For the second year in a row, COVID-19 is taking away Lisboetas’ right to drink cheap beer and eat sardines at communal tables while singing along to god-awful music that make up the unmissable epoch of arraiais (street parties) during the Santo António festival in June. As was the case in 2020, the street parties will simply not get a license to operate this year.
“Unfortunately, this year we will not be able to have festivals, we will not be able to have Santo António’s celebrations with arraiais, given the situation we are in,” Lisbon Mayor Fernando Medina said, according to Lusa. “It is a sensible decision, it is the advisable decision during this phase of the pandemic, in which care is still needed, vigilance is still needed.”
Related: When the Saints Go Marching: Santo António Day Explained
Related: What to Expect in June: Festas de Lisboa 2019
