By ELOISE WALTON
NEW YEAR’S Eve will be celebrated across the Algarve with a wide variety of free public concerts and fireworks displays.
Albufeira, Quarteira, Faro and Monte Gordo, among others towns, will soon be preparing stages for open air parties on Wednesday, December 31, that will fill the region with music for all tastes including jazz, hip-hop and Latin rhythms as well as pop and rock.
Albufeira will play host to renowned British reggae band UB40. Before midnight, Portuguese bands Rosa and Um Segredo Fechado will entertain the crowds along the beachfront in Albufeira, followed by the customary fireworks display to celebrate the New Year.
UB40 will then welcome 2009 with some of their most famous songs including Red Red Wine, Rat in the Kitchen, Sing Our Own Song and I Can’t Help Falling in Love.
The party will continue in Albufeira Câmara with a medieval festival in Paderne between January 1 and 4, while on January 2, Avenida Sá Carneiro in Areias de São João will play host to a futuristic themed night filled with street entertainment. Finally, popular Portuguese singer Rui Veloso will perform live in Albufeira on January 4, to close the council’s New Year celebrations.
Fireworks
Loulé Câmara will be hosting a performance by group Deolinda from 10.30pm, followed by a fireworks display at midnight, then a concert by renowned Portuguese singer David Fonseca at Praça do Mar, Quarteira.
Faro, the capital of the Algarve, will welcome the New Year with a street party in Largo São Francisco. A variety of Portuguese bands and DJs will provide entertainment from 10pm until the early hours of the morning, with the traditional fireworks show due to start around 11.45pm.
Vila Real de Santo António will be starting the celebrations early with a concert by Portuguese singer Paulo Gonzo and various DJs from 10pm on December 30 in Monte Gordo.
Popular Portuguese male pop duo Anjos and other artists will be singing in the New Year, starting at 10pm. Grupo Musical Nova Dimensão will also be performing at Praça Marquês de Pombal at the the same time.
Avenida dos Descobrimentos in Lagos will be hosting DJ Frank Maurel from 11pm until 3am, with an interlude for a fireworks display accompanied by music at midnight.
For detailed information about New Year’s street parties and fireworks displays, please telephone the relevant Câmara. Also, see next week’s The Resident for a full listing of what’s on across the Algarve on New Year’s Eve.
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