Each week, I’ll bring you a few things worth doing, a useful expat tip, someone from the community to meet and a Portuguese word – all without having to search yourself.
01 – WHAT’S ON
🏄 Norte Surf Fest – free
📍1 – 6 September • Praia de Leça da Palmeira
The Xacobeo Norte Surf Fest 2026 will host a WSL Qualifying Series International 6000 event, one of the most important tiers of the World Surf League’s international qualifying circuit.
📖 Porto Book Fair 2026 – free
📍21 August – 6 September • Jardins do Palácio de Cristal
Come to Jardins do Palácio de Cristal to celebrate the written word.
💕 Bored of Dating Apps Porto
📍Thursday, 3 September • 19:00 • FUNQ Natural Wine Bar
After hosting sold-out events across London, New York, Los Angeles, Toronto and beyond, BODA is finally coming to Porto.
🎵 Opera Concert in Aliados – free
📍Saturday, 5 September • 22:00 • Avenida dos Aliados
The Porto Symphony Orchestra brings opera to the heart of the city with a free open-air concert. Expect a magical evening featuring famous highlights from Carmen, The Barber of Seville, Don Pasquale and more.
🇧🇷 Brazil Day in Porto – free
📍Sunday, 6 September • 12:00 – 21:30 • Parque da Cidade
Celebrate Brazilian culture at Brazil Day with live music, traditional food, crafts and plenty of family activities. With free entry and a full day of samba, forró and Brazilian flavours, it’s one of the city’s most vibrant multicultural events.
🍸 Rooftop sessions – Casa da Música – free
📍every Sunday • 18:00 – 22:00 • Casa da Música
Get into the rhythm of the Rooftop Sessions on the rooftop of Casa da Música.
02 – TIP OF THE WEEK
White Night in Braga
Looking for an unforgettable weekend trip from Porto? Head to Braga’s White Night (Noite Branca) between 4–6 September, when the city transforms into a giant open-air festival filled with free live music, art installations, performances, exhibitions and street entertainment across its historic centre. Visitors are encouraged to wear white.
👉 READ THE FULL BRAGA GUIDE ON PORTOEXPATS.PT
03 – MEET THE COMMUNITY
Catherine Kachvartanian
Catherine was born in São Paulo – Brazil 🇧🇷 and has been living in Porto for 3.8 years. She is a content creator and influencer who shares inspiring content about Porto on her IG and YouTube. I asked her a few questions to help us get to know her better:
What brought you here: I was living in Armenia for 4 years, me and my husband decided we wanted to move to another country and we chose Portugal because his grandfather was Portuguese – we came to Porto because it was not as expensive as Lisbon and looked nice! hahaha
Your Porto favorite: I love Jardins do Palácio de Cristal
Your best expat tip: If you want to meet people, you have to actually go out and MEET PEOPLE hahahaha 🙂 find book clubs, workshops, activities you like and start from there.
What do you wish you knew before coming to Porto? You’ll feel colder in winter here then you were in Armenia with -15 degrees Celsius.
04 – TRY THIS
Roast Chicken
Frango no churrasco (Portuguese charcoal-roast chicken) is one of Porto’s ultimate comfort foods. From family-run neighborhood spots to busy local favorites, you’ll find juicy grilled chicken served with crispy fries, rice, and a fresh salad all across the city.
👉 READ THE FULL GUIDE ON PORTOEXPATS.PT
05 – PORTUGUESE WORD
🇵🇹 FRANGO
🇬🇧 CHICKEN
Enjoyed this week’s guide? Leave a ❤️ below!
