Faro has been officially confirmed as National Cultural Capital next year, following in the footsteps of Coimbra last year. The establishment of Faro as National Culture Capital was officially approved in the Counsel of Ministers on July 5, but the news was only released recently. The resolution from the Counsel of Ministers said that awarding the accolade to Faro “aims to highlight the cultural specificity of the south of Portugal, taking into account the positive balance of the Coimbra experience”. Local authorities are already planning a wide series of cultural events as happened in Coimbra last year. The promise that Faro would be National Cultural Capital was made for the first time in 2001, when then Prime Minister, António Guterres, pledged that the the event would be held this year. But with the collapse of the Socialist government, the promise was postponed until the ex-Culture Minister, Pedro Roseta, announced last November that Faro would be the next city.
