10 Best Food Festivals in Portugal

Portugal’s location on the Iberian Peninsula, between Spain and the Atlantic Ocean, has helped shape its distinct food culture for centuries. Traditional dishes, like grilled sardines and salted cod fish, speak to the nation’s historic relationship with the sea since before the Age of Discovery. In addition to having access to high-quality seafood and fish, Portugal is known for producing some of the world’s best wine, cheese, sausage and olive oil. Food festivals in Portugal are held throughout the country to celebrate these regional delicacies and the people who produce them. And, the best food festivals in Portugal can be a great excuse to plan a vacation in southern Europe.

The Best Food Festivals in Portugal

Pork Sausage Festival (Festa das Chouriças)
Location: Querença
Month: January
Festa das Chouriças is one of the most popular Portuguese food festivals. Located in the Algarve region in Querença, a village in the municipality of Loulé, this food festival honors S. Luís, patron of the animals. The festival includes homemade sausage, musical performances, religious celebrations and a procession. The event also features a grand night of Fado at the People’s House of Querença. Markets throughout the village sell handmade goods and locally-produced products.

Courtesy of Jornal do Algarve

Essence of Wine (Essência do Vinho)
Location: Porto
Month: February
Essência do Vinho attracts large crowds to Porto, a coastal city in northwest Portugal. In recent years, the event has featured more than 3,000 wines and 400 wine producers from around the world. Attendees can sample wine, listen to winemaker presentations and chat with industry experts. Regional chefs and winemakers come together to celebrate Portuguese cuisine with special food and wine pairings. This four-day festival also features a welcome dinner and awards ceremony for notable wines made in Portugal, including the designation of the top 10 Portuguese wines of the year.

Courtesy of Essência do Vinho

Traditional Sausage Fair (Feira dos Enchidos Tradicionais)
Location: Monchique
Month: March
Feira dos Enchidos Tradicionais is located in Monchique, a city in the Algarve region set among the Serra de Monchique. This part of Portugal specializes in ham from black pigs. This festival celebrates some of the country’s best pork dishes and the people who produce them. In addition to food, this three-day festival features crafts, live music and local specialties like medronho, a drink made from distilled medronho tree fruit.

Courtesy of Feira dos Enchidos Tradicionais

Great Portuguese Wine Show (Grande Mostra de Vinhos de Portugal)
Location: Albufeira
Month: May/June
Grande Mostra de Vinhos de Portugal is one of the country’s largest wine festivals in Portugal. Located in Albufeira, a coastal city in the Algarve region, this event features more than 900 wines and more than 100 national wine producers. This former fishing village has sandy beaches and a bustling restaurant scene – a perfect backdrop for a buzzworthy wine event. This three-day festival includes presentations about the Algarve Wine Route, cooking demonstrations and food and wine tastings.

Courtesy of Grande Mostra de Vinhos de Portugal

St. John Festival (Festa de São João)
Location: Porto
Month: June
Festa de São João dates back to the fourteenth century making it one of the most popular food festivals in Portugal. It’s a time to honor the sun gods and celebrate the year’s good harvest with friends, family, food, drinks and entertainment. Classic festival dishes include grilled sardines, grilled spare ribs, pork sandwiches, traditional soups and stews and plenty of port wine and Super Bock beer. The first evening of the festival usually includes a nice meal at home or at a restaurant. Be sure to book a table well in advance, since the festival is known to draw large crowds. Then, a spectacular fireworks display lights up the sky at midnight from the D. Luis Bridge. Free live music, including Fado, jazz and rock, can be heard throughout the city. Don’t forget your little plastic hammer, which festival goers use to lightly tap each other on the head.

Courtesy of Tia Maria

Food Fest
Location: Lagos
Month: July
Food Fest in Lagos, a town in the Algarve region, features a wide range of street food set among the walled old town, cliffs of Ponta de Piedade and Atlantic beaches. The streets of the city are transformed into an open air market with plenty of local dishes and drinks. This four-day food fest also features live music and entertainment, family-friendly activities and affordable, yet delicious, food and drink options.

Courtesy of J Photography

Seafood Festival (Festival do Marisco)
Location: Olhão
Month: August
Festival do Marisco in Olhão takes place in the municipal garden area along the banks of the Rio Formosa. This Portuguese food festival mixes live music and food to create one huge community celebration. Highlights include live performances by some of the best musicians in Portugal and food served fresh from the sea. Attendees can enjoy prawns, oysters, razor clams, barnacles and more. Traditional dishes, like seafood cataplana, are also served along with craft beer and Portuguese wine.

Courtesy of Festival do Marisco

Sardine Festival (Festival da Sardinha)
Location: Portimão
Month: August
Festival da Sardinha draws thousands of visitors to Portimão, a port city located in the Algarve region. People from all over the country gather together to celebrate one of Portugal’s favorite dishes: grilled sardines. Festivities are held in the fishing quarter, Zona Ribeirinha, and sardines and seafood are served fresh from the ocean along the picturesque waterfront. Traditional restaurants serve up plenty of sardinha no pão, or grilled sardines on local bread. The event also features live music performances and family-friendly activities.

Photo by Alex Teixeira

Fishermen’s Feast (Festa do Pescador)
Location: Albufeira
Month: September
Festa do Pescador celebrates the people connected to the sea with three-days of food, drinks and live entertainment. Food stalls serve up regional snacks like mackerel, cuttlefish and cataplanas. Festival goers can also enjoy sweet treats like almond cakes and farrobitos. Open-air entertainment includes traditional folk-inspired music, dance performances and more.

Courtesy of Festa do Pescador

National Gastronomy Festival (Festival Nacional de Gastronomia)
Location: Santarém
Month: October/November
In 2021, Festival Nacional de Gastronomia will celebrate its 40th anniversary. Located in Santarém, a city on the right bank of the Tagus River just northeast from Lisbon, this event attracts foodies from all over the world. Attendees can sample some of Portugal’s best food. The event plays a fundamental role in the preservation of Portuguese gastronomic heritage by inviting chefs and restaurateurs to showcase their best regional dishes. It’s a celebration of traditional and contemporary Portuguese cuisine. Themed lunches and live cooking demonstrations pay homage to Portugal’s rich food culture.