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The premier showcase for all things Algarve, this nine-day jamboree attracts visitors from all over Portugal. It is part agricultural show, part handicrafts fair – with a music concert, trade exhibition and gastronomy festival thrown in for good measure.

Carnival in Loulé is one of the biggest, brightest and boldest street parties in Portugal, a three-day extravaganza of mirth, mischief and merrymaking. The procession of floats heaves with a colourful theatre of costumes, masks and hats. Festivities continue into the night with dancing till dawn.

Towards the end of the summer the town of Castro Marim returns to the Middle Ages to host a spectacular pageant in the grounds of the 13th-century castle. Archers draw their bows on mocking bullseye targets while mounted knights tilt their lances and jesters cajole the crowd with music and banter. At night, actors in period costume recreate medieval plays to a hushed audience.

Prestigious arts festival whose luminaries have included Luciano Pavarotti. A series of music, song and dance performances takes place mid-summer across the Algarve. It ranges from jazz to graceful ballet and from choral ensembles to melancholicfado (a kind of Portuguese blues). There’s a thriving fringe element to the proceedings that is often ethnic in flavour and wonderfully surprising in nature.

The entire Algarve becomes an impromptu stage as lively troupes of dancers and singer-musicians from across Portugal descend on the region for two weeks of spirited performances. It is a celebration of centuries-old culture, an insight into the charming and diverse world that is Portugal’s folklore heritage.

Folk musician

This is the Algarve’s most important religious festival, linked to ancient maternity rites. On Easter Sunday, a 16th-century statue of Mãe Soberana (the Sovereign Mother) is carried into town from her hilltop shrine. Exuding solemnity and piety, the subdued procession makes its way to Loulé’s parish church where the image rests for two weeks. On the return journey the mood is more ebullient – flowers are tossed into the path of the cortège, and the air rings with cries of “Viva Mãe Soberana”.

A few years ago the boisterous beer-fest was held within the grounds of the town’s castle – an ironic fate to befall a former Muslim stronghold. Today, the ten-day drinking spree takes place in the far more conducive surrounds of the Fábrica do Inglês showground.

Tavira’s sparkling riverfront is the choice setting for this animated three-day celebration of all things rural. Enjoy a delicious range of countryside cuisine, an array of outstanding handicrafts and an agenda of music and dance that lasts well into the evening.

A curious mix of pagan ritual and religious celebration. An auction of smoked sausage donated by residents takes place in homage to São Luís, the patron saint of animals, with the proceeds donated to charity. A modest cultural fair takes place at the same time, and visitors can sample hearty rural gastronomy.

Olhão is the Algarve’s biggest fishing port, and at festival time numerous stalls groan under the weight of every imaginable seafood delicacy, including octopus, squid, clam, prawn, mussel and the ubiquitous grilled sardine. Folk music and dancing add further flavour.