# Christmas in Porto 2026: Lights, Markets, What's Open Porto has not announced its 2026 Christmas dates. See what the Câmara confirmed, the 2025 pattern, rain plans, 24-25 Dec hours and day trips north. Canonical: https://unlockportugal.co/travel/christmas-in-porto/ Updated: 2026-11-03T00:00:00.000Z Language: en --- Porto’s city hall had not announced its 2026 Christmas dates as of 3 November 2026. In 2025 the tree and lights went on at Avenida dos Aliados on Saturday 29 November, and the Cordoaria market ran to 30 December. Expect a similar shape this year, but treat every 2026 date below as unconfirmed until the Câmara publishes it. Last checked: 3 November 2026. ## When do Porto’s Christmas lights go on in 2026? No date yet. What is confirmed is the money and the plan. The Câmara approved €765,000 in support for the Associação dos Comerciantes do Porto on 7 July 2026, plus a licence-fee exemption worth up to €150,000. The lights cover about 95 locations, and the usual tree goes up at Praça General Humberto Delgado, the square at the top of Avenida dos Aliados. The association says the 2026/27 concept will be renewed, with emotion as the theme ([Viva Porto, 8 July 2026](https://viva-porto.pt/ja-e-conhecido-o-investimento-que-o-porto-fara-em-luzes-de-natal-em-2026/)). Last year’s edition shows the likely shape: | | 2025 edition (official programme) | 2026 | | --- | --- | --- | | Tree and lights switch-on | Saturday 29 November 2025, 18:00 | Not announced as of 3 November 2026 | | Opening concert | Mariza with Orquestra Jovens do Porto, 18:30, free | Not announced | | Videomapping on the Câmara facade | 29 November 2025 | Not announced | | Lights on each evening | 17:30 to 23:00, until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays | Not announced | | Lights end | 6 January 2026 | Not announced | | Municipal programme | 29 November 2025 to 3 January 2026 | Not announced | Some guides give 1 December as the switch-on day. The Câmara’s own 2025 programme says 29 November ([agenda-porto.pt](https://www.agenda-porto.pt/page/natal-no-porto-2025/), [Viva Porto, 19 November 2025](https://viva-porto.pt/luzes-concertos-e-animacao-porto-apresenta-programa-completo-de-natal-entre-29-de-novembro-e-3-de-janeiro/)). The official date is usually published in November on [porto.pt](https://www.porto.pt/en) and [agenda-porto.pt](https://www.agenda-porto.pt/en/ciclo/programacao-de-natal-do-porto/). ## Where are Porto’s Christmas markets, and why do guides disagree? Guides disagree because the market has moved between years and the listings mix editions. The Câmara’s agenda page for 2024 gave 30 November to 23 December for the Cordoaria market. The 2025 programme extended it to 30 December. The regional tourism board’s guide lists markets at Praça da Batalha and the Cordoaria without giving a year ([Visit Porto and North](https://www.visitportoandnorth.travel/en/what-to-do/christmas-markets-and-lights-in-porto-and-north-of-portugal)). Only the Cordoaria appears in the Câmara’s 2024 and 2025 pages, so that is the one to plan around. The 2025 layout, from the Câmara’s programme: - **Mercado de Natal, Jardim de João Chagas (Cordoaria):** Monday to Thursday 11:00 to 20:00, Friday and holiday eves 11:00 to 21:00, Saturday 10:00 to 21:00, Sunday and holidays 10:00 to 20:00. Open until 30 December 2025. It also housed the Casa do Pai Natal and children’s workshops in the Tenda de Cristal. - **Largo do Amor de Perdição (next to the Cordoaria):** an ice rink, the Carrossel Parisiense and the Tenda de Natal with circus, dance, music and theatre. The rink and carousel followed the market’s hours and were closed on 24 and 25 December. - **Ice rink access:** free. Vouchers were collected at the information point on the day, two per person, in 30-minute sessions for 50 people at a time. The carousel was free for children aged 3 to 12. - **Avenida dos Aliados:** free concerts on 29 November and on 7, 14, 20 and 21 December 2025, all with Portuguese Sign Language interpretation. Nothing in the Câmara’s pages for 2026 names a market location yet. One third-party listing, updated on 21 July 2026, notes that Cordoaria hosted markets in recent editions but confirms none for 2026. Outside the centre, the same listing confirms a few 2026 dates: | Event | Place | Date | Status | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Mercado de Natal de Matosinhos | Jardim Basílio Teles, Matosinhos | 27 November 