«Proud and with the feeling of accomplishment!». It is with this feeling that the mayor of Olhão Francisco Leal prepares for the last Seafood Festival, as holder of this position.
The time is goodbye, but that does not mean that the executive led by Francisco Leal forgets about innovation. In 2013, there will be a stall especially dedicated to mussels, a delicacy extremely appreciated by the Spaniards, who usually attend the festival in large numbers, and also by more and more Portuguese.
Francisco Leal admits that one of the ideas is to attract (even) more visitors from neighboring Spain to Jardim Pescador Olhanense, where the festival takes place, between August 10th and 15th, but the main objective of introducing this novelty is aimed at the local economy.
«Mussels were already used in some dishes, but it turns out to be a novelty. It's mussels from our coast. Basically, it is to show what is good here in Olhão. This mussel production is the result of an offshore aquaculture project [in front of Ilha da Armona] that we have been following and to which we have devoted a lot of attention», revealed Francisco Leal
The mussel, now as a “celebrity”, joins others that have long been known to those who “are keen to come to the festival for a day or two and even take a vacation thinking about it”.
Spiders, lobsters, shrimps, whelks, clams, cataplanas, crabs, paellas or seafood rice are some of the most famous delicacies among those to be found at the festival.
In addition to seafood, made in a variety of ways, the party once again features a musical poster featuring highly successful artists. Soon to open, on Friday, the 10th, plays Tony Carreira, who will celebrate his 25-year career at a party where he has been a regular presence in recent years.
This is followed by fado singer Carminho (August 11th), "Xutos e Pontapés" (August 12th) and João Pedro Pais (August 13th). In the last two days, two bands coming from across borders. On the 14th, a U2 tribute band from the United Kingdom plays and on the 15th, the festival ends with the Brazilians «Grupo Revelação».
The party has as many years as Francisco Leal has been a member of the executive council of Olhão: 28 years. Mayor for almost 20 years (before he was a councilor for eight years), Francisco Leal does not hide that the dimension that the party has reached is a reason for personal pride.
An event that made Olhão “more than the capital of Ria Formosa, a true capital of seafood”. «With the investment we have been making in the Seafood Festival, we have been promoting the city, the municipality, the products of Ria and the Sea. We are pleased to have achieved this goal», he explained.
The 2013 Seafood Festival will be presented next Friday, when the municipality will reveal more details about the festival.
However, the municipality of Olho has already announced that the ticket it costs 8 euros for adults and 3 euros for children from 7 to 12 years. For children up to 6 years old, if accompanied by an adult, entry is free.
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