Enjoying a holiday at sea is a great way to make the occasion even more special.. SHOP CRUISES > SUMMER CRUISE DEALS. The tradition originally began in Italy, where people dressed in outrageous costumes on the day before Lent began.During Lent, Catholics abstain from meat, so the festival was named “The festival since spread to Spain, France, the States, and most other countries in Europe. When there is a reason to party in Portugal, you do it (just like the locals would)!Carnival is a fun event for the Portuguese as well as tourists, in any region of the country. There are free events across the city, but the highlight is, of course, the Carnival Parade on Shrove Tuesday (March 5th).The parade features dazzling costumes, live music bands and floats and it usually takes over Avenida da Liberdade, right in the city centre.If you thought Bairro Alto was alive on a Friday night, wait until you see Lisbon during Carnival.If you’re planning to go to Lisbon take a look at our guide to If you’re in Portugal around this time, make sure you take some time to check out all of the Funchal in Madeira receives thousands of visitors every year for the Portugal Carnival.The picturesque island hosts Carnival each year, where people come to eat grilled swordfish, drink the island’s distinct Madeira wine, alongside five consecutive days of singing and dancing.The scenery here is beautiful and paired with the festival, the atmosphere in Funchal is unbeatable.Every year, thousands of travellers travel to the capital of Madeira to join the locals and take part in the celebrations.Torres Vedras is probably the most typical region to celebrate Carnival, with strong traditional components involved.You might expect to see allegorical floats, masked revellers, and traditional drums and bagpipes.The Algarve region can also be a magical place to celebrate the festival by the ocean. APPLY NOW > HOLIDAY CRUISES. Carne vale literally means ‘put away the meat’, a sentiment which plugs in neatly to the zeitgeist of 2020. Although there a many carnival events throughout Lisbon, particularly the carnival parade on the Avenue da Liberdade in the city centre, the big carnival activity is to be found elsewhere. You’ve probably heard of the famous Brazilian Carnival, celebrated in Rio, which is the most famous festival in South America, and maybe even the world.But did you know that Carnival was actually brought to Brazil by the Portuguese?Stick around, I’m about to tell you how you can also join one of the most anticipated, crazy and fun parties you’ll ever have the chance to go to in Portugal.You might be surprised to learn that while it is best known in Brazil, Carnival was brought to Brazil from Portugal hundreds of years ago.The Portuguese Carnival is an annual event full of fun, music, dance, costumes, beer, and The event begins in February and is basically another reason for the Portuguese to go out.The streets become alive with an abundance of parades, floats, and street parties while festival-goers bring in energy full of high spirits.It is a vibrant and exciting display of colours, with many people dressing up in costumes.Street vendors accommodate hungry festival-goers, awards are given out for best-dressed, crowns are given to the kings and queens of the different parades, people hit the bars and streets for five days (or more!) January 1: New Year's Day (closures) January 6: Epiphany (Dia de Reis; bands of carolers go from house to house) February–March: Carnival (a.k.a.