Listen
Four days off in a row (October 5 is Republic Day), with Evanescence as the only major touring act in Lisbon. Most of the other live music has moved out to the industrial side of the river in Barreiro and to the Estoril Casino. Porto has the stronger lineup, and Mercury Rev or the Sonic video game music orchestra are worth the trip.
Lisbon and surroundings
Evanescence
📅 October 4, from 20:00
📍 MEO Arena, Lisbon
💸 €41–217
Amy Lee’s band, fronted by the singer who helped turn gothic metal into a radio-friendly sound in the 2000s. If “Bring Me to Life” was the soundtrack to your teenage years, this is your night. The support lineup is stronger than usual: Nova Twins (a London duo whose bass-heavy punk sounds almost electronic) and Poppy (an American singer who moved into metal from internet art). Lisbon is the final stop on the European leg of the tour.
Evanescence. Photo: band’s press office.
OUT.FEST
📅 October 2–4
📍 ADAO, SIRB “Os Penicheiros”, Sala 6, Gasoline, Barreiro
💸 €22–35 per day, €65 festival pass
The country’s most adventurous music festival returns for its 22nd edition in former factory buildings and workers’ clubs around Barreiro, just 20 minutes by ferry from Terreiro do Paço. It’s noisy, strange and sometimes very loud, and you won’t hear most of these artists anywhere else in Lisbon.
October 2 (€24): during the day, a free installation by Phill Niblock (the American minimalist composer known for hours-long, droning sound works). At night, ADAO hosts Klein (a London producer whose sound resembles torn-up tape), DEAFKIDS (Brazilian noise-punk with shamanic drums), Senyawa (an Indonesian duo combining throat singing with homemade instruments) and Pink Siifu (an American underground rapper). Josey Rebelle, a London DJ, takes over the decks until morning.
October 3 (€35): Maggie Nicols (a Scottish vocalist and living history of British free jazz), a joint set by Demdike Stare (British dark-electronics duo) and Cherrystones (British DJ and rare-record collector), Karen Willems (Belgian improvisational drummer) and Slikback (Kenyan producer of hard-edged club electronics).
October 4 (€22): Carla dal Forno (Australian singer making cold, minimalist post-punk), followed by ∈Y∋ (Yamantaka Ai, frontwoman of the Japanese noise band Boredoms) with her C.O.L.O. project.
The early-bird passes are sold out, and Sunday tickets are running low.
Lisboa Mistura
📅 October 4, 21:00
📍 Museu de Lisboa – Palácio Pimenta, Campo Grande, Lisbon
💸 Free
The main reason to come is Mayra Andrade (the Cape Verdean singer known from Paris to New York), performing for free in the gardens of an 18th-century palace. Around 20 artists from Lisbon’s music scene join her, including Ana Lua Caiano (who blends Portuguese folk with electronics and has gained international attention) and Stereossauro (the producer who built an album from fado samples). The concert closes the autumn season of the Festas na Rua street festival.
La Vera Costanza
📅 October 3, 18:00
📍 Casino Estoril, Salão Preto e Prata, Estoril
💸 €27–38
This comic opera by Jerónimo Francisco de Lima, an 18th-century Portuguese court composer, has not been staged for more than 230 years. The plot is pure TV drama: fish seller Rosina secretly marries a count, he abandons her with a child, and his aunt, the baroness, tries to marry Rosina off to a wealthy simpleton. Sung in Italian, accompanied by the Melleo Harmonia baroque orchestra, and staged in an Art Deco hall. After the opera, you can take a walk along the Estoril waterfront.
Festival Cantabile: Mozart & Shore
📅 October 2, 19:00
📍 Academia das Ciências, Lisbon
💸 €15
Mozart for €15 in the 18th-century hall of the Academy of Sciences, which is not usually open this easily to the public. Orquestra Metropolitana de Lisboa, the city’s main chamber orchestra, performs Symphony No. 29 and the Sinfonia Concertante, featuring violinist Christel Lee (an American of Korean descent) and violist Diemut Poppen (a German musician and festival founder). Between them comes Cellist Concerto by Alexey Shor (a Kyiv-born composer and mathematician), performed by Armenian cellist Alexander Chaushian.
Perotá Chingó
📅 October 2, 21:00
📍 Estúdio Time Out, Cais do Sodré, Lisbon
💸 €25
The Argentine duo of Julia Ortiz and Dolores Aguirre became known for songs recorded on the street on a phone. Two voices, guitar and Latin American percussion — quiet, warm and intimate. They are returning to Portugal for the first time in 11 years, and this is the final show of their European tour.
Porto and surroundings
Mercury Rev
📅 October 2, 21:00
📍 Hard Club, Porto
💸 €30
The Buffalo band that moved from noise rock into orchestral psychedelia: saws, flutes, Jonathan Donahue’s fragile voice — everything feels slightly dreamlike. They are touring around the 25th anniversary of “All Is Dream”. The day before, October 1, they play Lisbon’s República da Música.
