Book 'N On 13 October 1917 it rained all morning. Tens of thousands of people crossed Portugal anyway, on foot, by cart and by train, to stand in a field near Aljustrel. Estimates range from fifty to seventy thousand. They came to see what three children had announced: a sign, at noon, so that everyone would believe.
What followed became known as the Miracle of the Sun. Sceptical journalists wrote about it the next day. Some saw the sun spin, others saw colours, and many found their clothes dry after hours in the rain. It was the last of the six apparitions, and it is why 13 October remains the biggest date in Fátima's calendar.
In 2026 the pilgrimage falls on a Monday and a Tuesday: 12 and 13 October. It is the last great international pilgrimage of the year, and the Cova da Iria fills up once again.
What happens, hour by hour
The programme repeats every year with small variations. Check the final times on fatima.pt the week before, but the backbone is always this.
The night of 12 October
The Rosary begins at 9.30pm at the Chapel of the Apparitions, on the exact spot where it all happened. When it ends, the candles are lit and the Candlelight Procession walks to the altar in the main square. A Celebration of the Word follows around 10.30pm, and later comes the Procession of Silence.
Anyone who has seen the procession on an ordinary summer night knows it well. This is something else. The square holds more than three hundred thousand people, and on this night there is not much empty space left.
The morning of 13 October
Another Rosary at 9.30am at the Chapel. Around 10am the procession carries the statue of Our Lady to the altar, the international Mass is celebrated and the sick are blessed, seated in the front section of the square.
And then comes the part nobody forgets.
The farewell of the white handkerchiefs
At the end, the statue returns to the Chapel. As it passes, the entire crowd raises a white handkerchief and waves. There is no rehearsal and no signal. It is a hundred, two hundred thousand handkerchiefs moving at once, in near silence, with a great many people crying without noticing.
I have driven families who are not particularly religious. Every one of them stayed quiet for the first twenty minutes of the ride home.
The truth about the crowds
Fátima receives around seven million visitors a year, and a good share of them arrive on these two days. The national guard runs a special operation, access roads are closed or restricted, and the Sanctuary car parks fill long before the celebrations begin.
If you drive, count on a twenty or thirty minute walk from wherever you manage to leave the car. Photograph the spot, because at night, among thousands of identical cars, memory plays tricks. Leave nothing in sight.
Arriving early solves almost everything. For the night of the 12th, being in the square by 8.30pm gives you time to find a decent place and still visit the Chapel before the Rosary. On the 13th, anyone arriving after 9am ends up far from the altar.
October is cold, and nobody warns you
The October sun is deceiving. After sunset, in an open square with no shelter, the temperature drops fast. Bring a warm coat, something for your head and comfortable shoes, because you will be standing for hours. If it rains, the procession goes ahead: bring a rain poncho rather than an umbrella, which in a packed square blocks the view for half a dozen people behind you.
Candles are sold in the shops around the Sanctuary. They cost a few euros and come with a paper shield that keeps the wax off your hand. Bring water and some small change.
Going from Lisbon and back on the same day
Fátima is about an hour and a half from Lisbon by motorway. On a normal day it is an easy drive. On 12 and 13 October, with tens of thousands of cars doing the same route, the way back can turn into a long queue, especially after the evening procession.
Public transport works well for a daytime visit. For the night of the 12th it is close to useless: the celebrations end late and the last connection to Lisbon left long before.
That is why most of our guests choose a private tour on these dates. We leave your hotel at the right hour for the crowd we are going to meet, park where we planned the day before, stay with you in the square and drive you back whenever you want, with no rushing and nobody else's timetable. Along the way you get the whole story, which is what gives meaning to what you are about to see.
You can also combine the Sanctuary with Batalha and Nazaré on the same day, or build an itinerary of your own with our Custom Tour. If it is only the candlelit night you want, we have a tour dedicated to it.
There are a few weeks left and the hotels in Fátima tend to sell out first. Tell us your dates and how many you are, and we will handle the rest. Talk to us on WhatsApp and be in that square on the day it means the most.