Porto out of control

Sao Joao - The Feast of St. John

On the evening of June 23rd, masses of people of all ages take to the streets of Porto.

Most of these people are armed with colorful plastic squeaky hammers to gently tap the heads of passing pedestrians and wish them good luck. Occasionally, you can also see people with flower poles about 2 to 3 meters long, with a root resembling a garlic bulb and a blue-violet round blossom. Touching the blossom is also believed to bring good luck.

The atmosphere in the streets is unique.

During the day, charcoal grills are fired up at countless spots throughout the city to grill sardines, suckling pig, and bell peppers.

And the highlight is a fireworks display at midnight, launched on and above the Douro River.

The celebration goes on all night until the early morning hours.

A great experience...