Fantasporto, an international festival of fantasy and new cinema, takes place annually in late February/early March (www.fantasporto.com). The night of 24 June sees what is possibly Portugal’s biggest street party, in honour of Oporto’s patron, São João. Locals bop strangers over the head with inflatable hammers or shove giant leeks up their noses, before dancing to live music in squares around the city. A few days before Christmas, thousands stage a parade to break the world record for the number of people dressed as Santa Claus; the city last did so in 2004.

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