Concerts, exhibitions, diving baptisms and visits to the school ship “Sagres” are some of the initiatives that are part of the Navy Day program, which this year is celebrated in Faro.
The complete program was presented this Thursday, May 12, at a press conference held at the Municipality of Faro and was attended by Rogério Bacalhau, mayor, Vice-Admiral Coelho Cândido, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Navy, Rear Admiral Chaves Ferreira, Chief of the Office of the Chief of Staff of the Navy, the Commander Rocha Pacheco, Commander of the Southern Maritime Zone, and Commander Sousa Luís, Spokesperson for the Navy.
This is the first time that the Day of the Navy is celebrated in Faro.
«We expected this celebration to take place in 2020, but this was not possible due to the contingencies imposed by the pandemic crisis. Therefore, today, we are doubly pleased to finally be able to host this event, which is of great importance for our county and for the Algarve», began by mentioning Rogério Bacalhau.
to the mayor of Faro, the location of this Algarve municipality and its contact with the ocean make it «completely» to host this initiative – and that the city is a partner of the Navy «in promoting its priorities and actions». Faro will be, «during these days, the capital of the sea in Portugal».
During the conference, Rogério Bacalhau also highlighted some of the activities that are part of the program.
«I would like to highlight the concert that will bring together the Banda da Armada, with more than 100 musicians, and the Algarve singer Nuno Guerreiro, on May 20, at 21:30 pm, in Jardim Manuel Bivar».
the mayor of Faro stressed that it was «of the greatest importance», to have «the presence of an artist from the Algarve, who symbolized the participation of the entire community of the region and the county in a moment that is emblematic of this action».
Among the activities of the program, Rogério Bacalhau announced the presence, for the second time, of the school ship Sagres in Faro.
«I cannot forget the one that, perhaps, will be the great attraction – the presence of the school ship Sagres, which returns to Faro after the huge success of your stay here in 2018, during which you received a lot of visitors. Perhaps, this school ship of ours, which is already the heritage of all Portuguese people, could become a great ambassador of the nautical potential we have in the county and in the region, attracting visitors and sailors of the future».
The Navy Day is celebrated on May 20, in honor of the arrival of Vasco da Gama to India, in 1498, however, the celebrations in the municipality of Faro started on the 3rd (with an exhibition at the Algarve Forum) and ended on the 22nd (with sea baptisms, visits to ships, among other activities).
The school ship Sagres will be at Cais Comercial between the 19th and 22nd and will receive visits in the morning, between 10:00 and 12:00, and in the afternoon, from 14:00 to 18:00.
On the 22nd, there is also a military ceremony, scheduled for 12:00, in Jardim Manuel Bívar.
During the press conference, Vice Admiral Coelho Cândido highlighted what drives the Navy to celebrate this day in Faro.
«Every year, we intend to get closer to the local populations, in this case the residents of Faro, so that the population can get to know its Navy better, the capabilities of the Navy, and what we do to protect and promote the interests of Portugal across the Sea», he said, also stressing the importance of technology that, this year, serves as a motto for the celebrations.
The Vice Admiral announced that these commemorations will allow the signing of protocols between the Navy and the University of Algarve.
Finally, the president of the Chamber of Faro encouraged the population to participate: "I reinforce the invitation to everyone so that, in these days, when we celebrate the Sea and the Navy, they can visit Faro, to know all the beauties and traditions».
Photos: Mariana Carriço | Sul Informação
See the full program here
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