Festivals for students in Portugal

There can be little denying the fact that students love music festivals, and rightly so. After a gruelling academic year, what better way is there to unwind and let off some steam with your friends than watching some of the best bands and DJs in the world, whilst enjoying a cold beer?

With this in mind, we, the Collegiate PT team have come up with the very best music festivals Portugal has to offer for your perusal. If you’re on the hunt for the best of the best when it comes to the Portugal festival scene, this should be a very good start and many of these events are on every single summer, so if you have missed the boat for 2018, fear not.

NOS primavera sound

If you have ever been to this festivals counterpart in Barcelona, then you will know just how awesome this event is. Primavera seems to get better and better every year, with stellar line-ups and more and more stages popping up all the time; Portugal’s iteration of the festival is not dissimilar.

This year’s NOS Primavera Sound featured the likes of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Four Tet and Jamie XX and given the festival’s stunning Porto backdrop, it isn’t difficult to see why this is a favourite on the Portugal festival scene. You can see videos and find out more about the 2019 festival at the gofest website, but if you are looking for an event with a world class line-up and set in a quintessential Portuguese location, Primavera Sound should be near the top of your list.

NOS alive

This is considered to be the ultimate Lisbon festival as it takes place at Passeio Marítimo de Algés, just 15 minutes from the beach and 10 minutes from the city centre. The line-up for 2018 was incredible, featuring the likes of Arctic Monkeys, Queens of the Stone Age and The National, to name but a few and the rumours at that 2019’s event is going to raise the bar even further. You can find out more about this great music festival at their dedicated site, including when you can get early bird tickets for next years NOS Alive.

Rock in Rio Lisboa

Although this festival only takes place every other year, it is still a firm favourite. Many believe it is worth the wait as so much time and effort is put into creating a quite unique party atmosphere and it is of course the European version of one of the most famous events in the world. As the title suggests, this festival takes place in Lisbon and this year’s headliners included Bruno Mars, Katy Perry, The Killers and Muse, catering for all manner of pop music taste.

You can learn more about plans for 2020’s Rock in Lisboa festival here.

Super Bock Super Rock

This is another Lisbon music festival that is growing in stature all the time and is put on in collaboration with one of the nation’s favourite beers, Super Bock. The XX and Justice both played at 2018’s event and the reviews were superb, emphasising how much this festival is growing into one of the best Portugal has to offer.

The event takes place at Nations’ Park in the capital and you can watch some highlights and find out more about booking next year’s Super Rock festival at superbocksuperrock.pt.

Vodafone paredes de coura, Taboão river

Our final recommendation is somewhat of a hidden gem, as it has been voted as one of the best music festivals by the likes of Rolling Stone magazine but remains under the radar. This adds to the event’s charm as it has one of the finest settings you are likely to find anywhere in Europe; Taboão River beach and features artists of the ilk of Jungle, Arcade Fire, Fleet Foxes and even grime royalty, Skepta.

As with most summer music festivals, you are probably a little late for the 2018 event as it takes place between 15th and 18th of August but this is another that seems to get better and better every year so be sure to check out the website and register your interest for 2019.

These are the Collegiate PT top picks when it comes to music festivals for students in Portugal, but there are more and more popping up all the time in cities such as Porto and Lisbon, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled and get your tickets in good time for the 2019 festival season. In the meantime, why not check out some of the luxury student accommodation we have available in Portugal, as we still have spaces available for the 2018/19 academic year!