Queima das Fitas de Coimbra

Every May since 1901, Coimbra has celebrated its students. The Queima das Fitas — the burning of the ribbons — is the oldest and most famous student festival in Portugal: a week of parades, serenades, concerts and ceremonies that marks the end of a university cycle and fills the city with black capes and coloured ribbons.

Ribbons, fado and a farewell

The festival opens at midnight with the Serenata Monumental, when students in academic dress sing Coimbra fado before the Old Cathedral. The days that follow bring the blessing of the folders, faculty balls and, above all, the Cortejo — the parade in which each faculty’s float, dressed in paper flowers of its own colour, rolls through the streets with satire and protest in equal measure. The week ends with the Balada da Despedida sung at dawn. The colours matter: each faculty has its own ribbon, worn by those finishing their degrees.

What to see

• The Serenata Monumental at the Sé Velha
• The Cortejo, the great satirical parade
• Trafaria, the black capes and ribbons of the students
• The Queimódromo, by the river, where the concerts are held
• The Grelo burning before the New Cathedral

Practical information

The Queima takes place in early May — in 2026 it runs from 22 to 30 May — with most events open to the public on paid or free terms; the Student Week concerts require tickets. Hotel rooms in Coimbra sell out early, so book well ahead. The parade is the easiest event to enjoy without any planning at all.

Image credit: Coimbra fado by FlyingCrimsonPig — CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.