2026 | Start date listed, end date and hours not listed | | Mercadinho de Natal da Maia | Praça Doutor José Vieira de Carvalho, Maia | 27 November 2026 | Start date listed, end date and hours not listed | | Vinhos no Mercado (wine fair, not a Christmas market) | Hard Club, Porto | 28 and 29 November 2026 | Listed | Source for the table: [Agenda Cultural do Porto](https://agendaculturalporto.org/natal-no-porto-programacao/), an events listing rather than an official page, so confirm with the organisers. ## What can you do in Porto when it rains at Christmas? Plan around indoor venues and a few dated December events. These are the ones with something checkable: - **Palácio da Bolsa:** closed on 25 December. The Visit Porto and North booking page gives 24 December as last entry at 13:00 but does not say which year, so check the page before you go ([booking page](https://booking.visitportoandnorth.travel/en/experiences/palacio-da-bolsa/guided-tour-of-the-palacio-da-bolsa/)). A Candlelight concert of classic Christmas music is listed at the palace on 19 December 2026. - **Mercado do Bolhão:** the market’s site lists Monday to Friday 08:00 to 19:00 and Saturday 08:00 to 18:00, closed Sundays, with no Christmas notice yet. In 2022 it closed at 18:00 on Christmas Eve, which was a Saturday ([Mercado do Bolhão](https://mercadobolhao.pt/)). - **Casa da Música:** a Christmas cycle runs 12 to 22 December 2026, including Melodias Célebres on 12 December, the Glenn Miller Orchestra on 13 December and O Quebra-Nozes on 18 and 19 December. - **Teatro Sá da Bandeira:** “Estás Duende da Cabeça” runs 1 to 20 December, and the family musical O Tesouro do Natal runs 8 to 13 December. - **Museu do Carro Elétrico:** a Christmas Edition runs 18 to 20 December. The venue dates above come from the same third-party listing and give few times or prices, so confirm each with the venue. Disclosure: some links below are affiliate links. If you buy through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what we recommend. Affiliate link Prefer a guided visit or skip-the-line tickets? GetYourGuide lists tours, day trips and tickets with free cancellation on most bookings. [Browse tours on GetYourGuide](https://unlockportugal.co/go/gyg-porto/) ## What is open in Porto on 24 and 25 December? Christmas Eve 2026 is a Thursday and Christmas Day is a Friday and a public holiday. Nothing below is announced for 2026 unless the row says so, and 2025 is shown as the pattern. | What | 24 December | 25 December | Basis | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Metro do Porto | Last departures about 19:30 to 20:10 | Starts 08:30 (Póvoa de Varzim) and 09:00 elsewhere | 2025 timetable; the 2023 notice gave the same shape | | STCP buses | Saturday timetable until 18:30; tram ends 17:30 | Sunday and holiday timetable | 2025 | | Ice rink and carousel (Largo do Amor de Perdição) | Closed | Closed | 2025 Câmara programme | | Cordoaria market | Not stated | Not stated | 2025 pages give no hours for these days | | Palácio da Bolsa | Last entry 13:00 (year not given) | Closed | Visit Porto and North booking page | | Mercado do Bolhão | Not announced | Not announced | Normal weekday hours only | | Guimarães Christmas market | Not stated | Closed | 2026 notice from Guimarães city hall | Sources: [Time Out Portugal, 23 December 2025](https://www.timeout.pt/porto/pt/noticias/metro-do-porto-e-stcp-mudam-os-horarios-no-natal-saiba-com-o-que-contar-122325), [Metro do Porto, 18 December 2023](https://www.metrodoporto.pt/pages/771?news_id=496). Whether the lights stay on through both evenings is not stated in the 2025 pages. For what closes across the country and how the Consoada dinner works, see our [Christmas in Portugal guide](https://unlockportugal.co/daily-life/christmas-in-portugal/). For getting around without a car, see the [public transport guide](https://unlockportugal.co/daily-life/public-transport-portugal-guide/). ## Which day trips from Porto work best in December? Braga, Guimarães and Vigo each run their own Christmas programme, and all three lights dates are still open. Regional trains from Porto reach Braga in roughly an hour and Guimarães in roughly an hour and a quarter, both hourly according to the Rome2Rio route pages, so confirm times on cp.pt ([Braga](https://www.rome2rio.com/s/S%C3%A3o-Bento-Station/Braga), [Guimarães](https://www.rome2rio.com/s/S%C3%A3o-Bento-Station/Guimar%C3%A3es)). | Trip | Confirmed