Press Start
📅 October 2–4
📍 Casa da Música, Porto
💸 €8–30
A video game music festival at Porto’s main concert hall, with arcade machines and pinball tables filling the foyer all three days. For anyone who grew up with a joystick — and their kids — this is probably the most straightforward outing of the weekend.
October 2: Animix, an anime-themed evening with a comics market, cosplay contest and rave until 02:00 (€22, 12+).
October 3, 18:00: Retro Gaming Symphony. The Porto Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Henrique Constância, performs music from Tetris, Sonic 2, Zelda, Final Fantasy VIII, Street Fighter II, Monkey Island, Tomb Raider and Mega Man (€26–30, 6+).
October 4, 18:00: Insert Coin To Continue, a concert by Digitópia, Casa da Música’s digital music workshop. It is structured like a game, with a piece inspired by Pong and a live boss battle (€8, 6+).
Visitors under 30 get 50% off.
Padre Guilherme at Clérigos Tower
📅 October 2, from 20:00
📍 Torre dos Clérigos, Porto
💸 Free
Catholic priest Guilherme Peixoto became internationally famous after playing a techno set at World Youth Day in 2023. Now he is playing from the gallery of Porto’s main tower alongside the Portuguese Army’s military band, previewing tracks from his upcoming album “The Body”. DJ duo Kyd3n & Attilo opens the evening. Sources disagree on the exact start time, so it is best to arrive by eight.
Solistas da Orquestra XXI: Morton Feldman
📅 October 4
📍 Mosteiro de São Bento da Vitória, Porto
💸 €10–20
Morton Feldman, the American composer known for very quiet and very long music, would have turned 100 this year. His “Crippled Symmetry” runs for around an hour and a half: flute, piano and vibraphone slowly repeat almost the same thing until, after ten minutes, time seems to disappear. Musicians from Orquestra XXI — Portuguese musicians working in European orchestras — perform it in a monastery that has just reopened after restoration. Check the start time with the box office: sources list both 16:00 and 19:00.
Lera Lynn
📅 October 2, 21:30
📍 Centro de Arte de Ovar, Ovar
💸 €5
If you remember the singer in the smoky bar in season two of “True Detective”, that’s her. The American singer calls her dark Americana “folk noir” and is bringing songs from her album “Comic Book Cowboy”. Ovar is 40 minutes from Porto, and the ticket costs about as much as coffee and a pastel de nata.
Whitney Johnson, Lia Kohl, Macie Stewart
📅 October 2, 22:00
📍 Radioclube Agramonte, Porto
💸 Ticket
Three Chicago improvisers: Whitney Johnson (viola and electronics), Lia Kohl (cello) and Macie Stewart (violin, Ohmme). They perform the album “BODY SOUND”, whose track titles are taken from Yoko Ono’s book of instructions “Grapefruit”. Strings, voices and tape hiss sound like an old radio, and somehow that feels calming.
Maya Ongaku
📅 October 5, doors at 18:45
📍 Lovers & Lollypops, Rua de São Victor 143, Porto
💸 Ticket
A Japanese band from Enoshima Island playing quiet psychedelia: flutes, percussion and the feeling of surf somewhere nearby. They are touring their new album “Nothing Space Music”. A good way to end a long weekend on Monday without rushing.
Away from the Capitals
Festival Vapor
📅 3–4 October
📍 Museu Nacional Ferroviário, Entroncamento
💸 €10 for one day, €15 for both
A steampunk festival among the locomotives of Portugal’s National Railway Museum, about an hour and a half from Lisbon. It is a full-day trip that works well with kids too: a Victorian carousel, miniature train, duels and a fair during the day, followed by live music in the evening. The headline act is Mayra Andrade, the Cape Verdean singer with an international career, performing on October 4 at 11:30pm. Children up to and including age 11 get in free, and CP is offering 30% off train tickets to Entroncamento.
Polyphony in Évora
📅 2 October, 9:30pm; 3 October, 6pm
📍 Igreja de São Francisco and Évora Cathedral, Évora
💸 Tickets
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the school attached to Évora Cathedral produced a generation of composers whose music was performed across Europe. Once a year, their work returns to the city. On Friday, I Fagiolini, an Oxford-based vocal ensemble and stars of the early-music scene, perform works by Portuguese composers Duarte Lobo and Manuel Cardoso alongside Monteverdi and Byrd, Italian and English composers of the same period. On Saturday, Grupo Vocal Olisipo, a Lisbon vocal ensemble, performs Duarte Lobo’s Requiem in the cathedral. For Saturday, reservations can be made by email at eboraemusica@gmail.com.
