The Olhao Seafood Festival is ongoing at the present time and will be so till the 15^th of August, so you could still make it there in time to taste some of the most delicious seafood that the Algarve has to offer, as well as appreciate some popular local live music.

Another culinary-centric event will be taking place in Vila do Bispo between August 23 and 25. This is the Festival do Perceve – barnacles’ festival – where the star of the show is the perceve, a species of goose barnacle very appreciated across the entire Iberian Peninsula. This festival complements the ones in Olhao and the Sardine Festival which ended on the 11^th.

By now you have missed the Silves Medieval Fair, which ended on August 11, however, you can set your medieval sights upon Castro Marim’s Dias Medievais, which will take place between August 22 and 25 at the town’s centre and its castle. This event too will include a plethora of tournaments, traditional games and all manner of activities related to the medieval era.

Then there’s the event which normally captivates a large number of people, Lagoa’s FATACIL, which takes place between August 16 and 25.

This event features around 600 exhibitors from the handicrafts, tourism, agriculture, retail and industry sectors not to mention great high-class entertainment such as concerts and equestrian displays.

These are just the major events that are still to take place in the Algarve, there are many more smaller parties, festivities and fairs around the region. The best way to see them is to employ some Algarve car rental services and check as many of them as possible.

The overarching goal of this Fair is to offer to modern eyes, a view of what the city had been and how the world was those many centuries ago. Young and old, residents and tourists are all welcomed to this event which also plans to promote the country and the city to the world at large. And in the Algarve, you need to set yourself apart from the plethora of coastal resorts or quaint villages, by any means necessary, and a medieval fair will surely shine a bright light on Silves.

The Fair has grown quite a bit since its first edition in the 1996 when it was organized by the local School and the students, teachers and local school community were the driving engine behind the whole thing. Even by 2005 when the first official Silves Medieval Fair took place, it only attracted a relatively small number of visitors, but from that point onward it has garnered an increasing level of popularity.

This year the Fair will be reenacting the conquest of Silves by the Christians and this will surely prove to be quite the experience to all those involved as well as to those spectating.

MAP and event program for the Silves Medieval Fair

Besides all the activities and the medieval-style food that will populate the old town, the atmosphere will be further enhanced by the presence of a variety of artist groups around the city.

Much like the troubadours and jugglers or old, you’ll see groups of people dressed in medieval appropriate garb, singing, jumping, and engaging in all manner of medieval entertainment. This will only add to the layers of medieval charm that the city offers through its merchants, craftsmen and the like.

Events of Silves Medieval Fair start at 18:00 and finish around 01.00 AM and in case you want to have more information, visit the Silves Medieval Fair Facebook Page.

Make no mistake about it, you will love this even if you’re not into the Medieval Era, but honestly now, who isn’t?

DAILY EVENTS of Silves Medieval Fair:

» 18:00 Opening of the Medieval Fair and Parade and Broad Streets in Medina
» 18.30 Dramatization of the episode daily – Medina Square
»19.00 Reading Notice – City Gates
» 20:00 Arms Tournament Horse in silica (Evidence brave and valiant fighting prowess of the knights of Allah for the honor of exhibiting their loyalty to Isa Ibn Abi Hafs Ibn Alli, governor of Silves) – Al-Square Muthamid
» 20.30 Ceremonial of Ramadan -” Iftar “call to prayer – City Gates
» 21:00 Banquet at the Palace of Balconies – Castle
»22.00 Dramatization – Conquest of the City by the Christians in 1189 – Taking the Alcazaba – Castle
»22.30 Tournament Horse Arms in silica (Knights Crusaders and knights of King Sancho I will fight among themselves by looting the castle, making bets and claiming rights) – Al-Square Muthamid
» 24.00 Final Judgment – Largo’s Souq
» 1:00 AM - Closing of the Fair

You can enjoy the festival if you reach Silves where the main events are at:

Castelo de Silves
Rua do Castelo
Silves, Western Algarve