7 Braga Festivals You Need to Know About When Planning Your Portugal Visit
What makes Braga such an awesome city to live in (and visit) are the bevy of festivals and events that take place here every year.
May marks the unofficial start of the season and there are 7 festivals that happen almost monthly through January:
- Braga Romana (May)
- Hopen Beer Fest (May/June)
- São João (June)
- Vinho Verde Fest (July)
- Noite Branca (September)
- Hopen Beer Fest (December)
- Braga Natal (December/January)
If you’re planning to visit Portugal, add Braga to your list of cities and mark your calendars for one of these festivities – they’re so fun!
What to know more about what each of them entails? Then stay tuned for our definitive guide to Braga’s Festival Season.
And here’s a little video sneak peak of just a few of the festivals:
Braga Romana (May)
Once an important outpost of the Roman Empire, Braga was known then as Bracara Augusta. And once a year in May, the city pays tribute to its heritage during the Braga Romana festival.
During this free 4-day event, the hustle and bustle of historical Roman life is recreated with:
- Open fire cooking like bifanas (traditional Portuguese pork sandwiches), chouriço and queijo pão (sausage and cheese bread – think of it as an elevated Hot Pocket), grilled ribs, and bolo chaminé (chimney cakes)
- Stalls full of fresh and dried fruits as well as handcrafted goods from leather to jewelry to flower crowns
- Traditional live music, plays and historical performances
The best part? Everyone working the festival dresses in head-to-toe Roman garb, which makes the whole event feel even more authentic (locals attending join in on the fun by wearing togas, robes, or flower crowns).
In fact, we saw a woman dressed head-to-toe in Roman attire talking on her cell phone, which was a funny sight to behold!
This ode to Braga’s lineage is, hands down, one of my favorite events of the year because of the amazingly authentic way it honors its history by linking the past, present, and future.
Hopen Beer Fest (May/June)
J is a huge lover of craft beer so Hopen Braga Beer Fest is one of his favorites.
The semi-annual event takes place in late spring at the lovely square, Jardim Do Campo das Hortas, which is directly across from the historical Arco da Porta Nova arch (the gateway into town).
The 4-day event features 200+ beers (or cervejeiros in Portuguese) from artisan breweries all over Portugal (since it is summertime, lighter beer styles tend to be highlighted most). You purchase a set of tokens (e.g., 30 euros will buy you 30 chips) as well as the official Hopen glass, which you then take to each beer stall for your choice of fills and simply pay the corresponding value of tokens (gotta love the sustainability practice).
The beauty of it is, with beers ranging from double IPAs to porters to imperial stouts, there’s surely something for everyone (they also spotlight kombucha producers if beer isn’t your thing).
Here are the labels that were featured this year:
On top of that, the event is jam-packed with live music, cooking as well as beer cocktail demonstrations, and fantastic street food vendors.
If you love craft beer, this is definitely a fest worth attending.
São João (June)
Without a doubt, Braga’s two week São João festival is its biggest annual event, which honors St. John the Baptist.
Although similar celebrations occur in every major city across Portugal at the same time, Braga’s is the country’s oldest. The festival is a religious and cultural event with many things to partake in:
- Hammer Bops (& Funky Flowers) | On the actual day of São João, people across the city walk the streets with loved ones and bop each other as well as strangers on the head with a squeaky plastic hammer; it’s actually a sign of affection and endearment 🙂 (but obviously, something that would never (ever) happen in the States). But what isn’t cute are the beautiful yet disgusting purple flowers people will wave in your face, which emit a pungent garlic odor. Consider yourselves warned…
- Carnival | There’s an air of light-heartedness that permeates São João – from the colorful decorations that adorn the city to the carnival itself (located at Altice Forum). Parents love taking their kids there to enjoy a round of bumper cars, tilt-a-whirl, or a bevy of other classics.
- Traditional Foods | During the festival, you’ll see a lot of bifanas dishes (mentioned above) but also caldo verde (shredded green cabbage soup) and grilled sardines – both of which are yum!
AVIOTHIC TIP: São João is fun but if you’re traveling with a family (or experience anxiety), the crowds can get big so visiting during daytime might be more your speed).
Vinho Verde Fest (July)
What’s better on a beautiful summer’s day than a glass of crisp white wine?
The Vinho Verde fest delivers that in spades. “Vinho verde” translates to “green wine,” which is unique to northern Portugal. Its flavor is bright and tends to be very fruit-forward; its subtle carbonation coupled with a slight fizziness (and a relatively lower alcohol content) make it a refreshing summer drink.
During the weekend-long Vinho Verde fest, wine producers across northern Portugal set up stalls along Avenida Central to showcase their produced varieties (like Hopen, you buy a set number of tokens and festival wine glass that you carry to each stall for a drink).
We attended the festival for the first time shortly after our move to Braga in 2023; it was a cool summer’s night with great live music playing and we were hanging out with new friends, enjoying a new-to-us selection of wines. It was an evening we’ll always remember as pure magic, which may be one of the reasons we love vinho verde so much (not to mention it’s also delicious!).
We sampled some incredible wines that night from different quintas or wine houses but our absolute favorites were from Alvaminho Family Winery (they even took home gold during the event’s wine competition). We had the chance to speak with the family operating the booth – about what led them to enter the wine industry, their travels all around the world, and their deep-seated love for what they do.
We fell in love with their story and their wines, which were the best we tasted at the festival (so much so that we bought multiple bottles). We went again this year and bought even more.
This is absolutely the fest to attend if you’re a wine lover.
Noite Branca (September)
Noite Branca or White Night, is kind of like an end of summer party here in Braga.
Its most defining characteristic is that people wear white and for 3 days, locals (and visitors alike) enjoy a rich program of concerts and performances, light installations, and, as always, good food. It’s a pretty cool sight to see!
We haven’t had an opportunity to experience the full breadth of Noite Branca yet but look forward to joining in on the fun next year (since we can’t attend this year either)!
Hopen Braga Beer Festival (December)
Hopen is the gift that keeps on giving – not once but twice per year.
In addition to its hit summertime event, it also hosts a winter edition in December, which takes place at Mercado Municipal.
The number of vendors is smaller but the festival is much cozier and more intimate, which we appreciated (and the beers are just as good, including some season pumpkin additions (as the focus is on more wintery styles).
Braga Natal (December)
The holidays in Braga are so cozy. They kick off on December first with a huge lighting ceremony and the festivities usually run through the first week of January.
Hallmark events include a Christmas Market with children’s play area on Praça Conde Agrolongo, a holiday parade, tons of concerts, roasting chestnuts on an open fire, and so much more!
Our favorite is the Christmas market where you can find everything from beautiful handmade crafts like Christmas ornaments to great holiday gifts to ooey gooey chocolate chip cookies.
If you love the holidays and don’t want to deal with the madness of Christmas markets in places like Munich, then Braga is the place for you.
And there you have it!
Hope you found this guide useful as you plan your trip to Portugal!
Feel free to email us at info@theaviothic.com if you have any questions.
xoxox