Correntes de Um Só Rio: Cristina Branco, LINA_ & Marco Mezquida
📅 4 October, 9:30pm; 5 October, 5pm
📍 Convento São Francisco, Coimbra
💸 €6–10 and €8
Two concerts exploring what fado can sound like today, staged in a former convent. On Sunday, Cristina Branco, a fado singer who has spent 30 years touring Europe and the US, performs Mulheres de Abril, a collection of songs about the women of the 1974 Revolution. On Monday, LINA_ — the fado singer known for her work with Spanish producer Raül Refree — performs fado classics accompanied by the jazz piano of Menorcan pianist Marco Mezquida. Coimbra is about two hours from Lisbon and just over an hour from Porto, making this a good excuse for a trip during the long weekend.
Where to Dance
The clubs have a strong weekend lineup. With Monday being a public holiday, Sunday becomes a second Saturday: at Harbour, the party continues into the late morning after Sunday night. The biggest event of the weekend, Boris Brejcha’s open-air set, is on Sunday, but three days before the event, the exact location is still to be announced.
Lisbon and surroundings
Boris Brejcha Open Air
📅 4 October, 12:00pm–12:00am
📍 Lisbon, venue to be announced closer to the date
💸 Ticket
The German producer performs in his signature Joker carnival mask and describes his sound as high-tech minimal: techno driven by catchy melodies, the kind of music that draws tens of thousands onto the dance floor at festivals. The founder of Fckng Serious will play for twelve hours outdoors. The cheaper tickets are already sold out, and the event is 18+.
Boris Brejcha behind the decks. Photo: artist press office.
Superb: Myd, Nick Curly, DJ Vibe
📅 3 October, 11:00pm
📍 Lux Frágil, Lisbon
💸 Ticket
Saturday night at the city’s iconic club, on the waterfront by Santa Apolónia station. Upstairs, in the terrace bar, Myd — a French producer from Lille on the Ed Banger label and a successor to the French Touch tradition of filtered house in the vein of Daft Punk and Justice — takes over. Downstairs, Nick Curly, a German tech-house DJ, and DJ Vibe, a veteran of Portuguese electronic music and co-author of the 1992 hit “So Get Up.”
Dvrksun 11: Fantasm
📅 2 October, 10:00pm–6:00am
📍 Pavilhão Carlos Lopes, Lisbon
💸 Ticket
Fantasm, aka Kenzo Meervi, an American from Los Angeles now based in Lyon, makes hard, metallic industrial techno that sounds like a factory running at full speed. In 2025, he made his debut in the DJ Mag Top 100. Eight hours under the roof of the 1920s pavilion in Eduardo VII Park. 18+.
Toribio
📅 4 October, 3:00–11:00pm
📍 Quinta Mira Rio, Caparica
💸 Free
César Toribio, a New York-based DJ of Dominican descent, runs the Brooklyn party series Public Service with house DJ Mickey Pérez, playing house, disco, soul and Latin sounds. Here, he closes out the summer season in a garden overlooking the Tagus, with daylight still around. Free entry, registration required.
Harbour 7th Birthday: Marco Shuttle
📅 4 October, from 11:59pm until the morning of 5 October
📍 Harbour Music Shelter, Cais do Sodré
💸 €15
The small club in a waterfront warehouse is turning seven. The main guest is Marco Shuttle, an Italian DJ and founder of the Eerie label, whose abstract techno pulls you in slowly and keeps you there. Monday is a public holiday, so you can walk out of the club just in time for lunch.
Sexto × TYSK
📅 3 October, 8:00pm–2:00am
📍 Sexto Station, Bairro Alto
💸 Ticket
TYSK, a Kharkiv-Lviv duo made up of producer Sasha Pervukhin and MC Anton Nazarko, perform grime, breakbeat and electro live, with vocals over heavy bass. In 2023, they opened Some People, a new-culture center in Kharkiv, just 40 km from the front line. Joining them are Lisbon DJs Matvii and Markov. The exact club address will be emailed after ticket purchase.
Mammo (live)
📅 3 October, 5:00pm–3:00am
📍 Collect, LX Factory, Lisbon
💸 €10
The Amsterdam-based producer performs his new album Lateral live: dub techno and ambient, deep bass and echo that sound like the sea through a wall. Starts at 5pm, which makes it a good option if you are not looking to stay out until morning.
Porto
Boys Noize
📅 2 October, 11:00pm–6:00am
📍 Switch, Porto
💸 €15
Alexander Ridha, a German DJ born in Hamburg and based in Berlin, was one of the defining names of late-2000s electro, with sets that feel like an acid rave at full volume. He performs as Dog Blood with Skrillex and produced “Rain on Me” for Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande, which won a Grammy. A club set for €15 is a rare chance to see him up close.
Claudio PRC
📅 4 October, 11:00pm–6:00am
📍 Gare Porto, Porto
💸 €12.50
Claudio PRC, a Sardinian DJ who releases on Dutch label Delsin and German label Prologue, plays hypnotic techno that stretches without breaks until sunrise. The next day is a public holiday, so there is nowhere you need to be in the morning.
