The launch of typical São João balloons will only be allowed between 9:45 pm on Sunday and 1:00 am on Monday, according to Porto City Council, adding that the airspace will be temporarily closed during this period.

In a statement, Porto City Council states that the National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC) allows the launch of balloons during this period, in which the airspace at Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport is temporarily closed for safety reasons.

With just a few days to go before the celebrations, the city councils of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia recommend people leave “their car at home or close to public transport networks”.

The restrictions on circulation begin on Saturday night with the setting up of fireworks on the Luis I bridge, which will last 16 minutes as a result of an investment of 72,900 euros shared by the two municipalities.

On Sunday, June 23rd, restrictions on circulation are planned in various parts of the city.

Traffic on the lower deck of the Luis I bridge will be closed from 7pm and will remain that way throughout the night, resuming only when cleaning operations have been completed and safety conditions have been verified.

Between 22:30 on Sunday and 01:00 on Monday, pedestrian circulation on the lower deck will be cut off and resumed “if safety conditions are guaranteed”.

On the upper deck, pedestrian circulation will be closed between 2pm on Sunday and 4am on Monday.

Between 23:30 on the 23rd and 01:00 on the 24th, metro traffic will be interrupted on the upper deck of the bridge.

The Infante bridge will be closed to car traffic from 7pm. Public transport is prevented from using that bridge between 10pm on Sunday and 3am on Monday.

From 20:00 on the 23rd and until 08:00 on the 24th, traffic in the centre of Porto will be closed to cars in areas such as Cordoaria and Boavista (connection Palácio Cristal and Casa da Música), places where stages installed.

Avenida Paiva Couceiro, up to the Freixo roundabout, and the waterfront up to the intersection with Rua da Restauração will also be closed to traffic during the same period.

In Gaia, traffic will be interrupted between 7pm on the 23rd and 8am on the 24th on several arteries such as Avenida Diogo Leite, Avenida Ramos Pinto, Largo Luís I, Rua Rocha Leão, Calçada da Serra, Rua Casino da Ponte, Rua da Fervença, Rua General Torres (between Largo Luís I, Via da Misericórdia and Rua Daniel Serrão).

In the statement, the municipality indicates that the Sociedade de Transportes Coletivos do Porto (STCP) will not operate between 7pm on the 23rd and 6am on the 24th on the Luis I bridge.

In the case of the Porto Metro, the Jardim do Morro station will be closed between 2pm on Sunday and 4am on Monday. There will be no circulation between General Torres and São Bento between 23:30 on the 23rd and 01:00 on the 24th.