Loulé
With a tradition that is over 100 years old, Loulé will welcome once again the traditional parade of carnival floats, which this year takes place on February 9, 10 and 12 along the Avenida José da Costa Mealha.
The parade will start each day at 3pm and will feature 17 floats, street entertainers and Samba schools, with hundreds of people taking part to bring colour and glee to the heart of the city.
Being one of the most colourful events in Portugal, Loulé Carnival is known for its originality and enormous sense of humour.
This year’s main theme is the Troika and Loulé Carnival’s slogan is ‘Entroikados – A Grande Palhaçada’, loosely translated as ‘Entroikened – The Greatest Joke’, which is obviously a satirical reference to the economic difficulties that Portugal is currently facing. Is this not the best time to poke fun at the country’s current situation?
Portuguese and international visitors will surely have a good laugh making fun of politicians and the economy.
Thousands of people visit Loulé each year just for its Carnival celebrations.
Entry to watch the parade costs €2 per person.
Vila Real St.º António
Carnival celebrations in Vila Real de Santo António will feature balls and a group of DJs on the beach of Monte Gordo and at Centro Cultural António Aleixo.
On February 9, at 10pm, a ball hosted by Vera Pereira and a fancy dress contest will be held at Centro Cultural António Aleixo.
In Monte Gordo, in the west wing of the Casino, a ball featuring a band called Duo Reflexo, at 10pm, and DJs Illegal and Surpresa at 1am will keep the people dancing throughout the night.
On the next day, February 10, another ball featuring Duo Reflexo will take place in Monte Gordo at 10pm and DJs Karussa and Karussa Jr. will liven up the party at 2.30am.
On February 11, Duo Reflexo at 10pm and the final fancy dress contest will be held at Centro Cultural António Aleixo. If you live in Monte Gordo, you can participate in a ball featuring Ângelo Correia at 10pm.
Faro
Faro is ready to celebrate carnival once again and the festivities run this weekend until February 12 across the county. The carnival parade, organised by the municipality, will be held on February 12 at 4.30pm in the Manuel Bivar Municipal Garden.
About 200 people will participate and those interested can still register at http://www. cm-faro.pt/destaques/4130/desfile-de-carnaval.aspx.
On February 9, the carnival returns to the city of Faro and the band D’horas and the DJ Pedro Pargana will set the right tone for dancing.
The population of Bordeira also welcomes the typical carnival parade to be held on February 10 at 3pm. In Sociedade Recreativa Bordeirense carnival balls will be held on February 10 and 11.
On Saturday 9, at 3pm, the parade will take to the Santa Bárbara de Nexe Avenue. On February 9, 10, 11 and 12 a series of carnival balls will take place at night at the Santa Barbara parish. These activities are organized by the Nexense Association, Gorjonense Recreational and Cultural Club with the municipality and local parish support.
Lagos
A colourful dinghy racing event featuring crews in fancy dress and the boats decorated to mark Carnival will take place alongside the Lagos Marina, between the footbridge and the Boa Esperança caravel, between 2pm and 4pm on Tuesday, February 12.
The main eventfeatures inflatable dinghies each with a two-person crew in a knockout competition with four boats in each heat.
The first two in each heat go through to the next round. There is also a contest for noninflatable dinghiesand prizes will be awarded in both categories for the four leading boats.
Special prizes will be awarded for the best crew fancy dress and the best decorated boat. Entries must be made by Friday, February 8: 282 770210
Odiáxere
Odiáxere, a parish in the Lagos municipality, will fill the streets with joy and laughter for Carnival.
On Sunday at 3pm, colourful floats will parade through the village depicting this year’s carnival theme based on the Portuguese speaking countries.
On February 12, at 3pm several floats representing countries whose official language is Portuguese will be out in the streets such as Trio Elétrico Brasil and Trio Elétrico Angola. Samba dancers and other local music groups will also add to the entertainment.
At 9.30pm, Humberto Silva and Ricardo Glória will host this year’s carnival ball at the local sports centre in Odiáxere.
