The Lisbon Food Calendar
One date in the Lisbon year is worth planning around, and the rest of the food calendar is weekly rather than annual. Here is what is fixed, what recurs, and what to check before you travel. Book the best food tour Lisbon once you know your dates.
Santo António, 12–13 June — the one date to plan around
Festas de Lisboa — Santo António
12 and 13 June, every year. Free. The city's own festival, for its patron saint. The Marchas Populares parade down Avenida da Liberdade on the night of the 12th, one march for each historic quarter. Around them, the neighbourhoods hold arraiais — street parties in Alfama, Bairro Alto and up around Castelo de São Jorge — and grilled sardines are the fixture at all of them.
If you are in Lisbon on those dates, eat in the street. Book any food tour for the day before or the day after: the quarters the walks work are the quarters the parties are in.
The arraiais, and which quarters hold them
Alfama is the loudest and the most photographed. Graça and Mouraria are where people who live here go. Bairro Alto runs later than either. The smoke from the sardine grills sits in the lanes all night, and you eat standing up with a paper plate and a plastic cup of wine.
Peixe em Lisboa, an April fixture
Lisbon's fish and food festival has run in early-to-mid April at the Pátio da Galé on Praça do Comércio in recent years, with chefs' kitchens, tastings and producer stands. The organisers confirm each edition a few weeks ahead, so if you are planning an April trip, check the official channels rather than a third-hand date. We do not publish one here that has not been announced.
The weekly and monthly markets
Feira da Ladra
The flea market on Campo de Santa Clara, beside the National Pantheon, Tuesdays and Saturdays. Not a food market, but the stalls around it are, and it is a short walk from the Alfama food routes.
Mercado da Ribeira
The working half of Mercado da Ribeira trades every morning, and Time Out Market serves from 10:00 until midnight, or 02:00 Thursday to Saturday.
Mercado de Campo de Ourique
A neighbourhood market with a food hall, open daily and quietest in the early afternoon.
Dates at a glance
| What | When | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santo António / Festas de Lisboa | 12 and 13 June, every year | Avenida da Liberdade, then Alfama, Bairro Alto and the Castelo | Free |
| Peixe em Lisboa | Early to mid April in recent years; each edition confirmed a few weeks ahead | Pátio da Galé, Praça do Comércio | Ticketed |
| Feira da Ladra | Tuesdays and Saturdays | Campo de Santa Clara, beside the National Pantheon | Free |
| Time Out Market | Daily 10:00–00:00, to 02:00 Thu–Sat | Mercado da Ribeira, Cais do Sodré | Free to enter |
| Mercado de Campo de Ourique | Daily, quietest in the early afternoon | Rua Coelho da Rocha | Free to enter |
What closes, and when
Lisbon does not shut for a season the way a beach town does, and the food tours run all year. What thins is the Sunday roster: some kitchens close, and one operator runs a completely different Sunday route that meets in Belém rather than downtown. Christmas week and the first of January close most things for a day or two.
Sources, and where to check before you travel
- Turismo de Lisboa — St Anthony's Night, 12–13 June, for the dates, the marches and the arraiais.
- EGEAC — Festas de Lisboa, the city body that runs the programme.
- Time Out Market Lisboa, for its own opening hours.
Travelling around a date? Find a walk that runs then.
Every walk here refunds in full up to 24 hours ahead, so booking early around a festival costs you nothing.
Frequently asked about the calendar
Can I do a Lisbon food tour on a Sunday?
Do I need to book a Lisbon food tour in advance?
Do the tours run in the rain?
The weather by month is on Lisbon weather, the quarters that hold the parties on Lisbon's food quarters, and every fare on Lisbon Food Tours.