As said previously, Portuguese people know how to party! One of the most notorious parties in northern Portugal celebrates the local patron saint John the Baptist – São João. The official holiday is June 24th but the infamous party starts the day before. It is one giant street party especially in Porto. It is customary to eat sardines and sweet peppers and everyone is grilling. Music and dancing happens in every single neighborhood. Food vendors are everywhere and some are just locals selling from their kitchen windows. Party-goers all carry squeaky plastic hammers which you use to tap total strangers on the head and wish them a “boa São João.”  Alium flowers (in the garlic family) are also used to tap people. People of all ages are out all night.

Thousands of paper lanterns are lit and launched.  They look absolutely magical over the stunning city skyline. The highlight of the evening of June 23rd is the huge fireworks show at midnight. They are shot off from the Douro river and the Ponte Luis I (bridge.) When the fireworks end, the official all-night party begins. Many (younger than us) folks will walk miles through the city, partying along the way, to end at the beach in Foz do Douro or Matosinhos to be there for the sunrise.

The whole night is an amazing experience that is difficult to describe. What really impressed us was how upbeat and well-behaved the huge crowd was. In spite of the wall-to-wall people, we did not see anyone pushing, shoving, or being in any way obnoxious. Everyone was just out to have a good time.

We stayed the night at an airbnb across the river in Vila Nova da Gaia. We had rented it expecting to have guests, but ended up using it ourselves. It turned out to be a very convenient base and the Gaia side turned out to be the best place to be for the festivities – slightly less crowded than the Porto riverfront and with a better view of the Porto skyline.