Eventful Portugal!
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Portugal is brimming with a selection of events to please everyone, every week of the year. If you're visiting in May, here are five of our favourites to consider:
2nd – 26th May – Madeira Flower Festival - Funchal
Funchal’s subtropical climate is the setting for a truly sumptuous spectacle, with festivities and floats decorated with a myriad of the island’s most typical flowers leaving the scent of gentle but ephemeral perfumes in the air. Madeiran artists build floral carpets, and competitions are organised to find the best-decorated shop windows.
9th – 12th May; Vodafone Rally de Portugal (Portugal Rally) - Porto
Portugal’s Rally is the fifth stage of the International Automobile Federation’s (FIA) World Rally Championship, and it is expected to be one of the most hotly disputed events of the season on the European continent.
Running since 1973, witness the world’s top drivers racing along the roads and tracks of Portugal. Awarded ‘The Best Rally in the World’ five times, car and race aficionados can watch from the sidelines and attest to the drivers’ skills for themselves!
12th – 13th - Peregrinação a Fátima (Pilgrimage to Fátima)
The Apparitions of Fátima have turned the town into one of the world's major centres of the Marian cult.
The largest gatherings of devotees occur on the 13th May especially the Candlelight Procession on the night of the 12th May and the "Adeus" (Farewell) Procession on the 13th May, which closes the celebrations.
23rd – 26th May - CSIO - International Showjumping Competition - Lisbon
The Hippodrome of Campo Grande hosts the CSIO - Official International Showjumping Competition of Lisbon. The city will, once more, receive the best national and international horse riders in a memorable sporting event.
The competition continues to be a reference on the international equestrian calendar, being the world's most ancient CSIO carried out in the same place.
24th – 31st May - Queima das Fitas (Ribbon Burning) - Coimbra
Queima das Fitas is a huge eight-day student celebration in Europe, where ribbons representing each faculty are burned. Only students who have completed their degree can burn their ribbons.
Discover parades, galas and public events that anyone can watch, including the Serenata Monumental, a show where students sing fado songs at night on the steps of the Old Cathedral of Coimbra.
Find out more about investing in property in Portugal. Contact our team of knowledgeable, multi-lingual property advisors - hello@PortugalProperty.com or call us on +351 308 800 878 or 0800 014 8201 free from the UK.
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Published in: Guide to Portugal / Miscellaneous / News and Updates / Portuguese Life