Algarve highlights this week

Here are some of this weeks highlights here in Algarve

Tuesday 22nd July

Starting today Glasgow Celtic, Middlesbrough, Cardiff City and Vitoria Guimaraes will battle it out for the inaugural Algarve Challenge Cup at the Estadio Algarve on the 22nd and 24th July 2008. With clubs from England, Scotland and Wales pitting themselves against the Portuguese Champions League qualifiers it is sure to provide a real competitive edge to the pre-season tournament as well as providing a fantastic party atmosphere on the Algarve this summer.

This year the Algarve Challenge Cup line up throws some interesting teams together with Celtic v Middlesbrough and Guimaraes v. Cardiff City on the 22nd July. The final evening (24th July) will see Middlesbrough v. Guimaraes and then a clash of the Celts with Celtic v. Cardiff City to wrap up the tournament.
Tournament format
The tournament will be a modified league system where teams will get 3 points for a win and 1 for a draw. In addition to this a point will be awarded for every goal scored which will promote attractive attacking football. So a 3-3 draw would get a team the same number of points as a 1-0 victory.
22nd July 2008:
19.15 KO: Guimaraes v. Cardiff City
21.30 KO: Celtic v Middlesbrough
24th July 2008:
19.15 KO: Guimaraes v. Middlesbrough
21.30 KO: Cardiff City v. Celtic
The tournament will take place at the Estadio Algarve. The stadium is situated in the spacious Cities Park on the border between the towns of Faro and Loulé (S. João da Venda), which include a botanical garden, a lake, a golf course, a 400-metre athletics track, training grounds and the future Algarve Central Hospital.
Car: The stadium is located 8km north-west of Faro on the road to Loulé.
Train: The Faro-Lisbon railway will have a station at Cities' Park.
Nearest Airport: Faro International Airport (8 km)
For more details visit algarvechallengecup.com

Wednesday 23rd July

Not in Algarve, but a great day/night out why not visit Sines while the FMMSines festival is on
FMM SINES [July 17-26, 2008]

FMM celebrates its 10th anniversary with 40 concerts in 10 intense days of music.

Festival Músicas do Mundo, the biggest world music party in Portugal, is 10 years old in 2008 and celebrates the anniversary with the largest and strongest programme ever. Ten full days of music with 40 concerts and parallel initiatives taking place on four stages set in the village of Porto Covo (next to the fishing harbour) and the town of Sines (Arts Centre, Beach Stage and Castle). The programme highlights include the father of Chinese Rock, Cui Jian, the queen of Bollywood music, Asha Boshle, hip hop’s seminal group The Last Poets, and BBC Radio 3 World Music Awards winners Bassekou Kouyaté, Justin Adams & Juldeh Camara, Orchestra Baobab and Rokia Traoré.
For more info see http://www.fmm.com.pt/english/index.htm

Thursday 24th July

Rythm of the dance starts today and runs until the 31st of August at the fabrica do ingles (the old cork factory) in Silves. This 90 minute show features Irish music and dance and starts at 10.15pm each evening. There are bars, cafes and a muesem
For more information call 282.440.480 or visit http://www.fabrica-do-ingles.pt/pt/home_pt.htm

Friday 25th July

The Loule jazz festival starts today and runs until the 27th
Things take place in the Espirito Santo Convent Courtyard from 10.oopm each evening.
For more information call289.400.600

Saturday 26th July

This weekend sees a mini Festival do Marisco (Shellfish Festival) on the island of Culatra.
For those of you that dont know the island, I highly reccommend a visit, you get a ferry from Olhao (make sure you get off at Culatra and not at Farol (not at the lighthouse). Ferries leave Olhao at 09.00, 11.00, 13.00 and 15.00. Culatra is a small, unspoilt, fishing village, so where better to have seafood.

Sunday 27th July

Step back in time tonight for the final night of the "nights of the encharted moorish maiden" taking place at Cacela Velha (on the coast toward the Spanish border) the village is transformed back to the 10th century as is would have been in Moorih times. Food, drink, music and crafts


If you are staying in one of our villas or elsewhere, we hope you enjoy your time here.