Marches, Arraiais, Bailes, Roasted Sardines and Bonfire Jumps. There will be a little of everything in Portimão, between June 10th and 28th, to celebrate the Popular Saints.
The month of June is the month of Santos Populares and Portimão maintains and reinvents tradition, getting ready to live 18 days of great entertainment with the parade of Popular Marches in four places in the county, with the Arraiais and Bailes in the Antiga Lota and with the second edition of the Popular Saints in the Historic Center of the city.
The Popular Marches are back on the streets in the three parishes of the municipality and this year they return to Praia da Rocha (Exterior of the Santa Catarina Fortress) for the traditional parade, which this year has the participation of four communities in the municipality: Sporting Glória Or Morte Portimonense, the Clube de Instrução e Recreio Mexilhoeirense, the Sociedade Recreativa Figueirense and the Marcha da Vila de Alvor.
The parade will also feature three invited marches, the Duna-CASLAS Community Center – Meia Praia de Lagos, the March of the Grupo Amigos da Pedreira de Silves and the March of the Football Club “Os Estombarenses”.
The nights promise to be lively and marked by music and dancing to the rhythm of popular songs. The first parade will take place in the Zona Ribeirinha of Portimão, on June 10th, while, on June 17th, marchers will parade in the Churchyard of Mexilhoeira Grande.
On June 18, the parade will reach the Alvor Riverside Zone, culminating this great popular party with the final parade on June 24, at Praia da Rocha, more precisely outside the Fortaleza de Santa Catarina. All parades will start at 22pm.
This year's edition of the Popular Marches of Portimão will bring together around 400 participants, including marchers, choreographers and costume designers, who give free rein to the popular spirit and imagination, evoking various themes linked to the sociocultural heritage and traditions of the Algarve.
On June 12, history is made under the motto of sardines, with 64 marchers from Portimão going to Lisbon to parade as a guest march – Popular March of Portimão, in what is one of the biggest events in the capital, the parade of Popular Marches on Avenida da Liberdade and in front of thousands of people. The parade starts at 21 pm and is free to enter.
The tradition dictates that, in the evenings of June, during the celebrations of the Popular Saints, Santo António, São João and São Pedro, the bonfire is jumped and that people dance in the corners and streets of the city.
The entertainment organized by local Associations and Collectivities seeks to share the experience of public space with all visitors and tourists who flock to the city to experience this festival.
In this sense, Sporting Glória or Morte Portimonense will hold the traditional Arraiais and Bailes in the old auction of Portimão, on Saturdays of June 11, 18 and 25, from 22 pm, with grilled sardines and lots of music.
This year, the Historic Area of Portimão will host the second edition of Santos Populares de Portimão, which reinvents and celebrates a great party on Rua Nova, together with local communities and cultural associations.
The participants are Contramaré – Associação Cultural de Portimão, Clube União Portimonense and Sociedade Vencedora Portimonense.
On the 12th, 24th and 28th of June, from 19:00 to 00:30, Rua Nova will be the stage for sardines, recreation of bonfire jumps and cultural entertainment, namely Bailes Populares and projection of videomapping.
The ARU/historical center of Portimão has been the stage for the city's initiatives linked to urban rehabilitation and regeneration, and also the site of alternative activities carried out by Contramaré – Associação Cultural de Portimão.
The saints and popular festivals are a very specific cultural tradition. What matters is to intensely celebrate everything that these festive days in Portimão have to offer.
This initiative is organized by the Municipality of Portimão, together with the Parish of Portimão, the Parish of Alvor, the Parish of Mexilhoeira Grande and also with Contramaré – Cultural Association of Portimão, the Clube União Portimonense, the Sociedade Vencedora Portimonense.
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