thoughts
december always feels like a month of reflection for me.
i look at the highs and lows of the year, the things i’m grateful for, and my plans for the year ahead.
i also love to choose one single word that describes my year. and based on my dreams and goals, i choose another word to define my 2026.
if you had to choose one word for 2025, what would it be?
about this week
in portugal, we celebrate mostly on the evening of the 24th, so expect things to slow down earlier than usual. supermarkets and shops might close around 4–5pm instead of 9pm. the 25th is a bank holiday and, together with january 1st, it’s one of the few days when most things really stop.
if the weather helps, you’ll probably still see lots of people outdoors walking, running, surfing, and finding ways to stay active.
this is also the last newsletter of the year ✨ scroll down to the local spotlight for the highlights.
happy holidays and see you again in the new year 🤍
🗓 what’s on this week
thu 18
🧑💻 8-8pm dehouse downtown coworkin space open day
👨💻 9:30-12:30pm focus work club for freelancers at look sharp
🧸 2pm children’s handmade christmas market at rua do sol 14
🎉 6pm non-monogamous christmas party at bar of soap
🤝 7pm porto future tech networking at fábrica da picaria
🎁 7:30pm speed friending + secret santa (5€ gift) at nope bar
🎤 9pm comedy stand-up at maria pistolas
fri 19
🧑💻 8-8pm dehouse downtown coworkin space open day
🍽️ 8:30pm dinner with strangers
🧘 11am mindful movement class (10€) at the healing house
🧑🤝🧑 9pm new in porto club at look sharp
🍻 10pm christmas pubcrawl at the box porto
sat 20
💃 11am biodanza class (10€) at paz performance arts zone
🍷 1-6pm wine fair weekend at cave bombarda
🎪 2-9pm perimetro: creative event across multiple venues in bonfim & campanhã
🕺 3pm afternoon clubbing at flor bar porto
🎨 4pm paint and sip (20€) at svet space
🌑 5pm new moon cacao and healing ceremony (25€) at cozy yoga
🎄 5pm christmas party at the cork
🏃 5:30pm christmas can run club at matosinhos christmas market
💰 6pm bitcoin meetup at french fries factory
🥟 7pm slavic dinner at protest kitchen
sun 21
🛍️ 9-6pm alegria market at jardim do passeio alegre
☕ 10am spiritual coffee meetup at do norte café
🥗 12:30-3:30pm vegan greek lunch at casa da horta
🛍️ 3pm local artists christmas market at studio sparks
🎺 5pm feel the steel brass band concert in bonfim
🎂 6pm 2nd anniversary party at porboleta porto
all weekend
🚂 3:03pm or 6:03pm christmas steam train ride (13€) at são bento station
🛍️ 2-7pm christmas market at arts hotel porto
🍔 12-10pm the champions burger at queimódromo
mon 22
✍️ 10am monday morning writers at look sharp
🎻 8:30pm cello and piano concert (11€) at clube dos fenianos portuenses
tue 23
🎲 6:30pm board games and beer night at letraria downtown
♟️ 7pm social chess games at nope bar
wed 24
🍽️ 8:30 dinner with strangers
🔦 local spotlight
thismustbeporto is the last spotlight of the year 🤍
i started this project in august and, since then i had 10.3k words written, 16.9k impressions, and 20 posts shared.
my goal was to wait until december and, if i reached 500 subscribers, i’d keep going. right now we’re at 471, with no paid promotion, just word of mouth, so… so close!
it’s been a journey already, and a few people have reached out with really kind words, which means more than you know.
if you’d like to see more of this project, you can help by sharing it in your communities or sending it to a friend. and if you have any feedback like things you’d like to see more of, less of, or should definitely be included, i’m all ears 💌
até já,
sara
if you’re enjoying it and want to support thismustbeporto,
you can buy me a coffee or share it with a friend. it helps a lot 💙