Away from the Capitals
Gravitate Festival
📅 2–5 October
📍 Alqueva area, Alentejo
💸 Ticket
A new festival by the huge Alqueva reservoir, about two and a half hours from Lisbon: four days outdoors with more than 40 DJs. The lineup includes Dasha Rush, a Moscow-born techno producer based in Berlin; Rhadoo, a Romanian minimal artist; Batu, British techno; Eduardo de la Calle, Spanish techno; Spekki Webu, Dutch psychedelic sounds; and Marco Shuttle again. During the day, there are dance performances and workshops.
Universo Paralello Teaser
📅 From 4:00pm on 3 October to 8:00pm on 4 October
📍 Crystal Land, Fazendas de Almeirim
💸 From €45
A 24-hour psychedelic trance open-air in Ribatejo, about an hour from Lisbon. It is a warm-up for Universo Paralello, the major Brazilian festival. Buses run from both Lisbon and Porto.
What to See
The big thing this week is MAAT’s 10th anniversary, with two free days, while Parliament opens its doors to everyone on Republic Day itself. If you do not speak Portuguese, there is not much theatre to choose from: Izzard’s Hamlet in English, Macbeth with English subtitles, the Russian-language premiere of The Chaika, and an English-language stand-up show about life in Lisbon.
Lisbon
VENUS: Valentino Through the Eyes of Joana Vasconcelos
📅 From 2 October to 22 February
📍 MAAT, Belém
💸 Free on 4–5 October, €12–16 on other days
Joana Vasconcelos, Portugal’s best-known contemporary artist and the creator of the Marilyn shoes made from pots and pans, has brought together more than 30 dresses by Valentino Garavani, the Italian couturier who died in January 2026, and placed them alongside her own monumental works. This is how MAAT kicks off its 10th anniversary, with free admission to all galleries on 4–5 October. On Sunday at 4pm, there is a “secret route” through the normally closed-off areas of the former Central Tejo power station, while on Monday from 5pm a DJ plays outside the power station. Sign up for the tour at the ticket office on the day; places are limited.
Valkyrie Venus installation at VENUS: Valentino Through the Eyes of Joana Vasconcelos, MAAT, Lisbon. Photo: MAAT.
Suzy Eddie Izzard: “The Tragedy of Hamlet”
📅 5 October, 8:00pm
📍 Teatro Tivoli BBVA, Avenida da Liberdade
💸 €32–54
British comedian Suzy Eddie Izzard, known for the surreal stand-up show “Dress to Kill,” performs the entire “Hamlet” alone, following Shakespeare’s text: more than twenty roles, from the prince to the gravedigger. She received the Boston Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Solo Performance for the show. One performance only, in English, 16+.
5 October at Parliament
📅 5 October, 2:30–7:00pm
📍 Palácio de São Bento, Lisbon
💸 Free
On Republic Day, the Assembly of the Republic (Portugal’s parliament) opens the former Benedictine monastery where it sits to the public. Actors in costumes from the era of the 1910 Revolution roam the rooms, three exhibitions are on display, and children aged 6–12 can take part in a treasure hunt. At 5:30pm, there is a concert by Luís Trigacheiro (Portuguese singer). Free entry while places last; the last visitor is admitted at 6:30pm.
Macbeth
📅 3 October, 7:00pm
📍 Teatro Nacional D. Maria II, Rossio
💸 Ticket
The National Theatre marks its 180th anniversary and reopens after restoration with “Macbeth,” directed by its artistic director Pedro Penim. Macbeth is played by José Raposo (a popular Portuguese actor), with Bárbara Branco as Lady Macbeth. On Saturdays, the performance has English subtitles. Mostly restricted-view seats remain.
Life in Lisboa
📅 3 October, 9:00pm
📍 Selva Comedy Cafe, Rua Luís de Camões 112A, Alcântara
💸 Ticket
An English-language stand-up show about living and surviving in Lisbon: rent, bureaucracy, Portuguese slowness and the other joys of moving abroad. The venue is small, with just 65 seats; doors open at 8:30pm.
Frida Orupabo: “Cloud of Confusion”
📅 until 1 November, closed Mondays
📍 MAC/CCB, Belém
💸 €15
The Norwegian artist cuts up archival colonial photographs and images from social media and turns them into articulated puppet-like collages. The result is eerie and precise: about race, the female body and who is looking at whom. Portuguese residents can enter free on Sundays until 2:00pm.
Diogo Pimentão: final days
📅 until 5 October
📍 CAM Gulbenkian
💸 Free
A Lisbon-born artist living in London works paper by crumpling, folding and rubbing it with graphite for so long that it starts to look like metal. The exhibition closes on Monday, and CAM is open that day.
