Annual Events
Festivals - Traditions - Folklore - Surfing - New Years - Markets
Annual Festivals and Traditions in Nazaré...
These are the events visitors can normally expect each year, although exact dates and programmes change.
Carnaval da Nazaré - January and February
Nazaré’s largest street celebration, known for its local humour, costumes, carnival marches, dances, neighbourhood groups and parades along the seafront.
Easter Traditions - March/April
Traditional markets - folklore - theatre
religious observances and local games and ethnographic parades are held over the Easter weekend.
Nazaré Folklore Festivals
Spring and summer
Several local groups hold annual festivals and parades, including Tá-Mar, the Velha Guarda do Folclore and other ethnographic groups that preserve Nazaré’s traditional songs, dances and clothing.
Festa do Homem do Mar - May
Usually the first weekend of May is a tribute to Nazaré’s fishermen and maritime community, with processions on land and at sea, decorated boats, religious images and a beach Mass.
Corpo de Deus - May
A traditional Catholic procession through Praia and Pederneira, with religious brotherhoods, local associations, folklore groups and residents dressed in traditional clothing.
Festas de Santo António - June
A neighbourhood celebration centred in Pederneira, with religious traditions, food, music and community activities.
Marchas Populares - June
Traditional Portuguese marches performed in Praia, Sítio and Pederneira, featuring colourful costumes, music, dancing and neighbourhood pride.
Fado e Folclore - July & August
Summer performances combining Portuguese fado with traditional Nazaré music, dancing and clothing.
Festas de Nossa Senhora da Nazaré - September
Nazaré’s principal religious festival, honouring Nossa Senhora da Nazaré. The celebration brings together faith, concerts, folklore, food, entertainment and community traditions in Sítio.
Christmas and New Year by the Sea - December
Nazaré normally celebrates Christmas with lights, nativity displays and family activities, followed by a large New Year’s Eve celebration near the beach with live music and fireworks. The programme for December 2026 has not yet been announced.
Big Wave Season - November to March
Nazaré is famous around the world for one thing...giant waves.
From autumn through winter, Praia do Norte can turn into one of the most incredible places on the planet to watch the ocean come alive.
A big reason is the Nazaré Canyon...a massive underwater canyon just offshore that helps funnel and concentrate the energy of Atlantic swells toward Praia do Norte, creating the conditions for those enormous waves.
Some of the biggest waves ever surfed have been ridden right here...and when the swell is running, watching those walls of water roll toward the lighthouse is something you don’t forget.
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