Music Festivals in Portugal - some suggestions

If you're planning on visiting Portugal and to have some fun while doing it, festivals are a great option! There are events across all of the country in beautiful locations and towns. They happen mostly in the summer, but there are exceptions. Accessible camping parks are often very close to the more remote venues, and they're all easy to get to by car, train or bus. They are also a great for you to get to know the best local musicians and artists. So where to start?

First options that come to mind are the big ones - those ones everybody knows, held in the Summer, the ones with the most exposure and audience. To put it very briefly: for the popular hits across all genres, there is MEO Sudoeste, NOS Alive and SuperBock Super Rock. For more alternative tastes, the Vodafone Paredes de Coura and Primavera Sound are great. If you're looking for some Soul, Blues and Vocal Jazz, EDP Cooljazz is an option. For amazing World Music discoveries, the Músicas do Mundo festival is a must! And for a truly psy-trance gathering experience then the Boom Festival is the treat.

But besides the popular (and sometimes the most expensive) ones, there are plenty more great music festivals to choose from on your visit to Portugal. Below I present six lesser exposed events, for different tastes in music. All of these have been around for some years now and they are all fantastic! If you're planning on taking the opportunity to go to more than one (who wouldn't?) check out some more options at the end of this page. Each link will send you to the event's website. So get your bracelet and enjoy the shows!

Vilar de Mouros - the portuguese old school

Festival Vilar de Mouros

4910 Vilar de Mouros, Portugal

Amplifest - for the love of dark

Amplifest

Rua do Infante D. Henrique, 4050 Porto, Portugal

Andanças - dance rooted in tradition

Andanças - Festival Internacional de Música e Dança Tradicional

R. Cónego Albano, 7320-202 Castelo de Vide, Portugal

OutJazz - chilling in the park

Festival OutJazz

Alameda Cardeal Cerejeira, 1070-051 Lisboa, Portugal

Milhões de Festa - the alternative haven

Festival Milhões de Festa

R. João Macedo Correia 98, 4750-303 Barcelos, Portugal

Semibreve - a digital sanctuary

Festival Semibreve

Av. da Liberdade 700, 4710-249 Braga, Portugal

And here are a few other options you should know about! The singers and songwriters festival MistyFest - for eclectic and avant-garde improvised music in the summer: Jazz em Agosto - the great electronic monster NeoPop - the vicious and brutal Vagos Metal Fest - Psych and Stoner Rockers' Sonic Blast - the underground shrine Reverence festival - Lisbon's Psychedelic temple Psych Fest - the all-portuguese festival Bons Sons - Fado celebration in Festival Caixa Alfama - for World Music and culture sharing go to Festival MED - the electronic and digital arts castle of Festival Forte .

And if you're still not satisfied or still haven´t found the perfect one, check this website for a complete and up-to-date list of all of the music festivals happening in Portugal. See you there!