From June 23rd to 24th, Porto will once again take to the streets for the longest night of the year. Just like last year, the party will take place on three stages: the Crystal Palace Gardens, the Largo do Amor de Perdição and the Praça da Casa da Música. As for the music, there is something for everyone: Emanuel, Miguel Araújo, David Bruno (and guests), Cláudia Martins & Minhotos Marotos, Fogo Fogo and Moullinex are the main performers.
After the nostalgia that made us return to the streets last year, in a long-awaited reunion with tradition, Porto and its people are once again summoned to a night where celebration will be the watchword.
With concerts scheduled to start at 10 PM, the stages are dressed in different colors and rhythms.
The Largo do Amor de Perdição is the place chosen to host two names of Portuguese popular music: Emanuel, who promises to share his greatest hits on stage, such as “Rapaziada Vamos Dançar”, “O Ritmo de Amor”, or “Pimba, Pimba”; and the group Cláudia Martins & Minhotos Marotos, which combines the most daring lyrics with the traditional sounds of the Minho region.
The Gardens of the Crystal Palace will host concerts by the singer Miguel Araújo, who will invite all those interested to “see the planes”, and also the group Fogo Fogo, which mixes the sounds of funaná, afro funk, and rock.
Casa da Música will once again be another stage where the night will be felt with more intensity: from the other side of the river, from the deepest heart of Gaia, musician David Bruno brings powerful rhymes full of meaning, in a concert that will feature special guests to be discovered that night. To close, and already after midnight, Moullinex (alter-ego of musician Luís Clara Gomes) will follow the planned line-up with a concert and DJ set in the Square.
The tradition is back at midnight with the usual fireworks display on the Ribeira do Porto, near the Luiz I Bridge.
On St. John’s Day the custom continues: the Portuguese Symphonic Band will give a concert at the Concha Acústica in the Gardens of the Crystal Palace, starting at 6 pm, with free admission.
The program of São João Festivities 2023 extends to all parishes of the county, taking the animation to the four corners of the city. The program takes place on 18, 23 and 24 June and promises concerts by Quim Barreiros, Leandro, Augusto Canário, Diapasão and Sons of Minho, among many others
To close the festive weeks, on July 1, the Rusgas will once again take to the streets. Porto’s popular marches count, once again, with the participation of several associations and groups of the city, in a route that begins at 17h00 on Rua de Passos Manuel and ends at 18h00, with the Porto City Hall as a backdrop and the performance of all groups.
The Mouzinho de Albuquerque Square (also known as Rotunda da Boavista) is once again the place of mandatory passage in the route of the festivities, with merry-go-rounds, bumper cars and a giant wheel, in addition to the usual popcorn, cotton candy, bread with sausage and traditional sweets. The place has had entertainment since May 26. The so-called “fun zones” extend to other areas from June 16, once again occupying spaces known to all: Alameda das Fontainhas, Jardim do Cálem (Lordelo do Ouro) and Avenida D. Carlos I (Foz).
The sites are in operation Monday through Thursday, between 2pm and 11pm; Fridays, between 2pm and 1am; Saturdays, between 10am and 1am; and Sundays, between 10am and 11pm. On St. John’s Eve, these areas will operate until 6am. The restaurants open daily at 12h00.
The entertainment area at Alameda das Fontainhas will operate until June 25; the one at Praça de Mouzinho de Albuquerque and Jardim do Cálem until July 2; and the one at Avenida D. Carlos I until July 9.
