# Festivals Near You - Is there a comprehensive list/calendar?



## TAO22 (Dec 30, 2010)

Hi All

I am looking for (or to compile if none exist) a comprehensive list of 'events' in Portugal. The type of event details I am looking for range from car rallys to pop concerts and local festas. Initially the idea came about as I have a small snack van serving english and portugese food and wondered where/who may be interested in my culinary delights..LOL...but after thinking about this further I think it would be great to have an up to date, month by month list of events for the ex pat community. Does anyone have any ideas where I can get the info?....I am more than willing to collate it all then send it out electronically to people interested if nothing already exists.....thoughts anyone please?


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## Catx (Apr 15, 2009)

Buy the "Borda da Agua" in any newsagent ' costs €1.50 and gives the listings for the whole country for the whole year, month by month. I expect that the 2012 version is already for sale. It won't include trade fairs and the like run by expats, but it is a great little guide. All in Portuguese, of course.


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## TAO22 (Dec 30, 2010)

Catx said:


> Buy the "Borda da Agua" in any newsagent ' costs €1.50 and gives the listings for the whole country for the whole year, month by month. I expect that the 2012 version is already for sale. It won't include trade fairs and the like run by expats, but it is a great little guide. All in Portuguese, of course.



Hi!
That's great and sounds like it could be a really good starting point for me to compile various events and festivals around Portugal. Many Thanks for the information and I'll post a link to my database once it is completed. :ranger:

Cheers


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## canoeman (Mar 3, 2011)

Each Camra will also publish fairs, exhibitions etc on their web sites

www.cm.xxxxxxxx.pt just replace x's with Camra name

"Borda da Agua"great little publication even gives you planting times


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## TAO22 (Dec 30, 2010)

canoeman said:


> Each Camra will also publish fairs, exhibitions etc on their web sites
> 
> www.cm.xxxxxxxx.pt just replace x's with Camra name
> 
> "Borda da Agua"great little publication even gives you planting times


Hi Canoeman!

Many thanks for this useful information. I wasn't aware you could do that with the camera generic web addresses so I will look into the various areas websites. I have to say I'm also chuffed at the 'planting times' advice as I will be developing green fingers around January/Feb time with some veggie planting (well thats the plan anyway...it's my first attempt)!

Cheers!


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## canoeman (Mar 3, 2011)

Cabbages, leeks, onions, broad beans can all go in now, just keep an eye on your local market if there selling seedlings just follow there lead


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## blackirishgirl (Feb 20, 2009)

Be aware that not all Camara sites are up to date - unfortunate but true. Albufeira does the best, IMO. Are you searching across the entire Algarve region or specific areas?


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## TAO22 (Dec 30, 2010)

blackirishgirl said:


> Be aware that not all Camara sites are up to date - unfortunate but true. Albufeira does the best, IMO. Are you searching across the entire Algarve region or specific areas?


Hi there,

I'm searching across the whole region, in fact all of Portugal not just the Algarve as there is so much to do but so far I have struggled to find the information and sometimes only found out about events after they have happened. My hope is to compile this information and set up a website showing what's on in the various regions throughout the year and also peoples opinions/experiences of the various events.

I think it's great if people can give honest feedback of the events and festa's in their area and in doing so give others who may not be familiar with the area a good overview.


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## TAO22 (Dec 30, 2010)

canoeman said:


> Cabbages, leeks, onions, broad beans can all go in now, just keep an eye on your local market if there selling seedlings just follow there lead


Thanks Canoeman

Looks like I'd better get digging quicker than expected then.....


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## canoeman (Mar 3, 2011)

TAO22 said:


> Hi there,
> 
> so far I have struggled to find the information and sometimes only found out about events after they have happened.


That is so often very true

you can also try the Portugal Official Tourism Website not the easiest site in the world.
You've set yourself a mammoth task so good luck, I'd do Regional Capitals first then major towns or major regional Festivals, before moving on to towns
like Leiria Goth Festival Tomar Chocolate Festival

As a matter of interest how did you get on with your car & trailer?


