What food is especially associated with Porto’s São João midsummer festival?

Grilled sardines are especially associated with Porto’s São João midsummer festival.

On the night of June 23, streets and neighborhoods across Porto fill with food stalls and outdoor grills. Sardines are commonly cooked over charcoal and served with bread or boiled potatoes, making them one of the celebration’s most recognizable foods.

São João honors Saint John the Baptist and combines religious observance with street festivities, dancing, music, fireworks, and playful plastic hammers. The celebration is concentrated on the evening before Saint John’s Day, June 24.

The sardines are a local culinary tradition rather than the name of the festival itself. São João is celebrated in many Portuguese communities, but Porto’s street party is particularly famous for its grilled-fish feasts.