Santo António in Lisbon: Sardines, Manjericos and a Wedding or Two

Lisbon spends June in a good mood. The garlands go up over the narrow streets at the start of the month, the charcoal grills come out of storage, and by the second week the whole city smells faintly of sardine and basil. The official reason is Santo António, the city's favourite saint, born here in 1195 and credited, among other things, with finding husbands for the unmarried. The real reason is that after a long spring everyone is ready to be outside until very late.

The centrepiece is the night of 12 June, when the Marchas Populares take over Avenida da Liberdade. Each historic neighbourhood, Alfama, Mouraria, Bica, Madragoa and the rest, fields a group with matching costumes, a choreographed routine and an original song, all competing for a trophy that matters far more than you would expect. It has been running since 1932. Watching from the pavement is free, the atmosphere is somewhere between football match and family reunion, and the commentary from the grandmothers around you is half the show.

When the parade ends, the city disperses uphill into the arraiais, the neighbourhood street parties. Alfama is the famous one, its lanes so full you move with the crowd rather than through it, but Mouraria and Graça are just as good and a degree calmer. The menu is identical everywhere and needs no translation: sardines on bread, caldo verde, bifanas, sagres or vinho verde, and a slice of watermelon if you are being virtuous.

Two small traditions are worth knowing. The first is the manjerico, a little pot of bush basil sold everywhere in June, with a paper carnation and a rhyming love flag stuck in it. You give one to someone you like. The correct way to smell it, and Lisboetas will correct you on this, is to touch the leaves gently and smell your fingers. The second is the Casamentos de Santo António, where the city pays for a dozen couples to marry together in the cathedral on 12 June, a tradition running since 1958. The brides come out into the street afterwards and the whole crowd applauds. It is very hard not to.

Practical notes. June accommodation in Lisbon books out fast, so plan early. On the 12th, the centre is pedestrian and the metro runs late. And do not try to do everything; pick one parade spot and one neighbourhood party, and let the rest of the night happen to you.