Porto and surroundings
“O Século de Gehry” and a weekend at Serralves
📅 2–4 October
📍 Serralves, Porto
💸 €20–24
A retrospective of Frank Gehry (the Canadian-American architect behind the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao), with models and sketches of his curved buildings. On 2 October, a free photo exhibition by Cláudia Rocha about the abandoned modernist Foco complex in Porto, once home to a hotel, club and cinema, opens in the auditorium foyer. On 3 October at 12:00pm and 4:00pm, drummer Pedro Melo Alves (Portuguese jazz musician) performs among works from the Dürckheim collection, with each strike triggering an electronic sample. At 6:00pm, he talks for free with Cerith Wyn Evans (Welsh artist known for his neon text works). Children under 12 enter free, as do Portuguese residents on Sunday, 4 October.
My Center Is Not in the Solar System
📅 3 October, 4:00–8:00pm
📍 Mosteiro de São Bento da Vitória, Porto
💸 €10–20
The 17th-century monastery reopened on 1 October after restoration, and three performances inspired by Ethel Adnan (Lebanese-American poet and artist) are the first to fill its spaces. The performers are Shahd Wabi (Palestinian researcher and artist), Noor Abed with Haig Aivazian (Palestinian artist and Lebanese artist) and Ali Cherri (Lebanese artist working with clay and myths). In a single evening, you can see a restored monastery and contemporary Middle Eastern art.
Velatura
📅 3–4 October, 10:00am–11:00pm
📍 Espaço Agra, Rua de João Martins Branco 180, Porto
💸 €7.50–60
Porto’s first international magic festival: two days of shows, workshops and lectures by illusionists. Magic needs no translation, so the whole family can go; 6+.
Daniel Mordzinski: final days
📅 until 4 October
📍 Centro Português de Fotografia, Porto
💸 Free
The Argentine photographer is known as the “photographer of writers”: for more than 40 years, he has photographed Borges, García Márquez, Vargas Llosa and others in intimate domestic settings. The exhibition is housed in a former Porto prison, now a photography centre, and closes on Sunday.
TAMBOR
📅 2 October, 7:30pm; 3 October, 9:00pm
📍 Teatro Municipal do Porto – Campo Alegre
💸 €7
Melissa Pérez Sousa (a choreographer who grew up between Venezuela and Portugal) dances her migration: Venezuelan folklore, street dance and club movements replace one another over 45 minutes. A wordless performance; after Friday’s show, the artists talk with the audience.
KITADA
📅 2 October, 9:30pm
📍 Centro Cultural Vila Flor, Guimarães
💸 €7.50
Choreographer Marga Alfeirão (Portuguese choreographer) creates a performance about female desire and the memories held by the body. The dancers are women aged 45 to 60, and their experiences are the central material. The performance was one of the winners of the Projeto CASA programme. Guimarães is an hour from Porto.
Mo’ Better Blues outdoors
📅 2 October, 9:15pm
📍 Universidade Lusófona, Porto
💸 Free
Spike Lee’s 1990 film about a jazz trumpeter forced to choose between music and the women he loves. Denzel Washington on trumpet, music by Branford Marsalis and Terence Blanchard, screened in the university’s cloister courtyard.
Eat/Drink
A wine-filled weekend: the grape harvest is coming to an end, with celebrations stretching from Seixal to the Douro. There are no major food festivals near the capitals, but francesinha and chocolate come to the rescue.
Lisbon and surroundings
Festival de Francesinhas
📅 until 5 October, 12:00–3:00pm and 7:00–10:30pm
📍 Jardim Municipal de Oeiras, Oeiras
💸 Free
A festival dedicated to francesinha, Porto’s signature sandwich: bread, meat, cheese and a spicy beer sauce. Four establishments, including Alfândega Douro and Santa Francesinha, are preparing it in Oeiras Park. Free entry; portions cost €12–15.
Feira do Chocolate
📅 2–5 October
📍 Jardim do Casal da Barota, Belas (Sintra)
💸 Ticket
Belas’ first chocolate fair: tastings, live music in the evenings, a children’s show on Saturday and kizomba on Monday.
Poster for the first Feira do Chocolate in Belas. Photo: Junta de Freguesia de Belas.
Seixal Wine Fest
📅 3 October, 2:00–8:00pm
📍 Jardim da Praça dos Mártires da Liberdade, Seixal
💸 Free
The first wine festival for small producers on the south bank of the Tagus, with views across the river towards Lisbon. A wine glass costs €5, while a guided tasting is €10.
Porto and surroundings
São João – Uma Rua Viva
📅 3 October, 3:00–9:30pm
📍 Rua de São João, Porto
💸 Free
A street festival in the old town. Several venues serve wine and petiscos (Portuguese small bites, the local equivalent of tapas), with fado and DJs playing throughout. A tasting stop costs €7.50.
Away from the Capitals
Feira do Vinho e do Azeite
📅 3–4 October
📍 Provesende (Sabrosa, Douro Valley)
💸 Free
A wine and olive oil fair in one of the Douro’s most beautiful villages, right in the middle of grape harvest season.
