By ELOISE WALTON [email protected]
This year’s Allgarve programme launch was marked by the tragic events on Madeira last Saturday, with the president of the region’s tourism board making an impromptu announcement that all profits from the evening’s concert would revert to the victims on the Island.
In his opening speech at the Pavilhão Arade in Parchal, Lagoa, on February 20, the same day that Madeira Island was hit by severe storms, Nuno Aires expressed his condolences to the families of the victims who lost their lives “so tragically” and announced that funds from the concert that evening would be donated towards helping rebuild the Island following the destruction (please turn to page 9 for full story).
With an Algarve-based management team, twice the time scale and a greater number of events, the Allgarve programme looks set to rebrand the entire region for visitors in 2010.
Despite a vast number of events being covered by the programme this year, organisers have chosen not to publish a full calendar, opting instead for releasing event details for each month just a few weeks beforehand.
“It is a promotion strategy that we have adopted and it is a way for us to continue working on a dynamic programme,” said Nuno Aires.
Each event is part of one of five main themes: music, art, street entertainment, gastronomy and sport.
As well as jazz and pop, classical music performances will also be added to the music theme this year, with concerts featuring the Algarve Orchestra and a number of renowned pianists.
According to Osvaldo Ferreira, artistic director of Allgarve 2010, the Algarve’s international music festival FIMA will also be part of the programme, with performances throughout the year.
American jazz singer Stacey Kent will be performing at the Lagoa Auditorium on March 27 as part of this year’s programme, however, no international pop artists were announced during the presentation. According to Allgarve coordinator Augusto Miranda, “the contracts have not yet been completed”.
Outdoor art exhibitions are set to continue with regional monuments such as the Sagres fortress, the Guadalupe chapel near Vila do Bispo, the prehistoric site of Alcalar in Portimão and the Milreu ruins in Faro being planned as venues.
The World Superbikes competition, which will be hosted by the Algarve Motor Park in Portimão will feature in Allgarve as well as Faro’s bikers meeting, which this year celebrates 30 years.
Following the presentation, Portuguese Fado revival group Amália Hoje performed a concert to a full house at the pavilion, marking the first Allgarve event of 2010.
For more information about the Allgarve, please visit www.allgarve.pt, which is partly available in English and will be updated continually as further events are announced.
