Chefs on Fire returns to Cascais this month with 40 chefs, live music and open-flame cooking

More than 40 chefs will cook over open fires at Parque Marechal Carmona in Cascais on 19^th and 20^th September 2026, when the Chefs on Fire festival returns for its eighth edition, running from noon until midnight on both days. The event, which is limited to 5,000 visitors per day, sits roughly ten minutes on foot from Cascais railway station, itself at the end of the direct line from Lisbon, and around 30 minutes from Lisbon Airport.

The festival was created in Portugal in 2018 by entrepreneur Gonçalo Castel-Branco through his company Lohad, beginning as a gathering of friends around a fire. It has since welcomed more than 60,000 visitors, over 280 chefs and around 80 musical acts, with attendees from more than 40 nationalities. After several years at FIARTIL in Estoril, it moved in 2025 to Parque Marechal Carmona, the public gardens between the historic centre, the marina and the sea.

Cooking takes place in the open, across seven fire structures using only wood, smoke and embers. There are no reservations, assigned tables, fixed menus or waiting lists; visitors buy dishes directly from the chefs and move between lunch, afternoon bites, drinks, dinner and concerts at their own pace. Dishes are served in 140g portions.

The official line-up features 33 established chefs alongside newer names, with three collaborations and further appearances bringing the total to 36 culinary proposals. Between them, participants hold 24 Repsol Guide Suns and 13 Michelin Guide Stars. A new strand, Prova Portugal, launches with Madeira as its first guest destination, represented by Octávio Freitas of Desarma and Filipe Janeiro of Gazebo. Extremadura is the guest international region, represented by Mário Clemente of Alberca.

International participants include Louise Bourrat of Mammarua in France, Matias Natuche of Barbela from Argentina, and Petter Nyström of Familjen in Sweden, alongside six Brazilian-born chefs working in Portugal: Lizandra Almeida, Fagner Buzinhani, Angélica Salvador, Nelson Soares, Michele Marques and Nathalie Inês. Almeida and Nyström have been designated the edition’s Rising Stars.

“Cascais is the heart of Chefs on Fire. In one weekend, we manage to bring together a living portrait of Portuguese gastronomy. It is not just an event, it is a weekend of sharing among friends, one that speaks to who we are at the table and what makes us happy. I feel this is the strongest edition we have built so far, because it carries the scale of our maturity,” says Castel-Branco, director of the festival.

Saturday’s menu includes lamb kofta from Tiago Bonito of ÉON, cod tripe with chickpeas from João Rodrigues of Grupo Monda, and a griddle pizza with kimchi and burrata from Miguel Laffan of Gabbro. Sunday brings Ricardo Costa of The Yeatman, Pedro Lemos with a smoked xerém, and Angélica Salvador, whose Porto restaurant In Diferente received its first Michelin star in 2026, serving ground-fire beef rib with corn polenta and pineapple vinaigrette.

Music runs alongside the cooking. Saturday features the debut of Silk Nobre, a pairing of AGIR and Paulo de Carvalho, and Bateu Matou. Sunday sees the return of Mesa, a format introduced in 2025, with a jam session led by Carolina Deslandes, followed by DJ Xinobi. A further musical format away from the main stage will be announced on the day via a festival app, which launches a week beforehand and will carry the site map, live menu availability and experience bookings.

Workshops include Fire School by Dom Fiuza on wood selection and technique, Fire Talks curated by Farta magazine, a photography session with Joana Freitas and Canon, live blacksmithing and ceramics through Fábrica Moderna, a beer session with Estrella Damm, and a workshop by anthropologist Pedro Cura on fire and food since the Palaeolithic. A Kids Zone runs activities for younger visitors.

Entry alone costs €50, with food and drink bought separately. A Single ticket at €85 includes five dishes and two drinks; a Family ticket is €190; children aged six to 12 pay €20 and under-sixes enter free. A two-day pass costs €200. Prices were checked on 9^th September 2026.

Organisers say sustainability remains central to the event, citing local sourcing, waste reduction and community involvement. The festival expanded to Madrid in 2024, and a 2027 calendar is expected to include Cascais, Madrid and São Paulo, though details for the Brazilian edition have not been confirmed. Smaller pop-up editions return to Aveiro from 17^th to 19^th July and Foz Côa on 24^th and 25^th October 2026.

Food Desk

Chefs on Fire takes place at Parque Marechal Carmona in Cascais on 19^th and 20^th September 2026, with entry from €50 and food and drink purchased separately; a festival app launching a week beforehand will carry the site map, live menu availability and experience bookings. For further information visit www.chefsonfire.com