Colors of Cascais - traditions, festivals, mentality and lifestyle

Locals are very proud of their history and culture. Travelers, who want to understand indigenous people better, are recommended to learn some rules of etiquette. First of all, never question or criticize the historical merits of local population. Any criticism can be the reason for a strong offense. History is one of the topics that are not recommended for a conversation. Another taboo subject for an open discussion is family and parenting. As a rule, all other themes are proper, and indigenous people will be glad to talk about them with new acquaintances. They have great respect for foreigners who are interested in their local traditions and customs, as well for people who try to learn Portuguese.

Foreign travelers may somehow feel that local residents resemble the Spaniards. Indeed, the culture and traditions of these neighboring countries are very similar. However, the people of Cascais do not fell this way. Any comparison with the Spaniards is nothing but an insult for them. Therefore, make sure you avoid any comments on this subject. Many local customs may seem rather peculiar to foreigners. For example, it is prohibited to stretch and yawn in public places. Such a behavior is considered the main sign of bad manners. In general, there are no special rules of behavior in society here. Local people have already become accustomed to numerous visitors, and so they have quite a patient approach to foreigners and foreign cultures.

Every year Cascais becomes the location of Festas De Mare (the Sea Festival). The colorful national holiday traditionally attracts a lot of tourists from different countries. Fishing is one of the oldest national crafts, and so local fishermen never get tired of showing their talents and skills to an enthusiastic audience. Modern Festas De Mare is very different from the holiday, which was celebrated a few decades ago. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Nowadays the festival is accompanied by parades, costume processions, theatrical and musical performances. Vacationers are welcome to participate in interesting contests, but tasting of festive dishes remains the most long-awaited and popular activity. The chefs of open-air cafes prepare truly incredible seafood dishes. The festival is a great time to take a few lessons from experienced chefs and attend their master classes. Several centuries ago Cascais was a modest fishing village, but today it is a modern city with amazing cultural life.

The main musical event in the Portuguese city is EDP Cool Jazz, which starts in mid-July and lasts until the end of the month. There are two venues: Hipódromo Manuel Possolo and Parque Marechal Carmona. Although the festival is mainly dedicated to jazz, here you can also listen to funk, soul, rock. High-quality music, hot summer, famous headliners, a warm atmosphere reigning at the festival (it must be said that thanks to it spectators learn to understand musicians better) - these are some reasons why many tourists prefer to travel to Cascais at the time of this event. And, of course, they come for excellent local cuisine, which you can try here.

Parque Marechal Carmona serves as the venue for another music festival - namely, Cascais Groove. It is held at the end of June and is dedicated to music in all its diversity - here you can enjoy great concerts by performers playing in all possible genres. Visitors are entertained by both local performers and guests from foreign countries. The fest is divided into two parts: daytime - with a variety of activities for the whole family, a gastronomic program, and nighttime - at night, tourists will be able to have a lot of fun, dancing until dawn.

Lumina is another fantastic festival taking place in the coastal town of Cascais. This is a great opportunity to see the city in all its bright colors. It becomes possible thanks to magnificent art installations, interactive lights, illumination, bringing a feeling of something unreal. It seems as if this is actually a beautiful dream. But no - this is our reality, just looking a bit like a sweet dream. It can be visited at the end of September, the venue is the central streets of the Old Town.

Cascais also hosts sports festivals like Billadong Pro, which is held in early October and is dedicated to surfing. During the event, the best surfers gather on the city beaches to compete for the title of the best. A beautiful colorful carnival is held in Cascais on the occasion of Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday). Starting in mid or late February and lasting until the beginning or mid-March (dates depend on the beginning of the Easter celebration), the festival gathers hundreds of tourists wishing to watch spectacular costumed parades, taste unique delicacies, enjoy salutes, games, contests, music concerts and just have a good time.