for 2026 | Not announced as of 3 November 2026 | | --- | --- | --- | | Braga | “Braga é Natal” market on Avenida Central, 1 December 2026 to 6 January 2027, 50 stands, run by the municipality | Lights switch-on date and opening hours | | Guimarães | “Guimarães, Cidade Natal” from 1 December to 3 January, with the market in the Jardim da Alameda de São Dâmaso, closed 25 December and 1 January | Lights, rides and opening hours | | Vigo, Spain | Installation of the city’s lights began 29 July 2026: 500 streets and 12 million LEDs | Switch-on date, which the mayor called the best-kept secret | Braga’s dates come from [O Vilaverdense, 7 October 2026](https://ovilaverdense.pt/braga-transforma-avenida-central-em-mercado-de-natal-em-dezembro/). A Visit Braga page lists a lights ceremony on 1 December at 17:30 on Avenida Central but shows no year, so it is not counted as confirmed ([Visit Braga](https://visitbraga.travel/en/event/662--inauguracao-das-luzes-de-natal/)). Guimarães published its dates on [the city hall site on 22 September 2026](https://www.cm-guimaraes.pt/areas-de-intervencao/noticia/guimaraes-cidade-natal-abre-inscricoes-para-o-mercado-de-natal), and the page gives no year for 3 January, so 2027 is inferred. The ice rink, Ferris wheel and carousel that regional guides list for Guimarães come from the 2025 edition. Vigo is the one to plan carefully, since the drive from Porto is around 1 hr 45 min and Spain is an hour ahead of Portugal. Our [Vigo Christmas lights guide](https://unlockportugal.co/travel/vigo-christmas-lights-from-porto/) covers the trip, and the [Galicia day trips guide](https://unlockportugal.co/travel/galicia-day-trips-from-portugal/) covers the border, tolls and the train. Braga and Guimarães fit together in one long day, as laid out in the [north Portugal road trip](https://unlockportugal.co/travel/north-portugal-road-trip/). ## How should you plan around dates that are not out yet? Book the things that do not depend on the lights, and keep the rest flexible. 1. Pick your nights in Porto without tying them to the switch-on. The lights are likely to be on from late November to early January, but that is an estimate from 2025. 2. Check [agenda-porto.pt](https://www.agenda-porto.pt/en/ciclo/programacao-de-natal-do-porto/) and [porto.pt](https://www.porto.pt/en) in mid-November, when the programme is normally published. 3. Treat 25 December as a short day: Metro starts late, the Palácio da Bolsa is closed and rink access is shut in the 2025 pattern. 4. Leave one dry-weather day for Braga or Guimarães, and book Vigo only after its lights date is out. For the wider picture, the [Christmas markets in Portugal guide](https://unlockportugal.co/travel/christmas-markets-portugal/) compares cities, and [Christmas in Lisbon](https://unlockportugal.co/travel/christmas-in-lisbon/) covers the capital’s programme. The [Portugal in December guide](https://unlockportugal.co/travel/portugal-in-december/) has weather and costs for the month. ## Quick facts 2026 switch-on Not announced as of 3 November 2026 2025 switch-on Saturday 29 November 2025, 18:00, Praça General Humberto Delgado 2025 lights ran until 6 January 2026, daily 17:30 to 23:00 Cordoaria market 2025 Open until 30 December 2025, free entry Christmas Day 2026 Friday 25 December, with Christmas Eve on Thursday 24 Braga and Guimarães markets Both announced from 1 December 2026 ## Frequently asked questions When do Porto's Christmas lights switch on in 2026? As of 3 November 2026 the Câmara Municipal do Porto had not published a date. In 2025 the tree and lights went on at 18:00 on Saturday 29 November at Praça General Humberto Delgado. The Câmara approved funding for about 95 decorated sites in July 2026, so a late-November start is likely, but it is not confirmed. Where is the Christmas market in Porto? In the 2025 edition the Câmara's programme put the Mercado de Natal in the Jardim de João Chagas, known as the Cordoaria, with the ice rink and Parisian carousel at Largo do Amor de Perdição next to it. Some regional guides also list Praça da Batalha. No 2026 location has been published yet. Is Porto's Christmas market open on 24 and 25 December? Not announced for 2026. In 2025 the Câmara listed the ice rink and carousel as closed on 24 and 25 December and gave no hours for the market itself on those days. Plan for the Cordoaria to be closed or shortened, and check agenda-porto.pt once the programme is out. Is