The best things to do in Cascais in May

Spring, summer, autumn, winter: there’s no season Maria Guedes misses.Four times a year, you’ll find her (and her curated selection of favourite fashion, home and lifestyle brands,  over 100 of them  and almost all Portuguese) at FIARTIL. What also never goes missing is a lively atmosphere, plus food and drink.

Coala Festival Portugal returns to Cascais for its third edition as a celebration of Portuguese-language music, connecting Brazil, Portugal and Africa. Already confirmed on the line-up are Caetano Veloso, João Gomes, Slow J, Bonga and Lulu Santos, a meeting of generations and styles that blends hip-hop, semba, pop-rock and Brazilian songwriting.

Cascais Ópera - Concurso Internacional de Canto takes over Cascais from 29 May to 7 June, spreading across some of the municipality’s most emblematic cultural venues, from the Centro Cultural de Cascais to Casa das Histórias Paula Rego and the Museu Conde Castro Guimarães. Created to discover and support young lyrical voices, the competition brings together participants from several countries in front of an international jury, reinforcing its role as both a meeting point of cultures and a launchpad for new names in the operatic scene.

At the Exhibition Gallery of the Palácio da Cidadela de Cascais, the show "Abeng – Sinal de Resistência: O Arquivo de Tony Russell" brings together the archive of Jamaican photographer Tony Russell, now based in Figueira da Foz. With more than 70 photographs organised into thematic sections, the exhibition explores Russell’s work in Jamaica during independence and the Cold War, as well as in Venezuela’s Andean region, while also tracing the journey of his archive to Portugal. The body of work, which includes portraits of historical figures such as Bob Marley, Elizabeth II and Fidel Castro, is the result of decades of work shaped by radical choices and often challenging circumstances.

The seafront promenade, parks and waves of the Cascais Line are turning into open-air gyms. The municipal Cascais Ativo programme is back and, in May, it comes packed with dozens of free activities, from fitness classes with a view over Tamariz beach (May 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30) or Carcavelos (May 3, 10, 17 and 24) to yoga sessions in Parque Marechal Carmona (May 3, 10, 13 and 24) or on Conceição beach (May 16). There will also be personalised training sessions at Fitness Park Guia de Cascais (May 3 and 17), beginner bodyboarding at Carcavelos beach (May 17, €10), stand-up paddleboarding at Conceição beach (May 23) and caving in the Alvide Caves (May 16).

Exemplary Girls was written by the Countess of Ségur in 1858. The children’s book by the Russian author – who wrote this and many other stories about well-born girls who behave terribly – now lends its name to the new exhibition at Casa das Histórias Paula Rego. Curated by Catarina Alfaro, it places the female figure, both as a child and as an adult, at its centre, and features, for example, the hand-coloured lithographs The Salmon-Coloured Dress and Communion, inspired by poems by Adília Lopes. On show until the end of January 2027, the exhibition also includes works from the “Jane Eyre” (2001–2002) and “Pendle Witches” (1996) series, influenced respectively by the work of Charlotte Brontë and Blake Morrison, as well as the six engravings from “Female Genital Mutilation”, a 2009 series that denounces practices of gender-based violence affecting girls in various parts of the world.

Running alongside “Exemplary Girls”, Casa das Histórias Paula Rego’s long-term exhibition “The Exile: from creation to conservation” focuses on the technical study and restoration of a single work – a process that usually takes place far from the public eye. The piece in question is the collage-painting The Exile (An Old Exile Dreaming of His Youth), from 1962–63, shown for the first time in Portugal and accompanied by images and explanations revealing the behind-the-scenes of its research and conservation. The study uncovered hidden collages, compositional changes and layers of materials that offer a deeper understanding of the Portuguese artist’s creative process.

The Festa da Criança returns to Cascais Bay on 31 May, with a full day dedicated to children and families. Between 10am and 6pm, there are free activities ranging from sport to theatre, as well as workshops, games, concerts and street entertainment, spread across the Bay and the Cidadela. It’s one of the busiest dates in the local calendar, turning the area into a large open-air space to play, learn and celebrate World Children’s Day.