REGIONAL FAIRS
At Algarve fairs you can buy everything, from horses to shoes, regional delicacies or jewelry. In practically every city and village there is a market.In Castro Marim it is on the second Saturday of each month; In Monte Gordo it is on the fourth Saturday of the month from 10am; In Tavira it is on the third Saturday from 9am to 1pm or you can always opt for Feira da Ladra on the fourth Sunday of the month from 8am to 1pm; And in Vila Real de Santo António there is a farmers' market on Saturdays from 9am to 1pm and on the third Sunday of the month the market takes place between 8am and 1pm.
In addition to these markets, there is always the traditional market for fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and fish, which are usually close to the Parish Council. But there are also religious or pagan festivals that usually take place between the last days of summer and the first days of winter.
There is the very popular Beach Fair in Vila Real de Santo António, where thousands of Spaniards come on pilgrimage between the 10th and 15th of October. There are trinkets, clothing, tinwork, footwear, roasted chestnuts, cheese, sausages, plenty of food and lots of fun, with carousels. And it also has an impressive variety of unique and traditional dried fruits from the region, which have not changed over time. The name of this fair originates from the place where it took place in 1774, the date of the founding of Vila Real de Santo António: in front of the Guadiana sands. On May 13th, the Foundation Day of the City of Vila Real de Santo António is celebrated. with a Historical and Ethnographic Procession. On this day, the city returns to the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, with the common people representing historical, literary and political characters, who left their mark on Portuguese society. The picture is completed with the parade of local inhabitants with their work tools and products. The Historic Parade runs through several streets of the city and ends at Praça Marquês de Pombal, where a medieval fair with artisanal products takes place.
At the beginning of July, there are the Festas de Santa Rita, the highlight of which is the procession of the Chapel of Nossa Senhora de Santa Rita. For two days, hundreds of people visit the village, to enjoy typical Algarve sweets and other products sold at the traditional fair in Santa Rita. From the 24th to the 30th of August, the São João da Degola Festival takes place in Manta Rota, with the highlight being the “Banho Santo”. Historians say that Saint John the Baptist was beheaded on August 29th. Thus, the "Public Bath" is held religiously on that day. Hundreds of "montanheiros" (people from the Algarve mountains) traveled to Manta Rota beach accompanied by their pack animals to "bathe". today, the people who participate dress in “mountain” style, historically reconstructing the moment.
Also on the first Sunday of September, the Feast of Our Lady of the Incarnation is celebrated, with a procession in some streets of Vila Real de Santo António. The procession begins at 6 pm, at the Church of Nossa Senhora da Incarnação, in Praça Marquês de Pombal. At night, a musical show enlivens Praça Marquês de Pombal, always with great artists from the world of music that ends with a spectacular fireworks display close to midnight. Also in September, but in Monte Gordo, the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows takes place. The festival that announces the end of summer. It takes place on the second weekend of the month in honor of the Patron Saint of the land, formerly of fishermen. Therefore, there is a very characteristic religious procession that runs along the sand of Monte Gordo Beach, accompanied by thousands of devotees and also by fishing boats that, with their horns and the launch of rockets, announce the passage of the religious procession. The festival also includes a fair, in the western area of the Monte Gordo Casino, where traditional carousels are present and at night there are several musical shows and a fireworks show.