And so the festive season begins! We shall no doubt all be hitting the shops, markets and bazaars trying to find the perfect gift for family and friends.
Street decorations, shop windows filled with tantalizing goodies, the malls filled with stunning trees and boughs filled with giant baubles will get us all into the festive mood. By the end of the month I shall be sick of Christmas music and fake snow but for now? Bring it on…
On 7th December you can join the ‘Great Father Christmas Walk’. The Holiday Inn Algarve is organising this fun fundraiser for the second year running to help the less fortunate among us So bring along some food staples such as olive oil, dried foods or long life milk, for distribution to those in need. Don’t want to carry? No problem! Your money donations will be very gratefully received - no matter how small.
Put on your Father Christmas hat (or outfit) and be in front of the Holiday Inn in Armação de Pêra at 11am to step out with all the other good folk. For more details call Holiday Inn Algarve – 282 320 260 or email [email protected]
Join the fund raising shopping event on Saturday 7th December at the Vale de Lobo Auditorium. Proceeds will be going to the Wolf Valley Charity Fund who will be helping more of the poor and needy in our midst. From 11am to 5pm you can shop till you drop, eat, drink and be entertained, knowing you are helping others as you enjoy yourself.
Food, food, glorious food
From Saturday 30th November until Sunday 8th December, Silves, and São Bartolomeu de Messines are laying on a week of traditional Portuguese food and drink in various restaurants in the area. Here is your chance to get stuck into some fabulous dishes cooked in the Portuguese style. To find out more call 282 339 136.
Then of course, every major hotel and restaurant in the Algarve is laying on traditional Christmas fare this month. (Notice the traditional Christmas fare always seems to be British?) From special banquets to roast turkey with all the trimmings, ,the catering corps are going flat out to feed us from 1st December to the Big Day itself on the 25th.
Christmas shopping with a difference
As we all know, buying gifts can be painful, especially for the men in your life. So here are a few places that may just have what you didn’t know you were looking for!
On the7th and 8th of December Louléis hosting its annualMountain Fair. As well as demonstrations of the traditions of the area, and the food of course, there will be plenty of handicrafts from the Serra do Caldeirão and more products from the upland regions. Avenida José da Costa Mealha (main avenue in Loulé) is where you will find this wonderful fair.
Another unusual place to go Christmas shopping is the British style auction house on the Faro to Estoi road. Auctions take place every first and third Saturday of the month with doors opening at 9am. You can view lots every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. For more information call 914774438 and speak to Mark Monkman or email [email protected].
Try the São Bras Museum Christmas fair from 11am to 4pm on 1st December, featuring lots of traditional Christmas goodies – there are bound to be some tasty options there for a sweet tooth!
And, just in case you can’t find that special something, don’t forget the Estoi marketon Sunday8th December. Not just your run-of-the-mill every day market, but a market that sells everything from plastic buckets and household goods to plants, trees and seedlings.
Horses (and all their tackle), chickens, turkeys, rabbits and birds of all shapes, sizes and colours are there for the choosing. You can get cheeses from all over Portugal, presunto on the bone or sliced while you watch; olives, honey and home grown fruit and vegetables are in abundance.
It’s all there, along with clothes, accessories, toys and artwork. Want a break? Take a seat for a serving of chicken piri piri or a cup of coffee with a delicious fartura to take the weight off while you figure out who else is on your Christmas list!
Now something for the ladies!
Remember the stir when the WI created a calendar featuring its members – naked, for charity? You’ve seen the film or the recent Algarve production about it? Well now you can get your 2014 calendar of our local fellas who stripped for charity!
The Desperate Horsewives have published a 2014 calendar full of our own Algarve hunky heroes! These guys are quite anxious for the calendar to be a huge success for the charity Their Voice Portugal and, I suspect, for their own self esteem.
At €11 a pop, it’s a steal, I’ve ordered a bunch of them for Christmas presents for my girlfriends! See The Desperate Horsewives to get yours now before they are all gone!
For more shopping options don’t forget all the malls. The Christmas decorations are spectacular and each has their own fun and games going on for adults and kids alike, making it your shopping more fun than effort.
For your entertainment
Check out a classic performance of the famous ballet Swan Lake on the 1st December in the Tempo Theatre, Largo, Portimão. Starting at 9.30pm,tickets range from €25 to €28 but a 10% discount will be given for the over 65s and children under 16. Phone 282 402 475 for more details.
