Thirty years is always thirty and a good reason to take care of your appearance and throw a wild party that will linger in your memory.
That's what the Municipality of Olhão and the municipal company from Olhão Fesnima are going to do at the 2015 Seafood Festival, the 30th edition of the «main gastronomic event in the South of the Country», which takes place between the 10th and 15th of August, at Jardim Pescador Olhanense.
The 30th edition of this party was presented on Friday, in a session that took place in the Paços do Concelho de Olhão. This year's novelties were announced here, closely linked to the festival's image and a slight increase in carrying capacity, as a result of the removal of a masonry restaurant that existed in the place that hosts the party.
The session also served to publicize the musical guests, a sector in which the organization has been investing more and more. In 2015, the poster has Anselmo Ralph and Daniela Mercury at the head, but also features Mickael Carreira, Richie Campbell and José Cid, as well as “son of Olhão” Júlio Resende, who will be accompanied by two important names in the national music scene: Ana Moura and Ana Bacalhau.
Anselmo Ralph, who closed last year's Seafood Festival, returns to Olhão to play on the opening day of the 2015 edition, on August 10th, a Monday. A bet of the local authority that is closely linked to the success of the concert of about a year ago, which had a full house until it couldn't.
«At the end of the concert of the last edition, the president [António Pina] went to the Backstage and soon invited Anselmo Ralph to be present, again, in 2015. He accepted and said he had liked to come here», revealed Vítor Lopes, of the municipal company Fesnima.
On the 11th, the pianist Júlio Resende, from Olevo, takes the stage, who will be accompanied by two young fado divas, Ana Bacalhau and Ana Moura, with whom he will promote the «Fado e Further. On Wednesday, the 12th, young Richie Campbell will bring his reggae sound to Olhão.
On the 13th, a Thursday, the stage is Mickael Carreira, followed by the performance of the veteran Portuguese «father of rock», José Cid. The Party ends with a concert by Daniela Mercury, the «Hurricane of the Bay», on Saturday, August 15th.
All these concerts can be enjoyed around a table, while tasting seafood. After all, this seafood is the soul of the festival and the reason why tens of thousands of people flock to the riverside area of Olhão every year to attend the festival.
As always, seafood will be present in great quantity and variety, ranging from local products, from the Ria Formosa, to the most refined delicacies, including lobster. Quality is another bet of the organization. «We are the only festival that is visited by ASAE every day. And they are invited by us», guaranteed the mayor of Olhão António Pina, during the presentation of the event.
As for the new image, it intends to give a fresher air to the festival, thirty years after its launch. The idea behind this renovation was to give a “more up-to-date, fresher and more modern” air to the festival, not only with regard to the communication material, but also to “the entire structure of the venue”.
In other words, the stands for the acquisition of seafood will be different, as will the organization of the space, since the restaurant that existed on the site, a masonry building that used to be located at the entrance, was demolished.
Without this obstacle, "people will be able to have a better view of the entire venue", which improves circulation and makes better use of the available space, in addition to giving another visibility to the exhibitors that are on the East side of the structure that is assembled. to the party.
«This was an ambition that we had for some time and we are able to do it now», illustrated António Pina.
As for prices, the same logic started last year of differentiated prices is maintained, when the artist forced a larger investment. This year, in addition to Anselmo Ralph (12 euros), Daniela Mercury's concert (10 euros) will also be a little more expensive than the others: on the first and last day, the invitations are not valid. The other concerts cost 9 euros.
Children up to 6 years old can enter for free on any day of the festival. There is also no different price for children between 7 and 12 years old, who pay 4 euros on any day.
As for the budget, it remains «approximately the same as last year» and is around 600 euros, a portion of which is directly supported by the municipality, as this event does not pay for itself. «The Seafood Festival gives losses to the Chamber, but we believe that the economic return it brings to the municipality is much higher», believes António Pina.
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