São João
23rd June 2024, 12pm – 9pm
It is customary for Portuguese towns to celebrate their saints with street parties called Festas. In Porto, locals (known as Tripeiros) celebrate Festa de São João on the 23rd of June with an epic midsummer party brimming with tradition and full of festive spirit.
Cobbled streets are decorated with bunting and colourful paper balloons, music can be heard everywhere, and popular songs are sung. The city is filled with the smell of grilled sardines and peppers, and Super Bock and Vinho Verde are sold at every street corner to quench one’s thirst.
São João is one giant neighbourhood party, a riot of colour filled with laughter and community spirit. It also has many unique and quirky traditions including offering friends and relatives potted basil plants decorated with traditional poems, bopping each other on the head with soft toy hammers (martelos de São João) or waving pungent garlic flowers in each other faces, which is supposed to bring good luck!
Join us at Bar Douro London Bridge on Sunday, June 23rd from 12-9 pm for our very own São João party. We will be grilling sardines, peppers and broa (traditional corn bread), playing pimba music and serving lots of Super Bock and Vinho Verde. Rest assured we won’t be waving pungent garlic in your face!
*The restaurant will be open as usual with the full menu available, plus grilled sardines as a special. We will keep some space for walk-ins. Grilled Sardines, Vinho Verde and Super Bock will also be available for takeaway until stock lasts.
