Gold fireworks bursting in a black sky above the lights of the city

São João in Porto: the night of 23 June 2027, the fireworks, what closed in 2026 and how the Metro ran

Porto's São João festival is the night of Wednesday 23 to Thursday 24 June 2027, and 24 June is a Porto holiday. The fireworks, the plastic hammers and grilled sardines, and what closed in 2026: the Baixa, the Metro across the bridge, Livraria Lello and the buses to Foz.

Photo: Edgar Jiménez · CC BY-SA 2.0

Updated 17 October 2026First published 18 September 2026

In this guide

💡 The Short Version: São João is the night of Wednesday 23 June 2027, running into Thursday 24 June, a holiday in Porto. Fireworks go up at midnight along the river. In 2026 the Baixa was closed to traffic from 17:00, the Metro stopped crossing the Ponte Luís I from 23:30 to 01:00 and Livraria Lello was closed on 24 June. Plan a bed early, in the centre or in Gaia, and a way home on foot. Or book a walk before the night: the Porto: 3-Hour Guided City Highlights Walking Tourad is from €22 for 3 hours.

When it is

The festival falls on the night of 23 June and the feast of St John on 24 June, so the date does not move. In 2027 the night is a Wednesday and the holiday a Thursday. Porto, Vila Nova de Gaia and Braga are among the councils that mark 24 June as a municipal holiday. It is not national.

The party starts in the afternoon of 23 June and runs into the morning of 24 June. Many people walk west from the Ribeira to Foz or Matosinhos and wait for sunrise by the sea. Sunrise is about 06:02 and sunset about 21:11 on 23 June. June’s average high is 22.7 °C, with 33.7 mm of rain on 4.9 wet days, according to the Portuguese weather service IPMA’s averages for 1991 to 2020: see the best time to visit Porto.

A steep street of old houses hung with rows of coloured paper bunting and lanterns, running down towards the river

Paper bunting strung across a street in Porto’s old town for São João. Photo: Edgar Jiménez, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.

For Lisbon’s version of the festival, 12 and 13 June, see Santos Populares in Lisbon.

What the night is

The hammers. People hit each other lightly on the head with soft plastic hammers, the martelinhos. Garlic flowers were the older tool, and some people still carry a leek.
The basil. The manjerico is a small basil plant with a paper carnation and a verse stuck in it.
The food. Grilled sardines, caldo verde, bifanas, broa and a fino, the small draught beer.
The fire and the jumping. Bonfires are jumped, and the fireworks go up at midnight.

Gold fireworks bursting in a black sky above the lights of the city

Fireworks over Porto on São João night. Photo: Edgar Jiménez, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.

What the programme was in 2026

The Câmara had a budget of €800,000 in 2026, €20,000 more than the year before, which it said paid for more music and more security. In 2026 the programme was in the press by 3 June.

Three stages, 20:00 to 04:00 on the night of 23 June: Avenida dos Aliados (Quinta do Bill at 22:00 and Tony Carreira after midnight), Largo do Amor de Perdição by the Cordoaria, and Praça da Galiza by Casa da Música, a youth stage that year. A DJ set played on a floating platform on the river from 22:30 to 00:00.
The fireworks. About 12 minutes at midnight, a multimedia show launched along the river between the Ponte Luís I and the Ponte da Arrábida. The Ribeira, the Cais de Gaia and Miragaia were named as viewpoints, and on the Gaia side the Jardim do Morro and the Serra do Pilar. Fairground rides and food stalls stood at Fontainhas, the Jardim do Calém and Avenida de D. Carlos I in Foz.
24 June. A regatta of rabelo boats on the river and a concert by the Banda Sinfónica Portuguesa in the Palácio de Cristal gardens at 18:00. The programme closed with the Rusgas de São João on 27 June from 18:30.
The Mercado do Bolhão. Its Cascata Comunitária de São João ran from 8 to 28 June.

The 2026 programme is in the press from the Câmara: 41N and N-Notícias.

What closed and what ran in 2026

Traffic

In 2026 the Ponte Luís I was closed to traffic from 19:00 on 23 June to 08:00 on 24 June. The Baixa inside a zone from Rua de Camões to Rua da Trindade, Rua do Bonjardim, Rua do Bolhão, Rua Fernandes Tomás, Rua da Alegria, Rua de Passos Manuel, Rua Sá da Bandeira, Avenida dos Aliados, Praça da Liberdade and Avenida D. Afonso Henriques was closed to traffic from 17:00 to 08:00. The Ponte do Infante and part of Rua de Alexandre Herculano closed from 20:00 to 03:00, and the Cordoaria streets from 20:00 to 08:00. Residents, STCP, emergency and loading vehicles were exempt (Observador and Renascença, 22 June 2026).

The Metro

Metro do Porto ran a special service from 20:00 on 23 June to 06:00 on 24 June in 2026, with double units on every line except E (JPN, 18 June 2026).

