at the Estoril Circuit, Portugal. Photo: Cédric / News d’Anciens.
Rally Legends Luso-Bussaco
📅 September 18–20
📍 Mortágua — Penacova — Luso; 1.5 hours from Porto, 2.5 hours from Lisbon, car only
💸 Free, viewing from designated areas
The 10th edition of this historic-car rally follows former special stages of the Rally de Portugal through the Buçaco mountains. Friday at 8:00 pm brings a night stage in Mortágua; Saturday features the legendary Penacova–Buçaco stage; and on Sunday the rally finishes outside the Buçaco Palace Hotel.
Regata do Infante
📅 September 19, starts at 10:30 am and 3:30 pm
📍 Porto, finish at Dom Luís I Bridge — watch from Ribeira or the Gaia waterfront
💸 Free for spectators
The only regatta in Portugal to finish in the historic mouth of the Douro. Dozens of yachts set off from Leixões, sail past Foz and enter the narrow channel between Ribeira and Gaia’s port-wine lodges, passing close to the waterfronts. Arrive early if you want a good spot along the river.
