Newsletter July 2016

Margarida Sampaio @

A bit late this month but there have been some exciting nights in Carvoeiro and it looks like they are going to keep on coming thanks to the semi-final win for Portugal (was sad to see Wales leave the competition though)!

FORÇA PORTUGAL

So I am sorry if you are not a football fan but in Portugal they take the beautiful game pretty seriously and it is hard not to get caught up in it all even if you have zero interest usually.

Whenever there is a major football competition taking place all the bars get ready for some busy nights and there have been a lot of them recently with Portugal beating the Welsh team to make it to the final!

If you were about in Carvoeiro for the game then you will have seen the celebrations in full swing with people dancing in the street, a lot of chanting, banging of pots and pans and of course the mandatory cars circling the town while the horns beep away.

The square was filled with lots of very happy Portugal fans and if your team is already out (which I am guessing is the majority of us) then grab your flags, paint your face and head into the town to watch the game on Sunday night! You will be spoiled for choice as to wear to watch it because literally everywhere seems to have a television ready for it and if Portugal win…well be ready for a long night of celebrations!

BLACK AND WHITE NIGHT

Last month we celebrated the third Black and White night in Carvoeiro and a massive congratulations to everyone who worked to make the evening such a special one for everyone who came.

They think about 20,000 people descended on Carvoeiro for the night with almost everyone dressed in black and white to get into the spirit of the occasion and the organisers even had the great idea of providing a park and ride service for people so we didn’t have the usual parking nightmares that Carvoeiro is so well known for.

Some of the highlights of the evening included the amazing fire dance performance and the DJ party on the beach which only finished at 3am.

It is great to see that Carvoeiro has managed to establish the Black and White night as one of the best free nights of entertainment in the Algarve and it is growing every year with lots of live music, street performers and a genuinely wonderful atmosphere for everyone.

Closing the streets off to the traffic made a huge difference, allowing people to dance in the street and the bars and restaurants to be able to extend out their terraces so everyone could get a seat (although there were also random sofas and chairs also dotted about the place for anyone who felt the need for a little rest from all the partying).

The next Black and White night is already being arranged for 2017, so make sure that you book your holiday in Carvoeiro to coincide with the biggest party of the year!

DANCING STARS

Congratulations to Stars Dance school based at the Carvoeiro Clube de Ténis, who this year have celebrated their 20th anniversary. The students and teachers of the school all came together this past month to put on their annual show which was held at the Lagoa auditorium and it was once again a massive success.

Sharon and her team have worked tirelessly throughout the year to encourage dancers of all ages and talents to take to the stage and enjoy dancing and it is great to watch a show with so many local young dancers of all nationalities.

Well done to everyone and happy 20th anniversary Stars Dance School!

BREXIT

I know we don’t usually like to be political in these newsletters (well at least not all that much) but the referendum result last month which saw the UK choosing to leave the EU has been a considerable talking point for everyone in Carvoeiro as I am sure it has been in many other places across the continent.

We see many different nationalities coming to Carvoeiro and the Algarve but there is no denying that the British make up a large proportion of these and a large number of the property buyers too, so the Brexit news is sure to have a knock on effect.

Obviously it is early days to see how things are going to pan out regarding the rules and regulations but the Portuguese Prime Minister, António Costa, has assured that he will do everything to preserve the alliance between Portugal and the UK and that he is working to not only protect the rights of the many Portuguese workers who are living in the UK, but also the rights of the British living in Portugal too.

There have been stories of SEF no longer issuing residency to British people here but the British Ambassador has said for everyone to be calm as no rules have been changed yet regarding this so people should just carry on as before while we wait for our politicians to sort all of this out for us.

Whatever your view on Brexit, I think we all have to agree that the voters of the UK have spoken so now we need to sit back and wait for further information, which when it comes I am sure will be well publicised as this is an issue that will effect a lot of people here. Fingers crossed I guess.

BLUE FLAG BEACHES

Although it has been feeling hot here for some time now, the official bathing season has only just begun, so that means that we now have life guards on the beaches and all the beach concessions are up and running too.

Every year we wait to see which of the beaches in the local area will also be awarded Blue Flag status and for 2016, the Lagoa municipality raised a total of six flags.

Blue Flags have been given to Carvoeiro, Caneiros, Pintadinho and Praia Grande (Ferragudo), Nossa Senhora da Rocha and Vale do Olival.

The Blue Flags are given to beaches that meet strict criteria regarding water quality, cleanliness, environmental education and a number of other areas and it is great to know that our own local Carvoeiro beach is up there with the best of them – happy sunbathing and swimming everyone!

THINGS TO DO IN JULY

If the fantastic weather and beautiful beaches are just not enough for you this month then have a look at some of the other great events that are taking place locally…

BUGS

It may not be everyones idea of a good day out but anyone who likes things creepy and crawly should head off to the Centro Congresso do Arade in Parchal to view the Micro Safari exhibition.

More than 100 different species of bugs are on display until the end of August including ome lovely scorpions, tarantulas, snails and other wiggly things. The exhibition is open from Sunday to Thursday from 10am until 7pm and then on Friday and Saturdays from 10am until 10pm.~

CANDLE LIGHT MARKET

Between July 7 and 10 Lagoa will be transformed into a candle lit market place with thousands of candles lighting up the area around the Convento de São José.

This is described as a cultural market and the theme this year is Celtic Culture and the event is set to include the 12,000 candles, food, workshops, exhibitions, Celtic music, street entertainment, handicrafts and even a Celtic tavern (not exactly sure what this might be but it sounds interesting enough to find out!)

The market is obviously an evening event as candles don’t look so effective in the sunlight and opens each evening at 7pm with activities taking place until 1am and sounds like a good one for the entire family to enjoy.

BEACH PARTY

If you loved the party on the beach in Carvoeiro for the Black and White party then why not head over to Ferragudo for their beach party weekend?

The party will be taking place on July 15, 16 and 17 with live music at Club Nau including the Daddy Jack Band on the 15th and DJ André Lima on the 16th.

Just along the coast at Caneiros beach there are also beach parties held at Rei das Praias with the next on July 8th ad with a theme of “Flower Power” so get out all your most colourful clothing and party on the sand with DJ Superstar.

There are lots of beach parties at this time of the year with everything from little gatherings to full on pop up night clubs on the beach in Praia da Rocha and Vilamoura – if this is your sort of thing then a quick look on google will point you in the right direction.

AND FINALLY…

We can’t get through an entire newsletter without me mentioning the weather! In summary it has been HOT, followed by days where it looks like it is going to rain and then back to being blooming boiling – but I guess that’s why we love the Algarve!

Until next month Margarida