For many people travelling to the Algarve, autumn is the season when the area is at its most appealing. The summer tourist crowds have eased off, the weather remains pleasant but not too hot when the midday sun is at its most potent, there tends to be a more relaxed ambience than during the peak high season months… and it’s festival time.
Many of the most popular festivals and other events held from October to May are scheduled under the auspices of the “365 Algarve” programme. This initiative was launched in 2016 to ”improve the tourist experience and the attractiveness of the Algarve as a destination by regularly offering a quality and geographically-comprehensive cultural programme”. To that end, the diverse eight-month cultural agenda includes music concerts, theatre, dance performances, culinary events and other leisure activities.
Forthcoming events in the Algarve in October include…
Sagres Birdwatching and Nature Activities Festival
10-13 October
Described as “the biggest nature event in Portugal”, the festival includes a wonderful array of activities from field trips, boat tours, workshops and talks to environmental education activities and bird ringing sessions – as well as hikes, photography courses, history-themed guided tours and dolphin-watching.
Forgotten Food Festival
October 2019-May 2020
The main objective of this new culinary event is to highlight traditional foods that are disappearing from dining tables because of their “association with poverty” or because their agricultural value has been lost.
The festival includes a series of “Charm Picnics” intended “to recreate alimentary habits of the mid-20th century, when many algarvians gathered at country picnics. Meetings where conviviality and sharing around the diverse food traditions of each place had a great social meaning for those who participated, while making a contribution to strengthening bonds and relationships…” The next Charm Picnic is on 19 October in Silves, when the experience will start with a small interpretative walk to reveal the identity of the place, and include accordionists and folklore dancers performing algarvian corridinho.
Algarve Spa Week
5-13 October
Held under the theme “Be Active & Be Well”, the 10th edition of Algarve Spa Week invites guests to experience the best spas in the Algarve’s five-star hotels, with a 50 per cent discount on the ASW treatments menu. “In nine days make a sensory journey through the spas in Algarve, and discover places of absolute relaxation and pleasure to reinvigorate body and mind.”
BLiP (Better Living in Portugal) Expo
12-13 October
Held at the Portimão Arena, the event brings together a diverse range of exhibitors presenting products and services that cover health care, financial services, insurance, consular services, energy solutions, gardens and outdoor living, leisure, removals, fashion, pest control, windows, doors, security, blinds, artisans, travel, technology, funeral services, property, food and wines and greetings cards. The aim, according to the organisers, is to provide residents and property owners with the means to enjoy the best possible life in Portugal.
Jazz in the Wineries
18 October
Jazz in the Wineries comprises a series of 24 music sessions accompanied by tastings produced by the host wineries, together with samplings of tapas made from local products. The next session is on 18 October at Quinta João Clara, Alcantarilha (Silves).
Portugal Masters
24-27 October
This European Tour event is the leading golf tournament held in Portugal this year, with top stars teeing up at the Arnold Palmer-designed Dom Pedro Victoria course in Vilamoura. Click here to read more about the Algarve’s stellar golf history.
For more information about intriguing places to visit and what to do in the Algarve throughout the year, visit our extensive Area Guides section.