Activities
The public holiday on Monday opens up karting to everyone at the Cascais marina, while on Sunday you can run a 10K along the closed-off Tagus waterfront. If you would rather walk than run, there are the Arrábida mountains, plus roller skating in Porto.
Lisbon and surroundings
Corrida Clube Millennium bcp
📅 4 October, 9:30am
📍 Passeio Carlos do Carmo, Belém
💸 Ticket
A Sunday 10K along the closed-off Tagus waterfront, from Belém to Alcântara and back, with views of the 25 de Abril Bridge. The guest of honour is Carlos Lopes, the 1984 Olympic marathon champion. If you are not ready for a 10K, there is also a 5K, which you can run or walk, while children aged 3 to 12 can take part in races ranging from 100 to 800 metres. Online registration is open; on race day, you can collect your race number at the start between 8:00 and 9:00am for an additional fee.
Karting GP Cascais
📅 5 October, 9:00am–7:40pm
📍 Marina de Cascais, Cascais
💸 €40
The karting track is laid out right between the yachts, and on the public holiday Monday, anyone over 16 can take part. Each session lasts 15 minutes in a 270cc kart. The driver with the fastest lap of the day wins a €500 voucher for Estoril Racing Lab. Arrive 10 minutes before your start time: before the session, there is a briefing and a helmet.
Participants in a previous Grande Prémio Cascais race. Photo: TVI.
Grande Prémio do Vale Grande
📅 5 October, 9:45am
📍 Rua São Domingos 205, Pontinha (Odivelas)
💸 €9–14
The tenth Republic Day race on the northern outskirts of Lisbon: the 10K costs €14, the 5K €9. At 9:00am, there is a free race for children, followed by a free 5K walk at 9:55am, so the whole family can take part. Registration is open until 2 October, 11:59pm; there are 1,000 places.
Walks in Arrábida
📅 3 October, 9:00am and 5:00pm; 4 October, 9:00pm
📍 Serra da Arrábida (Setúbal, Sesimbra, Azeitão)
💸 €10–12
Three different 4–6 km routes through the mountains above the ocean. Saturday morning takes you through the Arrábida valleys; in the evening, there is a “goat trail” above Sesimbra with a picnic featuring goat cheese. On Sunday, a night walk through the Alambre Valley in Azeitão is open to those aged 12 and over. Advance booking is required on the website; payment is made on site, and the walk goes ahead if at least six people sign up.
The Way of the Dancer
📅 2 October, 7:00–9:30pm
📍 Liceu Pedro Nunes, Estrela, Lisbon
💸 €20
A dance meditation where you do not need to know how to dance: you move to the music however your body wants, with no choreography and no mirrors. Led by Christian de Souza, a London-based DJ and student of Gabrielle Roth (an American who created the “5 Rhythms” practice). The Friday evening session can be booked separately (€25 at the door), followed by the weekend intensive for €220.
Porto and surroundings
Corrida da República
📅 5 October, 10:00am
📍 Largo do Mosteiro, Rio Tinto (Gondomar)
💸 Ticket
A 10K race or a 5K walk on Republic Day, just 15 minutes from central Porto. At 9:15am, there is a free 500m race for children aged 6–10; everyone gets a T-shirt and a medal.
Passeio do Porto Rita Salgado
📅 4 October, 10:30am
📍 Palacete do Lima, Rua de Costa Cabral 186, Porto
💸 €8
Twelve kilometres around the city on roller skates, a skateboard, bicycle or scooter, in two 6 km laps. Whole families take part, and the entry fee includes a T-shirt, bag, water bottle and insurance.
With Kids
Saturday is the best family day: a children’s music festival at CCB, an almost wordless show at LU.CA and a geek fest across the river, while on Sunday you can head into the Sintra forest with a Russian-speaking guide. In Porto, there is an English-language fairy tale at the library by the Crystal Palace and a magic festival.
Lisbon and surroundings
Festival Big Bang
📅 2–3 October
📍 CCB, Belém
💸 €3.50–4.50
The European music festival for children returns for its 15th edition: short concerts and installations that need no language, while the performances in the square are free. Saturday is the main day. Belgian singer Aline Goffin performs Kate Bush (British singer) accompanied by holographic projections. A Belgian trio plays Miles Davis (American jazz trumpeter). At Norchestra, children improvise together with an orchestra. In the garden, the Feeding Grounds installation tells the story of a bear, a vulture and a whale through a “chronophone.” In the square, the MUSKO percussion show takes place at 1:00pm and 6:00pm, followed at 3:30pm by Pauliteiros de Miranda (stick dancers from northeastern Portugal).
Aline Goffin in Cloudbusting. Photo: Karolina Maruszak.
