July in Portugal
Portuguese Culture: Festivals & Events in Portugal in July
July like August is often a time for enjoying life on Portugal's great beaches in the Algarve or on the coast at Caparica, south of Lisbon.
School is mostly finished except for those students with final exams. Thus, many Portuguese families often head on vacation to avoid the August crowds.
There are still plenty of festivals to enjoy, however. Portugal's outdoor art and music festivals begin in earnest and June and July is also the typical time to enjoy grilled sardines.
The weather in Portugal is usually excellent at this time of year without the higher temperatures of August.
Festivals in July in Portugal - Things to do
There is lot to do and see in Portugal in July. Music festivals in Portugal usually held in July include NOS Alive an annual music and arts festival in Oeiras, west of Lisbon. First held in 2007, the event was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic but returns in 2022. The festival has featured such performers as Beastie Boys, Bob Dylan, Coldplay, Foo Fighters, Metallica, Muse, and Radiohead.
Also in Oeiras, the new Jardins do Marquês festival of classical music and cuisine hopes to debut in 2022.
FMM Sines (Festival Músicas do Mundo) is a world music event in July in the towns of Sines and Porto Covo on the Atlantic Coast. FMM Sines should be back in 2022.
EDP Cool Jazz in Cascais at the Hipódromo Manuel Possolo attracts a loyal following with jazz performers from around the world such as John Legend and Herbie Hancock.
MEO Marés Vivas is a music concert featuring both international and Portuguese performers in mid-July held in Vila Nova de Gaia, the port wine district south of the River Douro across the Ponte Luis I Bridge from Ribeira in Porto. The Porto Wine Fest is also held in Gaia in July.
Also in Porto in July is the Festival Internacional de Folclore Cidade do Porto (Porto International Folklore Festival) with folk music acts from Portugal and overseas.
Festival ao Largo is held in the open air outside the Teatro Nacional São Carlos in Lisbon. There are free performances of classical music, opera, ballet and choral singing from the Portuguese Symphony Orchestra, the National Ballet Company, the Teatro Nacional São Carlos Choir, and the Teatro Nacional D. Maria II.
The Vilar de Mouros Festival (EDP Vilar de Mouros) is the oldest rock festival on the Iberian Peninsula. The event began as a local folk music festival in the 1960s. In 1971 it expanded to include rock music and the first edition featured Elton John and Manfred Mann. Due to financial difficulties, the festival was only held intermittently over the following years until revived in 2014. The festival is now usually held in late-August.
Paratissima is an international arts festival held in various locations throughout Lisbon during July. It began in 2016 but when it will return is now somewhat uncertain.
Salt Production
The salt production season runs from June to September all over the country. Aveiro and the Ecomuseu Marinha da Troncalhada is a good place to enjoy a taste of this traditional industry that has continued in Portugal since Roman times. In Rio Maior, salt is extracted from rock salt mines in the local mountains. They are the only operational rock salt mines in Portugal and the largest in Iberia.
Not far inland from Aveiro, the town of Águeda welcomes the Umbrella Sky Project. The colorful event began in 2012 as part of the Ágitagueda Art Festival. The umbrellas and parasols help to create shade and pleasing shadows in the hot summer months. The practice has spread to other cities in Portugal including the capital and Bragança in the north.
