For the second year straight, Portimão’s Sardine Festival will not be held due to the pandemic. However, the town will still pay homage to its favourite fish by organising five concerts with popular Portuguese artists between August 4 and 8 at the town’s riverside.
The town’s riverside is popular for its restaurants serving grilled sardines (Photo: INÊS LOPES/OPEN MEDIA GROUP)
“As the pandemic still doesn’t allow the full return of the Sardine Festival, Portimão Council is organising these concerts for the whole family, where all sanitary measures will be followed,” the local authority says in a communiqué to the press.
The ‘Sardinhas em Concerto’ programme will see five well-known Portuguese bands and singers take to the stage, starting with Resistência on August 4, followed by Toy (August 5), João Pedro Pais (6), Gisela João (August 7) and Miguel Araújo (August 8).
Doors will open at 8pm with concerts starting at 9pm. The outdoor venue will be fenced off and include designated seats. Eating and drinking will not be allowed due to current recommendations from the board of cultural activities (IGAC) and the national health board (DGS).
Tickets have a “symbolic price” of €1 and can be purchased from Friday (July 30) at the TEMPO theatre, Portimão Museum or online at www.bol.pt. Attendees must be aged 6+.
Portimão’s Sardine Festival is one of the Algarve’s largest summer events, attracting thousands of locals and visitors every summer. In 2019, the event is said to have attracted a record 100,000 people. The event shines the spotlight on sardines, the town’s “jewel of the sea”.
Local restaurants take part and serve sardines the ‘typical’ way – grilled, with salad and potatoes, or on a slice of bread.
Says the council, these concerts aim to keep the town and its population connected to the sardine tradition while boosting local business, particularly restaurants.
