PORTUGAL | Socializing | General information
Social Life
In Portugal, social life is very much linked to family and friends. Eating out, going out for a drink and catching up with friends, going to the cinema, theatre or to see a show, meeting up with friends to see a football match or any other sport are common activities amongst the Portuguese.
In Portugal, it’s quite common to have lunch and dinner out with family and friends. You can say it’s kind of a tradition, especially on week-ends. Even though Portugal is not a wealthy country, eating out is quite affordable. Throughout the country there are various family-run restaurants with traditional Portuguese and regional cuisine.
Entertainment
Bars and night clubs: Nightlife starts and finishes late in Portugal. Bars are popular places for friends to meet up and talk, have a drink and listen to music. Usually, bars are open until 2 a.m. For those who like to dance and music night clubs are fun places to go with friends. Night clubs usually open between midnight and 1 a.m. and close at 7 a.m. In Portugal, it’s usual, in both bars and night clubs to be given a card upon arrival. Whenever you get something to drink or eat from the bar it’s registered on the card. Before leaving you pay at the cashier. The card is given back to you and you hand it over to the bouncer at the door.
Going to the cinema is quite popular. Apart from commercial films most cinema theatres also have cultural films. The largest film distributors in the country are Lusomundo and Castello Lopes.
The most well-known and popular cinema festival in Portugal is the Fantasporto International Film Festival. To know more about this film festival you can check out the following site www.fantasporto.com.
In Portugal, theatre is becoming more popular again and with plays for all kinds of public. Even though theatre is gaining popularity, greater variety of plays and shows can be found in Lisbon and Oporto. However, in cities like Braga, Coimbra, Viseu and Faro the range of shows is growing. To get more information you should check the cultural agendas for each city on the respective sites of each City Hall:
The most popular concerts are in the summer, mainly the annual summer music festivals from North to South, with musicians from all over the world. Sudoeste, Paredes de Coura, Marés Vivas and Super Bock Super Rock, three days of concerts and fun, just to name a few. Since 2004 that Rock in Rio – Lisbon (www.rockinrio-lisboa.sapo.pt) takes place every two years. It’s 5 to 6 days of concerts, fun and partying from morning to night.
For more information you can check out the following sites:
Heritage & Nature
For those who like nature there are various activities at your disposal, such as canoeing, trekking, mountain climbing, BTT, to name a few.
Sports
Football is without a doubt the favourite sport of most Portuguese. It’s a sport that is followed with soul and lots of emotion by its fans. Apart from football, other team sports that are becoming more popular are: roller-hockey, handball and rugby. In the summer, most aquatic sports are popular, but surfing, windsurfing and bodyboarding take the top.
For more information on sports activities and events you can go to the site of the Sports Institute.
Other useful sites with information on events are:
www.orient-express.com (region of Lisbon)