7 Best Performing Arts Venues in Portugal

Every year on the first weekend in March, Monchique hosts its annual cured-meats fair. The Sausage Fair is a high point on the locals' calendar and people travel from far and wide to sample cured meats, along with jams, dried fruits, liqueurs, and cheeses. It's all rounded off with traditional nightly entertainment.

The Festa da Flor da Madeira, which runs from late April to mid-May, brightens downtown Funchal with a carpet of flores (flowers), a parade, and a lot of music.

First held in 1957, Sintra's annual music and dance festival takes place during early fall (usually September or October) at the Centro Cultural Olga Cadaval as well as in the many palaces and gardens around Sintra and Queluz. The Gulbenkian Symphony Orchestra and the Gulbenkian Ballet company as well as other international groups perform. Buy tickets at the AskMe Sintra tourist information offices.

This annual festival is a must for those who are in the Algarve in mid-August. The event, which lasts four to six days, attracts top musicians, and the food on offer features renowned delicacies from the sea.

Also known as FOLIO, the International Literature Festival was launched as part of a broader initiative to establish Óbidos as a vila literária (literary town). The focus was at first on Portuguese-language writers, but organizers have branched out with guests such as Leïla Slimani and Porto resident Richard Zimler. This annual event is scheduled for late September or October.

In late October or early November, Santarém each year hosts the National Festival of Gastronomy, the longest-running in Portugal. It's held in the Casa do Campino, next to the bullfighting ring, where numerous restaurants from all over the country come to showcase the top best culinary delights of their area and establishment. The festival includes competitions in various categories of cuisine—often with the opportunity for you to try the winners' wares—and you are guaranteed to eat well here. There is also plenty of handicrafts, folk music, and dancing.

Portimão stages its renowned Sardine Festival every year at the beginning of August. It's a must for anyone wanting to try the delicious little fish and sample local cuisine while enjoying the sights and sounds of a proper Algarvian party.