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## TAO22 (Dec 30, 2010)

canoeman said:


> That is so often very true
> 
> you can also try the Portugal Official Tourism Website not the easiest site in the world.
> You've set yourself a mammoth task so good luck, I'd do Regional Capitals first then major towns or major regional Festivals, before moving on to towns
> ...


Hi there

Yes, it is a mammoth task and no doubt will take me some time to compile the information. The idea to do major regional festivals first was also my first thought, then work down from there so to speak. I was thinking also to have linked to the various festivals, a webpage for reviews and pictures that people can upload to.....but of course, this will require much more 'back end' work so it may have to wait until the main site is completed. Leira Goth festival...that sounds interesting and one I haven't heard of either  Will google and have a look!

Car and trailer.....ongoing quest with IMTT.! 

The only sensible thing to do is to part with my car...and buy a portugese one for various reasons (my sanity!!). Also, after driving over the trailer from the UK a week ago, I quickly realised that having a right hand drive car when towing isn't the best option!, Entering motorways with a trailer was interesting as although I could see with my RHD mirrors, I felt immediately that a left hand drive would also give me greater visibility. 

The trailer 'apparantly' is less complex to register here as it doesn't have an engine (unlike with a car matriculation), so in theory it should be more straightforward I am told. That said, after several visits to IMTT Portalegre, the local camara and countless phone calls to the regional office in Evora, the only sensible option seems to be to drive there and speak to an engineer personally for the low down....No-one seems to be able to give me accurate information over the telephone.  They also informed me in Portalegre that there is a 'towing test' I will have to take.....again no-one can tell me what that involves...so it's all good fun at the moment....but I do like a challenge!LOL.

My motto at the moment each day is that good old classic @Keep Calm and Carry On!'........

Out of interest....do you happen to know if there is a towing test you have to take if importing a caravan to Portugal? I ask as it strikes me that if there is one for a trailer, then there must also be the same type of test for caravans one would concur??? Then again, this is Portugal.....


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## canoeman (Mar 3, 2011)

Goth not my music but Grandchildren (not children) go.

Towing test, if your UK D/Licence allows you to tow trailer, the easiest way around it is to Register your UK Licence with IMTT the UK Licence is then valid for your UK Classes and to expiry date, when it must be exchanged.
Two things you have to be a resident to do this, ideally you *should have renewed* your UK Licence for max time as when your a Resident you shouldn't or can't renew your D/L in UK.

If you exchange your UK Licence and trailer is +750k you require a stricter medical & physiological test.
Something you probably don't want to know, but under temporary import of vehicles law you are not allowed to use car or trailer for any commercial use, and more importantly can't be owned by a Resident.

Don't think you will find trailer easy to register unless it has current EU paperwork, certain things required to register it here are not necessary in UK so therefore difficult to impossible to obtain.

I thought like a car Customs is your first port of call not IMTT

Do watch out for timescales you have certain times in which to do things, I seem to remember your took out Residence a while ago, so you won't be able to matriculate car ISV free so car and trailer become a personal import, car you would pay ISV, trailer I think is free but process should start within 20 or it might be 10 of date of entry, and creates issues for you as above.


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## ferragudofan (Feb 12, 2011)

Hi -re your request for guides and info - try this link first
Algarve Events
they do a monthly guide you can download (but not print for some reason)
here's the link for November:
http://visitalgarve.pt/pressroom.file.php?fileID=116&file=guia_novembro[3].pdf
It's only the Algarve - but it's a start
PS - good luck with it - we find it quite hard to find out what's going on - especially the smaller more local events - we often hear music and follow it to find out something is happening!


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## paulrees (Dec 1, 2010)

The expat newspapers try to run a comprehensive Algarve whats on but fail, as I did when running Get Real, which is now algarvedailynews. There is no site or publication that covers all events in the Algarve, let alone greater Portugal. 

I only now promote events on algarvedailynews for which I receive notification, and list them under Community rather than try, and fail, to have an online events section which will never be comprehensive as I do not have the hours in the day left to work on this. 

When setting up algarvedailynews I trawled through the hundreds of Algarve websites to see if I could link up with a good events site, none yet exists.


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