the Porto Christmas ice rink free? In 2025 it was free. Visitors collected a voucher at the information point on the day, with a limit of two per person, sessions of 30 minutes and 50 people at a time. Access rules for 2026 have not been announced. Does the Porto Metro run on Christmas Day? Yes, with a later start. In 2025 service began at 08:30 in Póvoa de Varzim and 09:00 on the rest of the network, and it ended around 20:00 on 24 December. The 2026 timetable is not published yet, so check Metro do Porto in the week before. Can I do Braga or Guimarães for Christmas lights as a day trip from Porto? Yes. Both are roughly an hour from Porto by regional train and both have markets announced from 1 December 2026. Their lighting dates are not announced. Guimarães closes its market on 25 December and 1 January, and Braga's Christmas Day hours are not published. ## Sources This guide cites the following official sources. We link directly so you can verify every claim yourself. - [Viva Porto](https://viva-porto.pt/ja-e-conhecido-o-investimento-que-o-porto-fara-em-luzes-de-natal-em-2026/)viva-porto.pt - [Viva Porto](https://viva-porto.pt/luzes-concertos-e-animacao-porto-apresenta-programa-completo-de-natal-entre-29-de-novembro-e-3-de-janeiro/)viva-porto.pt - [Agenda Porto](https://www.agenda-porto.pt/page/natal-no-porto-2025/)agenda-porto.pt - [Agenda Porto](https://www.agenda-porto.pt/en/evento/mercado-de-natal-do-porto-cordoaria/)agenda-porto.pt - [Agenda Porto](https://www.agenda-porto.pt/en/ciclo/programacao-de-natal-do-porto/)agenda-porto.pt - [Agendaculturalporto](https://agendaculturalporto.org/natal-no-porto-programacao/)agendaculturalporto.org - [Timeout](https://www.timeout.pt/porto/pt/noticias/metro-do-porto-e-stcp-mudam-os-horarios-no-natal-saiba-com-o-que-contar-122325)timeout.pt - [Metro do Porto](https://www.metrodoporto.pt/pages/771?news_id=496)metrodoporto.pt - [Booking](https://booking.visitportoandnorth.travel/en/experiences/palacio-da-bolsa/guided-tour-of-the-palacio-da-bolsa/)booking.visitportoandnorth.travel - [Visit Porto & North](https://www.visitportoandnorth.travel/en/what-to-do/christmas-markets-and-lights-in-porto-and-north-of-portugal)visitportoandnorth.travel - [Mercadobolhao](https://mercadobolhao.pt/)mercadobolhao.pt - [Mercadobolhao](https://mercadobolhao.pt/noticias/2022/12/22/a-24-de-dezembro-encerramos-as-18-horas/)mercadobolhao.pt - [CM Guimaraes](https://www.cm-guimaraes.pt/areas-de-intervencao/noticia/guimaraes-cidade-natal-abre-inscricoes-para-o-mercado-de-natal)cm-guimaraes.pt - [Ovilaverdense](https://ovilaverdense.pt/braga-transforma-avenida-central-em-mercado-de-natal-em-dezembro/)ovilaverdense.pt - [Visitbraga](https://visitbraga.travel/en/event/662--inauguracao-das-luzes-de-natal/)visitbraga.travel - [Eldebate](https://www.eldebate.com/espana/galicia/20260729/abel-caballero-comienza-montaje-luces-navidad-plena-ola-calor_444868.html)eldebate.com - [Rome2rio](https://www.rome2rio.com/s/S%C3%A3o-Bento-Station/Braga)rome2rio.com - [Rome2rio](https://www.rome2rio.com/s/S%C3%A3o-Bento-Station/Guimar%C3%A3es)rome2rio.com Some links on this page are affiliate links. 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[How we research and update our guides](https://unlockportugal.co/editorial-policy/) ![Photo of Larissa Miranda](https://unlockportugal.co/_astro/larissa-miranda.C89EgK8m_ZIuImL.webp) Written by [Larissa Miranda](https://unlockportugal.co/author/larissa-miranda/) Writer & editor Larissa Miranda is a writer and editor at Unlock Portugal. ## Related guides [ ![Lit-up red entrance gate of Wonderland Lisboa at night with a crowd walking into the Christmas fair in Parque Eduardo VII](https://unlockportugal.co/_astro/hero.CpP7nIGu_ZQuz8L.webp) Travel ### Christmas in Lisbon 2026: Wonderland, Rossio and Lights ](https://unlockportugal.co/travel/christmas-in-lisbon/)[ ![Strings of warm white Christmas lights hung across a street in Braga, northern Portugal, at night](https://unlockportugal.co/_astro/hero.B6PuD9lI_Zx362a.webp) Travel ### Christmas Markets in Portugal 2026: Dates, Cities, Prices ](https://unlockportugal.co/travel/christmas-markets-portugal/)[ ![The walled town of Óbidos and its castle on the hill, seen across white houses and tiled roofs in December](https://unlockportugal.co/_astro/hero.BWT6WN-I_Z1yMlJl.webp) Travel ### Óbidos Vila Natal 2026: Dates, Tickets, Is It Worth It? ](https://unlockportugal.co/travel/obidos-vila-natal/)