lisbonblog

The thriving fishing port of Setúbal south of Lisbon bursts into life Saturday 23 September as the annual Sado Festival gets underway.The lively five-day event includes a food fair with no less than 29 participating restaurants, featuring baked fish and various other regional specialities.The festival also comprises exhibitions of fine arts, a cocktail-making competition, fireworks, fashion show, mountain bike racing and a series of nautical events.Set right on the estuary of the River Sado (hence the festival’s name), Setúbal is reachable by train from the capital in less than an hour.It became one of the country’s most important commercial and industrial centres in the 19th century and was elevated to city status in 1860.