The comedy ‘The Everlasting Circle’ is presented on 5th & 6th December at the São Bras Museum, and again on 7th December at the Casa do Povo in Moncarapacho. Both shows begin at 8pm and are performed by the Aperiti Performance Group. Starting with the legend ‘A poor peasant sees a crane fall from the sky, wounded by a hunter’s arrow’, Aperiti have combined this with the Greek and Norse myths of ‘the three old women who weave the fates of mankind’.
A Christmas concert is to be held in Faro on 22nd December featuring the Classic Orchestra of the South, under the direction of Maestro Cesário Costa. This performance will be a special repertoire dedicated to the festive season. Starting at 6.30pm in the Teatro Figuras, Faro, tickets will cost €7.50 each. To find out more call 289 888 100.
Christmas is all about children…So here’s a huge party for them to enjoy. Starting on 20th and going on till the 25th December in Santa Luzia, near Tavira, the local council and supporters are playing host to children of all ages.
There’s a ‘Christmas Village’ in the town square, where the kids can play, create figures with pasta, bread and even cork. and can participate in games and competitions.
Children of pre-school and primary ages are welcome to take part in the event, which opens with a big Christmas party on the 20th December. With the arrival of the artificial snow, Santa Claus will enter into the magic kingdom with its castles and caves.
There will be magic shows, theatre and concerts and so much more to keep children spellbound. All comers are welcome and it’s free! What a treat to give your young ones.
New Year’s Eve
Ending the year will be a big event in Portugal. There will be huge parties on the beaches, in nightclubs, hotels and restaurants, as well as at many of the local Juntas. Fantastic firework displays will be visible the length and breadth of the Algarve, all along the coast and far into the hills. Check out what’s going on nearest to you and have a wonderful time. Check back later for our special New Year’s blog!
Whatever you do - don’t do what I did last year when I stepped out of the monster four wheel drive in which I had received a lift home from some rather good celebrations. The driver had unknowingly parked with the passenger side close to a ditch. You’ve guessed it, I stepped out of the vehicle and straight into the ditch. Needless to say I found it hysterically funny at the time when the driver panicked at seeing me step out and then suddenly disappear into the unknown!
Wishing each and every one of you a Merry Christmas and Prosperous New Year complete with health, wealth and happiness – or whatever turns you on. May you find your dream property (on Meravista), may you sell quickly and profitably (on Meravista) and may you long enjoy the Sunny Algarve. See you next year!
Editor’s note
With so much going on, we’re bound to have missed an event or two. If there’s something happening in your area that we haven’t mentioned, we’d love to hear about it.
Brought to you by Meravista – the place where smart people search for Algarve property for sale.
Things to do in the Algarve for December 2013
by Sun’s dragon
And so the festive season begins! We shall no doubt all be hitting the shops, markets and bazaars trying to find the perfect gift for family and friends.
Street decorations, shop windows filled with tantalizing goodies, the malls filled with stunning trees and boughs filled with giant baubles will get us all into the festive mood. By the end of the month I shall be sick of Christmas music and fake snow but for now? Bring it on…
A helping hand
This is the season of goodwill and giving, so on the 1st December the hotel Forte do Vale in Albufeira kicks off the month with a fantastic Charity Christmas Party. Starting at 1pm, with Kiss FM providing three hours of live music and commentary from 4pm. Everyone is invited to drop in and drop off a Christmas gift for children and families in need in the Algarve. Entertainment will be provided by Petchey Leisure and MGM Muthu. Bookings are being taken for the event’s celebration dinner. For more information call 289 597 400.
On 7th December you can join the ‘Great Father Christmas Walk’. The Holiday Inn Algarve is organising this fun fundraiser for the second year running to help the less fortunate among us So bring along some food staples such as olive oil, dried foods or long life milk, for distribution to those in need. Don’t want to carry? No problem! Your money donations will be very gratefully received - no matter how small.
Put on your Father Christmas hat (or outfit) and be in front of the Holiday Inn in Armação de Pêra at 11am to step out with all the other good folk. For more details call Holiday Inn Algarve – 282 320 260 or email [email protected]
Join the fund raising shopping event on Saturday 7th December at the Vale de Lobo Auditorium. Proceeds will be going to the Wolf Valley Charity Fund who will be helping more of the poor and needy in our midst. From 11am to 5pm you can shop till you drop, eat, drink and be entertained, knowing you are helping others as you enjoy yourself.
From Saturday 30th November until Sunday 8th December, Silves, and São Bartolomeu de Messines are laying on a week of traditional Portuguese food and drink in various restaurants in the area. Here is your chance to get stuck into some fabulous dishes cooked in the Portuguese style. To find out more call 282 339 136.
