Portimão will be celebrating its 85th anniversary as a city on December 11 with a variety of cultural, sporting and social activities due to start today (Friday) and run until December 13.
On December 11, the flag will be raised at 9am, followed by a parade by the fire brigade’s fanfare and the council’s philharmonic band in Praça 1° de Maio. A pilgrimage to the tomb of Manuel Teixeira Gomes, a renowned Portuguese writer, businessman, diplomat and statesman, is planned followed by a ceremony at the Câmara.
The Manuel Teixeira Gomes Interpretation Centre is due to be inaugurated from 4pm the following day, with a presentation of a commemorative programme of events for 2010, marking 150 years since his birth.
Portimão is due to host a sports gala event from 5pm on December 8, to recognise local athletes who have competed at national and international level. On December 13, Portuguese band Delfins will be performing at the municipal auditorium from 9.30pm as part of their farewell tour.
Portimão’s municipal theatre Tempo is also celebrating its first anniversary this month, with a varied programme of events, including a concert by the Algarve Orchestra on the 10th in the Grande Auditório at 9.30pm and the ‘Baile dos Candeeiros’ on the 11th, where ‘human lampshades’ will be delighting passers-by at Largo 1º de Dezembro, from 6.30pm.
Meanwhile, Portimão Câmara President Manuel da Luz has received a certificate from the APCER, the Portuguese Certification Association, in recognition of the Câmara’s quality of service as part of a project to modernise its administration in the finance, human resources and IT departments.
According to Caldeira dos Santos, president of APCER, this certificate recognises the effort made to achieve all of the requisites demanded by the international ISO 9001:2008 quality management system, a tool for a more efficient way of working.