Animal Day at Lisbon Zoo
📅 3–5 October, 10:00am–6:00pm
📍 Zoo de Lisboa, Sete Rios
💸 €18–29
For World Animal Day, the zoo is hosting a three-day celebration, with the entire programme included in the regular admission ticket. Every day at 12:15pm, there is a children’s concert by Ricardo Reis Pinto (Portuguese children’s musician), followed at 3:45pm by “Hora do Conto Selvagem,” or “wild” animal stories. On Saturday and Sunday at 11:30am and 3:00pm, there are guided tours, while on Sunday children can meet bees and learn about beehives. Everything is in Portuguese, but the workshops are hands-on, so language is hardly an obstacle. A child ticket (ages 3–12) costs €18.05, while an adult ticket is €29.45.
“Dois Ratos”
📅 3 and 4 October, 11:30am and 4:30pm
📍 LU.CA Teatro Luís de Camões, Ajuda
💸 €3–7
A country mouse goes to visit a city mouse. The story is told through drawings by Joana Estrela and Nicolau (Portuguese illustrators), which come to life right on stage, accompanied by music, with almost no words. The show lasts 35 minutes and is suitable for ages 6+. The Sunday 11:30am performance is a relaxed session for children who find noisy venues difficult. Child ticket — €3, adult — €7.
Hike & Climb in Sintra
📅 4 October, 10:00am–4:00pm
📍 Convento dos Capuchos, Sintra
💸 €15–35
A four-kilometre forest route past a lily pond, blackberry bushes and views over Sintra. Those who want to can try climbing on real rock faces, with equipment provided. Led by Oksana, a climbing instructor; the group is international, with English, Portuguese and Russian spoken. The walk costs €15, or €35 with climbing. Children aged 6+ are welcome with an adult. Book via Telegram: @madokspt.
Heimdall Geek Fest
📅 3–4 October, 10:00am–8:00pm
📍 Quinta da Marialva, Corroios (Seixal)
💸 €2
A festival for teenagers and parents who grew up on video games themselves. There is a cosplay contest, Smash and Tekken tournaments, retro gaming, D&D, robot battles, Beyblade and K-pop. On Saturday, video game soundtracks are performed; on Sunday, a symphony orchestra takes the stage for the finale. A two-day ticket costs €3, and children under 12 enter free.
Porto
Once Upon A Time
📅 3 October, 3:30pm
📍 Biblioteca Almeida Garrett, Palácio de Cristal
💸 Free
The British Council reads fairy tales in English to children aged 6–10 at the library in the middle of the Crystal Palace gardens, where peacocks roam. There are 20 places and registration is required.
Velatura
📅 3–4 October, 10:00am–11:00pm
📍 Espaço Agra, Porto
💸 €7.50–60
Porto’s first international magic festival: shows, workshops and meetings with illusionists. Magic needs no translation; admission is 6+.
BRInCKa: Five Million LEGO Pieces
📅 3–4 October, 10:00am–9:00pm; 5 October, 10:00am–7:00pm
📍 Sala dos Fornos, São João da Madeira
💸 €5–7.50
More than five million LEGO pieces spread across 1,200 square metres. In the middle of the hall is a working city with trains and a port, alongside Star Wars scenes, while Mario and Luigi are assembled right in front of visitors. There are play areas where children can build their own creations, plus a giant shared mosaic where everyone can add a piece. No language is needed here. An adult ticket costs €7.50; tickets for children aged 4–17 and seniors are €5. São João da Madeira is 40 minutes south of Porto and is known for its shoe factories and hat museum.
What Else Is Interesting
The most spectacular event of the weekend is the hill-climb race on the Arrábida mountain road; the quietest is the free morning rides on old wooden boats along the Tagus. In Porto, it is all about cars: the AutoClássico exhibition brings in Dakar legends.
Lisbon and surroundings
Rampa da Arrábida
📅 3–4 October, from 10:00am
📍 Serra da Arrábida and Largo José Afonso, Setúbal
💸 Free
The 35th hill-climb race: 56 drivers, including classic cars, tackle 3.5 km of mountain hairpins above the ocean. The main races are on Saturday at 3:00pm, and Sunday at 12:30pm and 3:00pm. The mountain road is closed from 8:00am, so a free shuttle runs every hour from Casa da Baía on Avenida Luísa Todi to the track. On Friday at around 10:00pm, the race cars leave central Setúbal in a convoy heading up into the mountains.
Rampa da Arrábida. Photo: AutoSport.
Feira Quinhentista de Coina
📅 2–4 October, 5:00pm–12:00am
📍 Largo do Mercado de Coina, Barreiro
💸 Free
A fair set in the time of King Manuel I (the 16th-century Portuguese king): re-enactors’ camps, falconry, sword fights, oriental dancing and a fire show closer to midnight. Easy to combine with OUT.FEST in the same Barreiro.
