The Feira da Praia (Fair of the Beach) will be held in Vila Real de Santo António, between October 10th and 15th, as is traditional.
The fair takes place along Avenida da República and in Marquês de Pombal Square, and attracts thousands of visitors, mainly from Spain where the 12th of October is a holiday.
The Feira da Praia name comes from the fair’s origins when it was held on the beach at Monte Gordo, the first recorded fair being in 1765.
In 1774, the date of the foundation of Vila Real de Santo António, the fair was transferred to the city but the name stayed.
The Fiesta Nacional de España national holiday commemorates Christopher Columbus, an Italian born in the Republic of Genoa - in what is now Italy - first setting foot in the Americas in 1492 on an expedition sponsored by King Ferdinand of Spain.
Over in Tavira, the São Francisco fair is on now until Sunday the 8th October. This is the old cattle fair, on which it always rains, according to tradition.
The event is at the Parque de Feiras e Exposições in Vale Formoso.
