Farturas and food
The classic stop for hot farturas with sugar and cinnamon, fried eels, suckling pig sandwiches and Dão wine from the stalls.
Feira de São Mateus
The fair runs between August and September. See how to get to the grounds.
- tradition
- since 1392
- edition
- 634.ª
- when
- August and September
Four essential traditions
See what you can eat, buy and do at the fair.
Ferris wheel and rides
The view over the Campo de Viriato and the lit-up city from the Ferris wheel, plus carousels and rides for every age.
Big concerts
The main stage hosts Portuguese and international music, with nights of fado, pop, rock and folk music. Check the line-up to choose your day.
Crafts and business
The centuries-old free-fair tradition, with hundreds of artisans, earthenware, farm tools, regional produce and businesses from across the country.
The free fair, from 1392 to 2027
Established by royal charter from King João I, the fair has crossed the centuries as Viseu's great summer festival.
634th edition (2026)
The Campo de Viriato in full swing
The guardian of Portugal's popular fairs filled the city for 31 days with shows, rides and the traditional food stalls.
Discover Viseu the rest of the year635th edition (2027)
Between August and September
The dates and programme for 2027 depend on the organiser's announcement. Follow updates on the official website, feirasaomateus.pt.
Keep an eye on the next editionThe big nights of 2026
Fifteen concerts that defined the main stage at .
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Fingertips (opening night)
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Fernando Daniel
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Maiara & Maraisa
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Némanus
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MC Paiva
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Plutonio
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Calema
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Wet Bed Gang
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Os Quatro e Meia
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Vizinhos
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Bárbara Bandeira
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Resistência
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Átoa
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Sara Correia
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Deejay Telio
Line-up based on the published 2026 programme. The next edition will be confirmed at feirasaomateus.pt.
How to plan your visit
Plan your accommodation, evening clothing and route to the fair.
Book accommodation early
In August and September, demand for hotels and guesthouses in Viseu peaks. Book your stay weeks in advance.
Guide to staying in ViseuSomething warm for the evening
On the Beira plateau, late-summer nights can turn cold quickly. Bring a light jacket for the concerts.
Walking access and MUV buses
On foot, walking down from the Rossio or Cathedral to the Cava takes 10 to 15 minutes. By bus, MUV City Circuits C1 and C2 stop right at the "Feira de S. Mateus" stop.
Six centuries of fair
From a royal charter of 1392 to the August and September festival on the Campo de Viriato.
The fair was born of a fair charter granted to Viseu by King João I on 10 January 1392, in the aftermath of the Castilian raids that had left the city all but destroyed. It was a free fair: those who sold there were exempt from tolls and other duties. It is now held to be the oldest in the Iberian Peninsula.
It was first held in May, lasted a month and took place on the Cava de Viriato. Only later did it move to September, around Saint Matthew's day - 21 September, still Viseu's municipal holiday. In the early twentieth century it nearly died out; the 1927 reform, led by Francisco Almeida Moreira, turned it into the fair-festival still recognisable today.
- 1392 Fair charter of King João I, on 10 January: the free fair of Viseu is born.
- 15th c. Held on the Cava de Viriato and, later, beside the cathedral as well.
- 16th c. At an uncertain date, it moves from May to September, around Saint Matthew's day.
- c. 1914 Reduced to little more than one street, it gains a bandstand and the first farturas stall.
- 1927 The council reforms it with Almeida Moreira: it becomes an exhibition fair and a fair-festival.
- Today Between August and September, on the Campo de Viriato, across some ten hectares.
The fair's official site does not publish its history. This timeline was cross-checked against these sources:
- Viseu District Archive - the fair charter of 10 January 1392 and the old free fair.
- Viseu: o Fio da História - Viseu City Council and the City History Museum, 2017: the grant by King João I, the Cava de Viriato and the Almeida Moreira reform.
- Feira de São Mateus, on Wikipedia - the changes of date across the centuries, with the sources cited there.
- Público - the near extinction in the early twentieth century and the 1927 reform.
- 24 Notícias - the fair-festival and the ten hectares of the Campo de Viriato.
- feirasaomateus.pt - official site: dates and the numbering of editions.
While you are in town
Five guides for the rest of the visit.
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