Festa de Santo Antonio

Name: Festa de Santo Antonio
Start: 2025-06-11
End: 2025-06-12
Location: Lisbon

Lisbon’s Early Summer Festival of Love, Sardines, and Lively Tradition

2025/06/11 - 2026/06/12

Every June, Lisbon bursts into celebration for the Festa de Santo António, honoring its patron saint with infectious energy. For two days-June 12th and 13th-historic alleys and hills are transformed by colorful decorations, the savory aroma of grilled sardines, and the lively rhythms of parades and street parties. Locals, couples, and travelers alike dive into Lisbon’s most authentic summer celebration, where love, music, and tradition fill the air.

The festival’s heart beats in Alfama, Bairro Alto, and Graça, where both locals and visitors are swept up in music, laughter, and the smoke of open grills. The city comes alive with the famous Santo António mass weddings and the dazzling Marchas Populares parade, capturing the true spirit of Lisbon in every street.

Main Attractions

Marchas Populares and Santo António Weddings

The highlight on the night of June 12th is the Marchas Populares parade. District groups spend months preparing costumes, choreography, and songs, then parade down Avenida da Liberdade in a riot of color, banners, paper flowers, and energetic performances, all competing for the top spot. With thousands of spectators watching, the party lasts all night.

Another beloved tradition is the Santo António mass wedding. On June 12th, the city hosts a group wedding for selected couples, who receive basil pots (manjerico) and gifts, and are celebrated as Lisbon’s most famous newlyweds. The couples join the parade and parties, and the whole city is swept up in happiness and romance.

Arraiais (Street Parties), Costumes, and Decorations

Across Lisbon, each neighborhood hosts its own arraial (street party) with live music, folk dancing, games, and food stalls running through the night. Streets, squares, and balconies are adorned with arches, balloons, and paper flowers. Participants wear traditional costumes, colorful summer clothes, matching parade outfits, frilled skirts, sashes, and sailor hats. The city glows with lanterns and the smiles of its people.

Traditional Food and Drink

No Santo António festival is complete without grilled sardines! Served on thick slices of bread and eaten by hand, they are the festival’s signature treat. Other favorites include caldo verde (kale and chorizo soup), bifana (garlic pork sandwich), pão com chouriço (chorizo bread), roasted peppers, and basil pots. Beer, wine, and sangria flow freely, and it’s a tradition for lovers to exchange manjerico (basil pots) with paper flags and poems.

Cultural and Historical Background

The origins of the Santo António festival date back to the 13th century, beginning as a religious event in honor of Lisbon-born Saint Anthony (António of Padua, 1195–1231). Renowned for his powerful sermons, compassion for the poor, and reputation as the patron saint of lost things and matchmaking, Saint Anthony has long been beloved by Lisbon’s people. He was officially named patron saint of Portugal in 1930 and of Lisbon in 1981.

The festival centers on June 13th, Saint Anthony’s feast day, and originally featured solemn processions and masses. Over time, elements of midsummer sun and pagan fertility rituals were incorporated, turning the event into a citywide celebration. June is also peak sardine season, so the scent of grilled sardines fills Lisbon’s streets, earning the festival the nickname “Sardine Festival.”

From the 1930s, the Marchas Populares parade began, with district teams competing in costumes, song, and dance along Avenida da Liberdade. In the 1950s, the city’s mass wedding tradition was introduced, with couples blessed by Saint Anthony and celebrated by the whole city.

Today, the Santo António festival blends religious devotion with parades, street parties, and the romantic tradition of exchanging basil pots (manjerico). It’s a living tradition that embodies Lisbon’s pride, hospitality, and zest for life, bringing together locals and visitors to celebrate the magic of summer in the city.

Participant Voices

As a tourist, I joined my first arraial in Graça and tried caldo verde for the first time. Locals taught me to dance, and I spent the night eating sardines, singing, and soaking up the magical Lisbon night until sunrise.

Fun Facts

The festival is also called the “Sardine Festival,” with over a million sardines consumed each year.
The Santo António mass wedding has been held since the 1950s and is broadcast on TV.
It’s a tradition for lovers to exchange basil pots (manjerico) with paper flags and poems during the festival.

Festival Dates

The Festa de Santo António is held every June 12–13, centered in Lisbon’s Alfama, Bairro Alto, Graça, and along Avenida da Liberdade. Grab a sardine at a street party and let yourself be swept away by the magic of Lisbon’s summer.