The region’s summer festival season kicked off with Portimão’s famous sardine festival this week, which started on Wednesday and runs on the city’s riverfront until Sunday, 5 August.
Olhão and Silves pick up where Portimão leaves off, with the acclaimed Seafood Festival (Olhão) and massively popular Medieval Festival (Silves) both starting next week, on Friday, 10 August, and running until 15 and 19 August respectively.
Lagos is holding its second Sunset Colour Party, on 12 August, before the turn of southern Portugal’s biggest fair, Fatacil, which takes place at the Lagoa exhibition grounds, from 17 to 26 August.
Held since 1980, the Fatacil Crafts, Tourism, Agriculture, Commerce and Industry Trade Fair is for many the highpoint of the Algarve summer calendar and the biggest annual event of its kind south of the Tagus River. It takes place this year for the 39th time.
Several hundred exhibitors are due to take a place at the event, which also features dressage and horse shows, and nightly entertainment.
Fado superstar Mariza has been confirmed as one of the acts performing this year, along with singers Carolina Deslandes and C4 Pedro (see www.fatacil.pt).
The peak season fun rounds off in August with Faro’s F Festival, dubbed ‘the last big festival of the summer’, and which this year features national artists including Salvador Sobral, D.A.M.A., Diogo Piçarra, Aurea, and Blaya.
A celebration of art and culture, music and street food, the F Festival takes place in Faro’s Old Town, from 30 August to 1 September.