Allgarve 09 – A celebration of life

Allgarve 09 sees the music, culture, sports and gastronomy programme hitting Portugal’s Algarve region for its third year, and once again boasts an impressive line-up of events running through to October 2009, with the support of Turismo de Portugal, the Portuguese National Tourist Office, and the Algarve Promotion Bureau.

All the profits from the Allgarve music programme will be donated to local charitable institutions across the region.

Joss Stone, Seal and Mariza are some of the celebrated names headlining the pop and rock concerts whilst Madeleine Peyroux, Experanza Spalding, the Glenn Miller Orchestra and Marsalis Brasilianos will be performing during July in Allgarve Jazz.

Modern art will be one of the key features of Allgarve 09. This year’s exhibitions are grouped under the theme “As Bright as the Sun” and feature exhibitions in the beautiful Quinta da Fonte da Pipa in Loulé as well as the Campina da Silva salt mine. The art programme runs from 20 June to 27 September, with exhibitions in many Algarvian cities including Faro, Portimão, Lagos and Silves.

Allgarve 09 also has a strong focus on sporting events. The Portugal Rally in April and the Snooker World Series in May set a precedent for events to come, including the International Show Jumping Competition in Vilamoura and Portimão from 26 to 28 June, the 1000 km’s Le Mans Series from 31 July to 2 August, and the SuperBike World Championship from 23-25 October, which will take place at the new Portimão Racetrack for the second time.

With its 34 state-of-the-art golf courses, golf could not be missing from the Allgarve’s sports Programme. The Nation’s Cup will take place in Vale do Lobo in September and the Portugal Masters will be hosted by Oceânico Victoria Golf Club from 15 to 18 October.

For the first time this year, Dance has been included in the events programme, with a series a series of parties set in the Algarve’s beautiful landscape and dance classes in the region’s beaches.

This year’s Allgarve 09 programme once again emphasises the region’s diverse tourist offering for all international visitors whatever their interests, and strengthens the Algarve’s position as a key tourist destination.

A full list of events is appended with further events being announced over the coming weeks.

Log on to Allgarve.pt to find out more.