Autumn 2026 in Portugal: what is actually on

Autumn is the best-kept secret of the Portuguese calendar. The heat breaks, the crowds thin, and the cultural season starts in earnest. Here is what is on.

September

MOTELX, Lisbon's international horror film festival, runs 3–13 September. Iminente, the street-art and music festival, takes over its site 17–20 September. Queer Lisboa runs 18–26 September. In Cascais, Chefs on Fire cooks over open flame on 19–20 September.

October

The EDP Lisbon Marathon runs along the Tagus on 10–11 October. doclisboa, the documentary festival, runs 15–25 October, and ModaLisboa brings the fashion season to the city during the month.

Outside the capital, two events overlap at the end of the month. In Peniche, the World Surf League holds a Championship Tour stop from 22 October to 1 November — the penultimate stage of the season, and the one where the wave usually decides the title race. In Santarém, the Festival Nacional de Gastronomia runs over the same dates, in its 45th edition.

November

Lisbon Art Weekend opens the galleries 5–8 November. LEFFEST runs 6–15 November. The Porto Marathon is on 8 November, and the Web Summit fills the Altice Arena and FIL from 9 to 12 November — the week when Lisbon hotel prices peak, so book early or avoid it deliberately. Alkantara runs 13–29 November and Lisboa Games Week 19–22 November.

Before you book

Dates come from organisers and press announcements and do occasionally shift. Confirm on the event's own site before buying flights, and remember that Web Summit week distorts accommodation prices across the whole metropolitan area.

Written 10 September 2026.