The Metro stopped crossing the Ponte Luís I from 23:30 to 01:00, and pedestrians were barred from the upper deck from 12:00.
The Jardim do Morro station was closed from 12:00 to 04:00.
The Aliados and São Bento stations closed at 22:00 and reopened when the police said.
Line D was split into Hospital de São João to Trindade and General Torres to Vila d’Este, then ran every five minutes from 01:00 to 03:00.

Buses and trams

STCP reinforced its lines from the Baixa in 2026, with terminals moved to Trindade, Bolhão, Rua Sá da Bandeira and Rua da Restauração, and in Gaia to General Torres, Santo Ovídio or the Câmara de Gaia. Lines 403, 500 and 11M could be suspended from 19:00, and bus 500 is the Foz and Matosinhos line. The historic trams ran a reduced service on the 23rd, ending about 18:30, and restarted at 09:00 on the 24th (Viva! Porto). The trams are in Porto’s historic trams, and the usual hours of the Metro and buses in Porto public transport.

The sights

Livraria Lello is closed on 24 June, according to its own FAQ: see Livraria Lello tickets.
The Museu Nacional Soares dos Reis is closed on 24 June: see Porto’s museums.
The Gaia cable car ran from 10:00 to 19:00 on 23 June in 2026, an hour short of its summer 20:00 closing, and Taylor’s cellar was open from 10:00 to 15:00.
The Mercado do Bolhão is closed on Sundays: see where to eat in Porto.

Where to be

According to porto.guide, the Ribeira is the obvious São João location and one of the most crowded, and Fontainhas is the more local option. The Gaia riverfront and the Jardim do Morro are good for views, but the bridge crossings can slow before and after the fireworks. Many younger groups walk on to Foz afterwards. porto.guide advises skipping the centre with very young children or reduced mobility.

A crowd packed into a lit street of old houses at night, with a stage and a television van at the back

The crowd in the Ribeira on São João night. Photo: Hugo Cadavez from Portugal, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.

For a hotel guest, the night is loudest in Gaia and in Ribeira and Miragaia. Cedofeita, Boavista and Foz are quieter, but the bridge and Metro closures decide the route home: see where to stay in Porto, hotels near Ribeira and Gaia and the port lodges. Book a bed, dinner on the 23rd and any river cruise early. Many restaurants run fixed menus or table time limits that night: ask for the set menu, the time limit and whether the booking includes a view.

Balloons

In 2026 paper balloons could be launched only between 21:45 on 23 June and 01:00 on 24 June. The aviation authority ANAC closed the airspace over the Porto airport zone for that window and warned that mass releases endanger air navigation, and fire risk was named because of dry, windy weather (JPN, 18 June 2026). Balloons were banned outright in 2017. Check the year’s rule before launching one.

Plan the rest

For the views of the river on any other evening, see Porto viewpoints and rooftop bars in Porto. The cruises under the bridges are in the Six Bridges cruise. To see what else June brings, see the best time to visit Porto, and for the nights after, Christmas in Porto and New Year’s Eve in Porto. Porto in 2 days shows how to fit the sights round the closures.

Common questions

When is São João in Porto in 2027?

The night of Wednesday 23 June, running into Thursday 24 June. 24 June is a municipal holiday in Porto, Vila Nova de Gaia and Braga, among others, and it falls on a Thursday in 2027. It is not a national holiday.

What happens at midnight on São João in Porto?

Fireworks, launched along the river. In 2026 the show lasted about 12 minutes and was launched between the Ponte Luís I and the Ponte da Arrábida, wider than in earlier years so that more places had a view. The Ribeira, the Cais de Gaia and Miragaia were named as viewpoints, and on the Gaia side the Jardim do Morro and the Serra do Pilar.

What are the plastic hammers for?

It is a tradition on São João to hit people lightly on the head with soft plastic hammers. Garlic flowers are the older tool, and some people still carry a leek. Small basil plants with paper carnations and verses, the manjericos, are the other symbol of the night.

Does the Metro run on São João night?

In 2026 it ran a special service from 20:00 on 23 June to 06:00 on 24 June, but it stopped crossing the Ponte Luís I from 23:30 to 01:00, the Jardim do Morro station was closed from 12:00 to 04:00, and the Aliados and São Bento stations closed at 22:00.

Is Livraria Lello open on 24 June?

No. Livraria Lello is closed on 24 June, as on 1 January, Easter Sunday, 1 May and 25 December. The Museu Nacional Soares dos Reis is closed on 24 June too.

Can I release a paper balloon on São João in Porto?

The rule changes by year. In 2026 launches were allowed only from 21:45 on 23 June to 01:00 on 24 June, and the civil aviation authority, ANAC, closed the airspace over the Porto airport zone for that window. Balloons were banned outright in 2017, with fines up to €5,000. Check the rule for the year before buying one.