On almost every weekend throughout the year there will be a festival taking place somewhere in Portugal. Saints’ days are the biggest single stimulus for holding a festa, and every village and town in the country enjoys the pro­tection of a patron saint. Romarias are generally more sober affairs with a greater religious dimension. Plenty of these take place too, especially at Easter time.

Good festivals to catch wherever you are in the country include the semi-pagan carnival, the last party before Lent, in February or March; and the solemn celebrations of Semana Santa, the week before Easter, which are particularly awe-inspiring in Braga, in the north. Twice annually (May and October) there is the Fátima Romaria, when thousands of pilgrims pay tribute at the Fátima shrine, founded on the spot where three children are believed to have seen an apparition of the Virgin in 1917.

But Portuguese festivals are not just about religion. In June it’s worth going to Lisbon’s Festas da Lisboa (www.egeac.pt), with live fado, street parties, music, theatre and more. The Festa do Sudoeste in August is Portugal’s answer to Glastonbury, with lots of international names and a laid-back beach vibe (it takes place in pretty Zambujeira do Mar, in Alentejo). Also in August, you can celebrate the delights of Portuguese shellfish at the Festival do Marisco (www.festivaldomarisco.com) in Olhão.

The annual October pilgrimage to the Fátima Sanctuary.

Corbis