Portugal has a busy calendar of fairs, both trade and professional shows, useful if you want to do business or get to know a sector, and traditional and popular fairs, which are also a festive occasion. The three main exhibition centres are Lisbon's FIL, Porto's Exponor and ExpoSalão in Batalha, in the Leiria region. Calendars change every year and some events are biennial, so the dates below are indicative and should always be checked on the organisers' websites.
Lisbon: the FIL
The FIL, Feira Internacional de Lisboa, is in Parque das Nações, the Expo 98 area, near Oriente station and the airport. Among the most important fairs:
| Indicative period | Fair | Sector |
|---|---|---|
| February-March | BTL, Bolsa de Turismo de Lisboa | Tourism and travel, the country's biggest |
| February-March | Nauticampo | Leisure boating, camping, caravans and outdoor sports |
| March | Futurália | Education, training and jobs for young people |
| April | Motorclássico | Classic cars and motorcycles |
| May | Tektónica | Construction, materials and public works |
| May | ARCOlisboa | Contemporary art (at the Cordoaria Nacional) |
| June-July | FIA Lisboa | International crafts, with exhibitors from dozens of countries |
| autumn | Intercasa | Furniture, decoration and lighting |
| autumn | SIL, Salão Imobiliário de Portugal | Property |
| November | Lisboa Games Week | Video games and digital entertainment |
| November | Web Summit | Technology and start-ups, one of the world's largest events |
During the year the FIL also hosts fairs devoted to weddings, food and catering, pets, used vehicles and health, plus many conferences.
Porto: Exponor
Exponor, at Leça da Palmeira in the municipality of Matosinhos, is the main exhibition centre in the north. It hosts, among others, furniture and home fairs, a sector in which northern Portugal is very strong, construction, such as the biennial Concreta, cosmetics and beauty, such as Expocosmética, education, health, motoring and weddings, as well as dog shows and leisure exhibitions.
Batalha and the centre
ExpoSalão in Batalha, near Leiria, organises trade fairs linked to the region's industries: natural stone, construction, furniture and kitchens, decoration, machinery, transport and motoring, as well as pet shows. Central Portugal also hosts Expofacic in Cantanhede, in late July, one of the country's biggest fair-festivals, with farming, industry, food and concerts.
Agricultural fairs
Rural Portugal has big agricultural fairs: the Feira Nacional de Agricultura in Santarém, in June, is the most important, with livestock, machinery, local produce and equestrian shows; Ovibeja, in Beja, in spring, is the Alentejo's great fair; and Agroglobal, in the Ribatejo, is devoted to professional farming.
Traditional fairs
Alongside trade shows, ancient popular fairs survive, combining market, food, funfairs and concerts:
- the Feira de São Mateus in Viseu, in August and September, one of the oldest in the Iberian Peninsula, dating from the Middle Ages;
- the Feira Nacional do Cavalo in Golegã, in the Ribatejo, in November around Saint Martin's Day, the celebration of the Lusitano horse, with thousands of horses and riders;
- the Feira de Santiago in Setúbal, in July and August;
- the Feira de Março in Aveiro, in spring;
- the big weekly fair in Barcelos, every Thursday, famous for pottery and crafts.
Many of these fairs are also described on the pages on traditions and Portuguese crafts. Addresses: fil.pt, exponor.pt and exposalao.pt.