With the hot season just around the corner, the Algarve comes alive with countless events and activities, from a candlelit night market, nature hikes, Vilamoura’s boat show or a new lights festival, and many more
All aboard
The Algarve’s most anticipated nautical event is back for its 27th edition.
Between June 8 and 16, Vilamoura Marina will showcase over a hundred new and semi-new vessels outdoors. Visitors will also be able to try out new equipment and speak to representatives from more than 50 brands of accessories, equipment and integrated services to answer any questions you may have.
Admission is free and the opening hours are 11am to 9pm.
Black and White Night returns
Marking the start of the summer season, Carvoeiro’s biggest and most anticipated night of the year returns for its 10th edition on June 15.
The event will fill the streets of the seaside town with its monochromatic theme for a night of music and entertainment.
From 8.30pm till 3am, partygoers and performers rigorously dressed in black and white will party the night away in various locations across Carvoeiro, including the beach and town square, which will be converted into a huge dance floor where some of the greatest dance hits of all time will be played.
Lights on
Noitada Portimão – Arts, Light and Culture Festival, will have its inaugural edition in the last fortnight of July, promising to light up the city’s summer season.
With various attractions throughout Portimão, the event will feature laser shows, light installations, immersive experiences and much more.
The municipality’s ambition is for this to become a major event for the region, putting the city on the map for international light festivals.
As part of the event, the “100 Years, 100 Sardines” project has challenged citizens to complete 50 sardines started by local artists, which will then be reproduced on tiles and spread across one hundred iconic buildings in the city.
Worldly music
Loulé’s historic quarter will once again be filled with music from 30 countries with the MED Festival, from June 27 to 30. The 20th edition of this international music festival has a new addition, with Morocco making a special guest appearance, giving visitors the change to watch artisans at work, listen to traditional music and sample typical North African cuisine. Anthony B, Antti Paalanen, Bixiga 70, Mazgani, Oum, Tito Paris and Teresinha Landeiro are some of the artists taking to the stage at this event, which has won numerous awards year after year.
MED Loulé Tito Paris
Lagoa’s Candlelit Market
One of the Algarve’s most original events is returning between July 4 and 7. “Mercado de Culturas à Luz das Velas” is a candlelit night market highlighting a different culture each year.
This year will celebrate Iberian Traditions and the relationship between Portugal and Spain. Highlights include symbols of the Iberian Peninsula drawn with thousands of wax candles and an exhibition of Iberian Masks from Bragança and Zamora.
There will be several artisans showcasing and selling their works, as well as folk music performances, Flamenco and Fado shows and much more. The event starts at 7pm.
Iberian Mask©Manuel Garcia
The coolest market
The Lota Cool Market, Portimão’s famous open-air handicrafts and street food event, is back between July 24 and 28.
Created to support small businesses, artisans, artists and designers and encourage the consumption of Portuguese products, the five-day event will see exhibitors from all over the country set up their stalls, carts, and food trucks along Portimão’s riverside.
Every day, from 6pm till 1am, between the town’s Old Fish Market, known as the Lota, and the Jardim Visconde Bívar, the public will have the chance to discover regional products, taste deliciously original street food, and enjoy live musical performances and street entertainment. According to its organisers, Teia D’Impulsos, it’s “simply the coolest market in the South!”.
Lota Cool Market Portimão
Fifteen years of nature hikes
Via Algarviana, the Algarve’s famous network of hiking trails, is celebrating its 15th anniversary with the launch of four new trails.
The “PR15 LLE – Between Barrocal and Serra” (17.6km) hike can be divided into two sections which can be completed separately and is located in Alte (Loulé).
Meanwhile, the “PR5 ABF – Between Villages” (7km) route starts in Paderne (Albufeira).
Next, “PR2 SLV – In the Steps of Heritage” (16.30km) allows hikers to “discover the valuable megalithic heritage of the Vale Fuzeiros area” in Silves. Lastly, “Link 12” (7.3km) starts near the Funcho dam (Silves) and “allows walkers and cyclists to divide Sector 9 of the Via Algarviana into two parts”, making a small detour that takes them to Vale Fuzeiros.
@Almargem
Sardines Galore in Portimão
Portimão’s much anticipated annual Sardine Festival is back from July 30 to August 4.
A summer delicacy par excellence, it is at this time of the year that sardines, icons of Algarve gastronomy, are at their most delicious and resulted in the creation of the first Sardine Festival in the summer of 1985.
The event soon became one of the most popular “anchor” events in Portimão, both nationally and internationally, regularly attracting over 100,000 visitors. During six days, the most delicious grilled sardines can be tasted on a plate or a slice of bread at one of the pavilions set up on the premises or at one of the restaurants partnering with the event. Exhibitors include personalised embroidery, gold and silverware, textiles, footwear, handmade candles and many more stands. And, as is mandatory, the festival features a great musical line-up on several stages spread along the riverside.
Aerial view of the Sardine Festival
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