Gaia - 23 June 2023 - Festival of St John of Porto

Our first evening on the river cruise itself was surprisingly eventful. We had coincidentally arrived in Porto for the Festival of St John of Porto, always a huge event but made especially more so as the last couple of year's it had been cancelled due to covid. Everyone was in the city from far and wide! Families come from all over Portugal to spend time with their family in Porto and many other Portuguese nationals come in from across Europe.

When we arrived in Gaia, which is on the opposite bank of the Douro to Porto and about as far away as the other side of the Thames, there were already a large number of small boats on the water anchored midstream and being corralled by police boats. They obviously didn't want them to get too close to the bridge as there was to be a huge firework display at midnight from the bridge. 

As we emerged onto the top deck after dinner it was a beautiful sight. It was dark and still very pleasantly warm, lots of us standing getting to know our fellow cruisers. We were moored alongside and there were lots of bars and restaurants buzzing with people and many families, even with tiny children and babies, chattering and laughing as they strolled down the esplanade. A real jolly atmosphere, made even more so by people seen walking over the bridge, people on the opposite bank in Porto in bars and restaurants and sitting drinking and chatting by the water. Lights on buildings everywhere, bells ringing and a cacophony of excitement pervaded.

The Festival of St John has its own unique custom as well, something we had been warned about if we decided to go off the boat and join in with the crowds. They hit each other over the head with plastic hammers, no one seemed to know why or how it started but that's what they did as a 'fun' thing to do. It wasn't upsetting to anyone, only if nobody did it to you and therefore you were excluded from the 'fun'. Hilarious to see and quite a giggle. 

There were also a huge number of Chinese Lanterns being set off and floating across the sky, beautiful to see no matter what your thoughts are on these. The glow of hundreds of these lights travelling across the night sky on a warm evening was incredible. There were also drones dashing here there and everywhere. Not sure if they were police and looking for any trouble or if they were news drones for reporting but we certainly didn't see any poor behaviour at any time.

At midnight the noise all around rose in intensity from boats packed shore to shore all along behind us, we were the furthest forward but moored to the side. There was noise from the banks of the very many thousands of people surrounding the area. The cities of Porto and Gaia form a natural ampitheatre as the bank bubbles out to the sides of the Douro forming an onion shape. This was jammed with people all around and yes, the babies and kiddies were still there to see it all as the firework display started. No let up from this. The fireworks must have cost an absolute fortunate. Many many fireworks going all the time for 20 minutes. There was no space whilst the next display was lit, they were coming from the bridge, from specially moored boats under the bridge and from beyond.  I took videos but they are very large files so difficult to easily share.

After the fireworks we wandered off to bed, thinking we were probably going to be kept awake for many an hour. How wrong we were, straight to sleep after an eventful day and actually remarkably quiet from our riverside cabin. What a day!