Oporto Saint John

St. John's is celebrated on 24th June - this being the month of the Popular Saints - and is Porto's biggest festival, having been consecrated as popular festival of the city for over 100 years. In 1911, in a referendum sponsored by a major Portuguese newspaper, Jornal de Notícias, which had its origin in Porto, the Porto inhabitants recognised St. John's festival as a city festival. On the night of 23rd to 24th June - a municipal bank holiday, everyone goes out to what is considered to be Porto's longest night of the year. Each parish town hosts its own St. John´s Ball - one of the most emblematic is the Miragaia - and performance venues, such as the Casa da Música [House of Music] or the Hard Club, hold special events. Usually there are free concerts at Avenida dos Aliados and next to the City Park - tradition dictates that the night, which starts at Ribeira, with a Fireworks display, should end at the beach. The traditional delicacy on the St. John's night is the grilled sardines, but the kid is also a typical party dish, which still hosts as its symbols the pots of marjoram and leek.