Marinha do Tejo Boat Rides
📅 3 and 4 October, 10:00am
📍 Port of Lisbon (meeting point provided after registration)
💸 Free, registration required
To mark the port’s 139th anniversary, wooden boats cruise the Tagus — the same kind of vessels that carried goods and people from one bank to the other for centuries. The evening sessions are fully booked; only morning slots remain.
Festa da Salicórnia
📅 3–4 October
📍 Moinho de Maré da Mourisca, Setúbal
💸 Free
A celebration of salicornia (a salty marsh plant eaten in Portugal like sea asparagus) at an old tidal mill in the Sado Estuary Nature Reserve. On Saturday at 10:00am, there is a walk through the salt marshes; both days include canoe rides, while food is served from noon until midnight. On Saturday at 9:00pm, Lisbon singer Ana Lua Caiano, who blends folk with electronic music, gives a free concert. Canoe trips require advance booking at comunicacao@jf-sado.pt.
Korea Day at Museu do Oriente
📅 3 October
📍 Museu do Oriente, Alcântara
💸 Free
Free museum admission all day. At 11:30am and 3:30pm, there are Korean folktales; at 3:00pm, visitors can paint amulets featuring a tiger and a magpie. The evening concert by pianist Yeon Choon Park requires a ticket.
Grande Venda de Plantas
📅 2–3 October, 10:00am–7:00pm; 4 October, 10:00am–5:00pm
📍 Unicorn Factory – Fábrica das Massas, Beato
💸 Free
The organisers call it Europe’s biggest plant sale. In a former pasta factory in Beato, more than 150 varieties are on sale, from succulents to large indoor trees, with prices starting at €0.99. A good excuse to refresh your balcony for autumn and explore Beato, a former industrial district turning into a neighbourhood of startups and workshops. Entry is free, but registration on the website is required.
Oeiras (h)à Feira
📅 2 October from 6:00pm; 3 October from 10:00am; 4 October until 8:00pm
📍 Jardim Quatro Elementos, Fábrica da Pólvora, Barcarena (Oeiras)
💸 Free
For three days, Oeiras recreates a rural fair from the last century on the grounds of a former royal gunpowder factory, in a green valley 20 minutes from Lisbon. Everyone joins in the traditional corn-husking, there are demonstrations of how flax used to be processed, cantares ao desafio (singing duels where two performers take turns improvising verses) and folk dancing, followed by a parade at the end. Not everyone will understand the words, but the atmosphere of a village celebration comes through without translation.
Porto and surroundings
AutoClássico Porto
📅 2–5 October, Friday 3:00–8:00pm, other days 10:00am–8:00pm
📍 Exponor, Matosinhos
💸 Ticket
A major exhibition of classic cars and motorcycles. Guests include Ari Vatanen (Finnish rally driver and four-time Dakar winner), Cyril Neveu (Frenchman and the first Dakar winner) and Giacomo Agostini (Italian with 15 world motorcycle racing titles). Anniversary displays celebrate 100 years of Mercedes-Benz and Ducati, 80 years of Vespa and 50 years of the Golf GTI. Children under 10 enter free.
Argilo: Ceramic Fair
📅 2 October, 4:00–9:00pm; 3 October, 10:00am–7:00pm
📍 The Alchemist, Rua Formosa 325, Porto
💸 Free
Around ten ceramic artists from Porto and the surrounding area: a market, exhibition and workshop. On Friday evening, the bar is open and a DJ plays.
Desfolhada à Moda Antiga
📅 3 October, 7:00pm
📍 Rua de Lavadores 521, Touguinha (Vila do Conde)
💸 €2
An old autumn tradition: in the evening, the whole village gathers to husk corn to the sound of folk songs, with visitors joining in alongside the local folklore group. You can also book a table for dinner. Touguinha is 30 minutes from Porto.
Ronco: Traditional Mask Gathering
📅 3–4 October
📍 Vale de Ílhavo (Ílhavo)
💸 Ticket
A winter ritual that predates Christianity still lives on in Portuguese villages: men put on tin or wooden masks and shaggy fringed costumes, tie cowbells around their waists and thunder through the streets, scaring away winter and teasing young women. The best-known figures are the caretos from the village of Podence, whose ritual is on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list. At Ronco, groups wearing traditional masks are gathering from different regions of the country for the first time. On Saturday at 5:00pm, a photography exhibition opens, followed by Vulto at 10:30pm. Sunday is the main day: a food fair runs from noon, with a mass mask parade at 4:00pm. Vale de Ílhavo is about an hour’s drive from Porto.
Away from the Capitals
Birdwatching Festival in Sagres
📅 2–5 October
📍 Sagres (Algarve)
💸 Free or €15–75
The festival returns for its 17th edition on one of Europe’s main migration routes. Every morning at 7:30am, you can watch seabirds for free at Cape St. Vincent. Boat trips go out to see dolphins (€35) and birds (from €40), while a sound safari takes place at dawn (€15). Each activity requires separate registration, and some are already full.
