A tradition with roots in pagan courtship rituals is for people to hit each other either with garlic flowers or soft plastic hammers.

[3] Traditional attractions of the night include street concerts, dancing parties, bonfire jumping, eating barbecued sardines, Caldo verde and meat, drinking wine and releasing illuminated flame-propelled balloons over Porto's summer sky.

[4] At midnight, partygoers make a short break to look at the sky at Saint John's firework spectacle, which now includes multimedia shows.

The party has Christian roots but is also mixed with pagan traditions, with the fireworks embodying the spirit of tribute to the sun.

In June 2004, a journalist from The Guardian commented that "Porto's Festa de São João is one of Europe's liveliest street festivals, yet it is relatively unknown outside the country".