The Beer Festival of Silves was, in the 80s and 90s of the last century, the most important event of its kind in the Algarve, but then it lost strength and, in 2005, it disappeared. This year, once again by the hand of Silves Futebol Clube, the Festival is back, from the 15th to the 18th of June, but it brings many new features.
The first novelty is the location: instead of the castle, the event moves to downtown, to Al-Mutamid Square. The second novelty is that entry is no longer paid, but free. The third novelty is that, instead of just industrial beer brands, there will now be a large industrial brand, but also "more than 50 craft beers, namely from the Algarve, from the rest of the country and some from abroad".
O Sul Informação spoke with Tiago Leal, president of Silves Futebol Clube, who explained that «the Festival is now re-emerging in modern molds, after changing its entire concept: there is no admission fee, so people can move freely around the venue, enjoying the shows, that are free, tasting the beers or snacks». But there is a trick: it is that «you can only drink from the official mug of the event, which costs 2,5 euros». But whoever wants to return to the Festival once or twice can always use the same mug.
Tiago Leal underlined that the objective is to «rebuild an event that was a symbol of the city and even of the Algarve, and that it was something in which the club's identity was also present. Silves has always assumed itself as more than a sports club and we want to maintain this facet, reborn, in new molds, a festival that is important to generate revenue for the club, but also to boost the city's economy», namely its catering and small businesses.
The Beer Festival, which is now also called Beer Fest, to wink at foreign tourists (as if one of the first words that any tourist learns in a country they visit was not beer, in the local language…), it will have «two food courts, connected by the craft fair». In these squares, there will be a varied gastronomy, the kind that goes well with a fresh beer, from steaks to pizzas, pork on a skewer or snails. And there will also be regional sweets, as well as crepes and waffles. just like a lounge, workshops e showcookings, with beer as the motto.
To guarantee the party, there will be traveling entertainment, but also concerts on both stages of the Festival, always with regional artists: Mário Dias, US2, Zeca e os Pelintras, Ondina Santos, Reflect, A Tiborna das Cantigas, Insert Coin and Xico Barata. The Folklore Groups of São Bartolomeu de Messines and Algoz will also give an air of its grace. "There will be music of various types and for different tastes, so that people can choose what they like the most," added Tiago Leal.
«We want to project the name of the city and project Silves as more than a club where sports are practiced, but also that provides services to the community», repeats the association's president.
In its first years of existence, the Beer Festival was very important to guarantee revenue for Silves FC. And the goal now is for this trend to repeat itself. «We live on a very tight budget and we need more revenue to be able to dedicate even more to our core, which is the practice of sports», explained Tiago Leal.
Silves Futebol Clube has 23 teams of different sports, ranging from football to futsal, volleyball or gymnasium modalities (such as zumba, pilates, yoga, ballet).
The football that appears in the name of the club has a senior team playing in the 1st Division of the District Championship of the Algarve, but it has, above all, levels ranging from the benjamins to the veterans.
"One of the bets we have been making in recent years is in training football and we already have teams in these younger levels playing in national championships, fighting with the best", said the sports director. "With that, there are more and better athletes wanting to enter Silves, in the county and around". In such a way that, currently, the club already has 400 athletes.
The Beer Festival/Beer Fest, which has the essential support of the Municipality of Silves, is therefore considered important to guarantee revenue for the club.
Tiago Leal is very happy with the curiosity that the return of the event is already arousing, namely on social networks, and concludes: «we have the responsibility to make a festival that meets people's expectations. We have to take hold of that brand, that old notoriety, keep the fundamental characteristics, but give it notoriety». Whether they succeeded or not is what the thousands of expected visitors will be able to see, from the 15th to the 18th of June, at Praça Al-Mutamid, in Silves.
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