New rules for the Barao de Sao Joao fair
It would appear that the Barao de Sao Joao parish has decided to create a new set of rules in regards to its well-known boot fair. This decision came after a police raid took place in the western Algarve village on April 28.
The fair has been a staple of the local region for the past 19 years, and it has steadily increasing in size and number of vendors year after year without any sorts of incidents. However, the monitoring operation that took place in April, which resulted in several vendors being fined, has cause the Junta de Freguesia to intervene in order ‘to ensure that the fair keeps going’.
Lagos Town Hall representatives have met recently in Faro with other Algarve Camaras in order to define a set of bylaws meant for Algarve fairs and street markets, but these will be announced in September. Till then the village council has decided to enforce a temporary set of rules in order for the event to still be held while also being within Portuguese law.
The biggest change brought in by these new rules – which were approved in a meeting on June 14 – is that the fair was rebranded as an ‘antiques fair’.
Whilst the Barao de Sao Joao fair was mostly focused on second-hand goods, it also offered homemade food and a large number of knick knacks from stalls or camper vans. Under the new title, the vendors are only allowed to sell antiques or second-hand items such as old coins, stamps, handicrafts and old clothes. Items that cannot be sold anymore include new good, food, medicine and stereo equipment, as well as things like fuel and ammunition. Also bartering or swapping of items won’t be allowed.
There are other major changes as well, such as the fact that the fair will now be held in the Polidesportivo sports hall which will feature 87 stalls, each of them being allocated by the village parish.
Then there’s also the fact that parking will be an issue and that the fair will now operate from 8 AM to 2 PM with the vendors having just one hour before and one after the event to set up and dismantle their stalls.
