Freedom Day in Portugal in 2024

Freedom Day in Portugal in 2024
Street art depicting the Carnation Revolution in Lisbon, Portugal. Image by Jeanne Menjoulet , via Flickr
  How long until Freedom Day?
Freedom Day
  Dates of Freedom Day in Portugal
2025 Portugal Fri, Apr 25 National Holiday
2024 Portugal Thu, Apr 25 National Holiday
2023 Portugal Tue, Apr 25 National Holiday
2022 Portugal Mon, Apr 25 National Holiday
2021 Portugal Sun, Apr 25 National Holiday
  Summary

Celebrates the 1974 Revolution that ended the Dictatorship and started Democracy

  Local name
Dia da Liberdade

When is Freedom Day in Portugal?

Freedom Day on April 25th is a national holiday in Portugal, with official commemorations.

It celebrates the 1974 Revolution that ended the dictatorship and started a democracy. It also commemorates the first free elections that took place a year later on April 25th 1975.

History of Freedom Day

Known as the Carnation Revolution, this was a virtually bloodless, leftist, military-led coup.

It ended the rule of Marcello Caetano, who had assumed the country's leadership from dictator António Salazar five years earlier.

The revolution began on April 25th 1974, in Lisbon and transformed the Portuguese regime from an authoritarian dictatorship to a democracy.

It followed a long period of social change and power struggles between the left and right-wing political forces.

Did you know?

The military coup was started by an airing of two songs. “Grândola Vila Morena” (Grândola, Swarthy Town) was followed by "E Depois Do Adeus" by Paulo de Carvalho, Portugal's entry in the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest. This were secret signals that alerted the rebels to begin their coup.

Whilst the government forces killed four people before surrendering, the revolution was somewhat unusual in that the revolutionaries didn't resort to violence to achieve their goals. The population, holding red carnations, convinced the army not to resist and the soldiers swapped their bullets for flowers.

The revolution marked the end of the longest authoritarian regime in Western Europe.

While April 25th is a public holiday, the majority of stores will remain open to the public, though banks and government offices will be closed. Buses will operate on a weekend schedule. In Portuguese look for 'Todos os Dias and Sábados, Domingos e Feridos' schedules.

One of Lisbon’s two famous bridges has been named after the revolution. The bridge that heads towards beaches of Costa da Caparica and Almada, has been nicknamed Portugal’s Golden Gate Bridge but it is officially called Ponte 25 de Abril (25 of April Bridge).


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