Glamour, elegance, relaxation, celebration, joy, companionship, exuberance, and harmony: all this and much more is coming together in one event which receives thousands of people in the heart of Loulé.
There will be great music and plenty of it, particularly the sounds conducive to a “chill out” environment, cited in the council’s press release on the event. There will also be street arts, sport activities, performances, dancing and a constant interaction with the public on the part of entertainers. The surprise factor is, after all, one of the fair’s ingredients, as the programme itself is only revealed on the day.
Loulé Municipality wants to offer visitors plain urban living and, for that, the streets are transformed into immense living rooms, with bean bags and tables installed in areas where normally cars would roam in order for visitors to also have resting space at their disposal. The grand majority of the public, however, will certainly prefer exploring the entertainment stations and the stages installed in this 125,000-square-metre urban perimeter that extends from Largo de S. Francisco to the second plaque on Avenida José da Costa Mealha, and from the Castle wall to the Engº Duarte Pacheco Monument.
Commerce also has a fundamental role in the spirit of this event and the shops will have open doors through the night with inviting decorations and prices.
Beyond the local restaurants, the bars will populate the streets, with different menus, occasion-made cocktails and other drinks to enjoy with your friends.
Finally, the decoration will of course be totally white. The colourful cloths next to the Municipal Market, branding for the MED Festival, will make way for white cloths instead. The colour will also be the dress code, contrasting with the tan of many holidaymakers who chose the Algarve as their summer getaway.
Inspired by the White Nights that happen in some European capitals, especially that of Paris, this event has happened in Loulé for the past 16 years. It was a pioneer event in Portugal and its notoriety brought it to be a model replicable on the national level.
The last White Night Algarve occurred in 2019 and its return has been long awaited.