Public Holidays and Festivals

1 January	New Year\'s Day	15 August	Ascension of Our Lady
4 March	Carnival	3 September	Day of Silves
18 April	Saint\'s Day	5 October	Republic Day
20 April	Easter	1 November	All Saint\'s Day
25 April	Day of Liberty	1 December	Independence Day
1 May	May Day	8 December	Immaculate Conception
10 June	Portugal Day	25 December	Christmas Day
19 June	Body of Christ Day

Carnival:Each February for five days of celebration before lent, its carnival time in the Algarve with the town of Lagos hosting one of the many parades, entertainments and festivities for residents and visitors alike.The biggest, loudest and brightest celebration is hosted in Loulé.If in the region come February, Travel Club of Upminster strongly recommends that you join the dancing in the streets, floats and fancy dress.Water, flour and paint ‘bombs’ are thrown, leaving both the town and its revelers in a state of happy disarray. Coinciding with Brazilian Mardi Gras, the Algarvean equivalent can be as colorful and crazy as its South American namesake. Religious Festivals: On Easter Sunday the most distinctive of the Algarve’s Easter celebrations, the Easter Sunday Aleluia procession, takes place in the town of São Brás de Alportel, 16km north of Faro. Mãe Soberana (May) - The Algarve’s largest religious festival takes place in Loulé when the image of Our Lady of Piety is paraded from the hilltop church of Nossa Senhora da Piedade to the Church of São Francisco. On 2 May, the town of Estói hosts the Pine Cone Festival.Pine cones and rosemary are laid at the church of Our Lady of Pé da Cruz with an evening torch lit procession and fireworks. The month of June sees the celebration of many saint’s days across the region, which include the Festa de Santo António and the Festa de São Pedro.Processions and music take place throughout the region, especially in the town of Lagos and the surrounding towns of Lagoa, Monchique and Portimão. São Martinho – The mountain village of Monchique is the main host of this saint’s day taking place on 11 November.Celebrations include eating roast chestnuts and drinking agua pé (foot water), the first tasting of this year’s wine harvest.