Then of course, every major hotel and restaurant in the Algarve is laying on traditional Christmas fare this month. (Notice the traditional Christmas fare always seems to be British?) From special banquets to roast turkey with all the trimmings, ,the catering corps are going flat out to feed us from 1st December to the Big Day itself on the 25th.
Christmas shopping with a difference
As we all know, buying gifts can be painful, especially for the men in your life. So here are a few places that may just have what you didn’t know you were looking for!
On the 7th and 8th of December Loulé is hosting its annual Mountain Fair. As well as demonstrations of the traditions of the area, and the food of course, there will be plenty of handicrafts from the Serra do Caldeirão and more products from the upland regions. Avenida José da Costa Mealha (main avenue in Loulé) is where you will find this wonderful fair.
Another unusual place to go Christmas shopping is the British style auction house on the Faro to Estoi road. Auctions take place every first and third Saturday of the month with doors opening at 9am. You can view lots every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. For more information call 914774438 and speak to Mark Monkman or email [email protected].
And, just in case you can’t find that special something, don’t forget the Estoi market on Sunday 8th December. Not just your run-of-the-mill every day market, but a market that sells everything from plastic buckets and household goods to plants, trees and seedlings.
Horses (and all their tackle), chickens, turkeys, rabbits and birds of all shapes, sizes and colours are there for the choosing. You can get cheeses from all over Portugal, presunto on the bone or sliced while you watch; olives, honey and home grown fruit and vegetables are in abundance.
It’s all there, along with clothes, accessories, toys and artwork. Want a break? Take a seat for a serving of chicken piri piri or a cup of coffee with a delicious fartura to take the weight off while you figure out who else is on your Christmas list!
Now something for the ladies!
Remember the stir when the WI created a calendar featuring its members – naked, for charity? You’ve seen the film or the recent Algarve production about it? Well now you can get your 2014 calendar of our local fellas who stripped for charity!
The Desperate Horsewives have published a 2014 calendar full of our own Algarve hunky heroes! These guys are quite anxious for the calendar to be a huge success for the charity Their Voice Portugal and, I suspect, for their own self esteem.
At €11 a pop, it’s a steal, I’ve ordered a bunch of them for Christmas presents for my girlfriends! See The Desperate Horsewives to get yours now before they are all gone!
For more shopping options don’t forget all the malls. The Christmas decorations are spectacular and each has their own fun and games going on for adults and kids alike, making it your shopping more fun than effort.
For your entertainment
The comedy ‘The Everlasting Circle’ is presented on 5th & 6th December at the São Bras Museum, and again on 7th December at the Casa do Povo in Moncarapacho. Both shows begin at 8pm and are performed by the Aperiti Performance Group. Starting with the legend ‘A poor peasant sees a crane fall from the sky, wounded by a hunter’s arrow’, Aperiti have combined this with the Greek and Norse myths of ‘the three old women who weave the fates of mankind’.
Information for Sao Bras: [email protected] or tel.966329073.
Information for Moncarapacho: [email protected]
A Christmas concert is to be held in Faro on 22nd December featuring the Classic Orchestra of the South, under the direction of Maestro Cesário Costa. This performance will be a special repertoire dedicated to the festive season. Starting at 6.30pm in the Teatro Figuras, Faro, tickets will cost €7.50 each. To find out more call 289 888 100.
There’s a ‘Christmas Village’ in the town square, where the kids can play, create figures with pasta, bread and even cork. and can participate in games and competitions.
Children of pre-school and primary ages are welcome to take part in the event, which opens with a big Christmas party on the 20th December. With the arrival of the artificial snow, Santa Claus will enter into the magic kingdom with its castles and caves.
There will be magic shows, theatre and concerts and so much more to keep children spellbound. All comers are welcome and it’s free! What a treat to give your young ones.
New Year’s Eve
Ending the year will be a big event in Portugal. There will be huge parties on the beaches, in nightclubs, hotels and restaurants, as well as at many of the local Juntas. Fantastic firework displays will be visible the length and breadth of the Algarve, all along the coast and far into the hills. Check out what’s going on nearest to you and have a wonderful time. Check back later for our special New Year’s blog!
Whatever you do - don’t do what I did last year when I stepped out of the monster four wheel drive in which I had received a lift home from some rather good celebrations. The driver had unknowingly parked with the passenger side close to a ditch. You’ve guessed it, I stepped out of the vehicle and straight into the ditch. Needless to say I found it hysterically funny at the time when the driver panicked at seeing me step out and then suddenly disappear into the unknown!
Editor’s note
With so much going on, we’re bound to have missed an event or two. If there’s something happening in your area that we haven’t mentioned, we’d love to hear about it.
Brought to you by Meravista – the place where smart people search for Algarve property for sale.