O Almond Blossom Festival, which took place between Friday, February 3rd, and Sunday, the 5th, in the village of Alta Mora, in the municipality of Castro Marim, brought together seven thousand visitors.
For the entity promoting the initiative, the Associação Recreativa, Cultural e Desportiva dos Amigos da Alta Mora (ARCDAA), the result is a «total overcoming of expectations».
«The bar was set at five thousand, but seven thousand visitors were reached, an incredible number for an inland village with less than 50 residents», recalls the organization, stressing the importance of volunteers. Around a hundred people were helping, with emphasis on the elderly residents of the locality, who during the last month participated in the assembly of this event, namely in the cleaning, painting, decoration and demarcation of trails.
The Association also emphasizes that the support was essential for the initiative to take place. «The Festival relied on the partnership of the Municipality of Castro Marim from the very beginning, whose financial and logistical support was of the utmost importance, as well as that of the Parish Council of Odeleite», guarantees ARCDAA. In addition, the association found support and collaboration in several local companies and regional entities, without which the event would not be possible.
In the strategic component, the Festival presented itself as an initiative to promote and revitalize the values, traditions and identity of the territory, with the main objective of combating the desertification and depopulation of the Algarve mountains. The main goal, guarantees the ARCDAA, is «to establish itself as a cultural event that marks the tourist route of the region in low season, favoring one of the most emblematic products of the Algarve: almonds».
The Festival offered four routes that hosted ten walks covered by a thousand hikers. A market, with 65 producers/sellers and a «village» with 35 artisans. Two stages with theater and dance shows and 12 artists. A photographic exhibition, a giant almond cake measuring 41 meters, and finally, one of the great mottos of the festival, the planting of 75 almond trees in Alta Mora.
The inaugural session of the festival was attended by various entities, including Municipalities, Parish Councils, local and regional associations, the University of the Algarve, the Regional Directorate for Culture of the Algarve, the Regional Directorate for Agriculture and Fisheries, the Commission for Coordination and Regional Development of the Algarve (CCDR) Algarve and other authorities.
The Festival arose following the success of the pedestrian walks «Almond Trees in Blossom», organized by ARCDAA since 2005. In 2020, the 1st edition of the Almond Blossom Festival was launched with the support of the 365 Algarve program and the Castro Marim. After an interregnum, forced by the pandemic, ARCDAA decided to advance to a second edition, albeit without national or European funding.
Photos: Flavio Costa | Sul Informação
Comments