Planning well in advance, Faro has announced that it will be applying to become European Capital of Culture in 2027.
The ambitious announcement was made by mayor Rogério Bacalhau during the municipal day celebrations today.
“It is not an easy process, there will surely be a lot of cities in the running, but I think Faro and the Algarve can do it,” he told journalists.
The plan is to have, by 2027, a “variety of events that will call attention to Faro and the Algarve for its cultural offering and not just for the sun and beach, which are great assets in themselves,” Bacalhau explained.
The main challenge will be coming up with an “organised cultural programme,” the mayor says, as he believes the Algarve already has the infrastructures it needs to host cultural events.
Faro’s “historical heritage” is one of the cards the town has up its sleeve, says the mayor. Hopes are that some old buildings like where Faro’s civil government used to function or the old customs building can be renovated into cultural sites for tourism.
According to Lusa news agency, the bid will be officially presented in 2017 and led by the president of Portugal’s Culture Centre Guilherme de Oliveira Martins.
The chosen city will be announced in 2019.
Three Portuguese cities have already been named European Capital of Culture – Lisbon (1994), Porto (2001) and Guimarães (2012).
