The Portuguese HMB will be the headlines of the end-of-year program in Albufeira. In all, there are four days of celebration, with varied proposals and for various audiences, thinking of the families who choose this city to spend the New Year's Eve.
Albufeira's proposals for the 2018 farewell and welcome to 2019 party were presented yesterday, Thursday. The Albufeirense Chamber took advantage of the World Tourism Day to reveal what it has in the sleeve for the last days of the year, a period in which «about 150 thousand visitors are expected».
The highlight will be a New Year's Eve party that will feature HMB, a band that was in Albufeira yesterday, to help launch this program. In addition to Heber Marques, the vocalist that gives the group its name – Heber Marques Band -, two other members of the band traveled to the Algarve, including Fred Martinho, who warned the public to «be prepared for a big, big party».
In addition to the presence of the Portuguese soul and funk band, Reveillon, scheduled for Praça dos Pescadores, from 21 pm on December 30, will also feature performances by Wilson Honrado, DJ at Rádio Comercial, and Fernando Daniel. The public will also be able to enjoy the usual fireworks, which will be launched in three different places: Praça dos Pescadores and the beaches of Oura and Olhos de Água.
But the event, which will take place in the last hours of 2018 and at dawn on the first day of next year, is just one of the vectors of a broader program.
The party starts on December 28th, with another edition of the festival of stand up comedy Solrir, which will last until January 1st and will take place at the Palácio de Congressos do Algarve, in Salgados. This is also the day on which the Medieval Paderne initiative ends, which begins on December 29 and will transport this village from Albufeira to the past for four days.
The program is completed with the parade of street artists Star Parade, which will travel along Avenida Sá Carneiro on the night of December 29th.
As highlighted by the mayor of Albufeira José Carlos Rolo, these are proposals that aim to complement the offer that already exists in Albufeira, namely hotels and local restaurants.
“Our idea was to set up a program here for those who stay here for several days. In many cases, parents will be able to stay in hotels [celebrating New Year's Eve], but their children will be able to go to Praça dos Pescadores. They are complementary programs, thinking about families. And because it is a four-day program, it allows for a longer and more fruitful stay», he told the Sul Informação the aedile from Albufeira.
On the other hand, the impact of the end-of-year celebration on the local economy is enhanced. “I think this issue of encouraging a longer stay is important, as it is more productive and profitable. People are prevented from coming just to watch the concert and leaving right away, as is often the case. We want to hold people for a while longer», explained José Carlos Rolo.
For this, local economic agents also have to help, warned the mayor of Albufeira. «The effort cannot be just on one side, the rope breaks. It has to be on both sides, so that the public sector can complement the private initiative».
Thus, an appeal was launched to the owners of establishments to "be open, not only on New Year's Eve, but also on the days before and on January 1st."
Albufeira's end-of-year programming, which is promoted by the Albufeira Town Council and by APAL – Albufeira Promotion Agency, should cost «about 150 thousand euros», an amount «similar to that invested in 2017».
Detailed information on the various initiatives will be made available shortly on the Albufeira Municipality website and on the Chamber Facebook.
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