Throughout the year, the Algarve hosts a variety of food festivals that celebrate the region’s local produce, traditional recipes, and contemporary culinary innovations. From the fresh catch of the day in coastal towns, to the sweet delights of inland orchards and farmed produce. These food festivals offer are an incredible way to experience the Algarve’s rich gastronomy.
The Algarve, widely famed as Portugal’s sun-kissed southern region, is widely known for its incredible beaches, picturesque fishing villages, and historic towns. Beyond that, lies a vibrant culinary scene, and food festivals and fairs (often called Festas) are the place to really explore it.
Here’s my personal list of my favourite food fairs and festivals in the Algarve!
XIV Grande Mostra Vinhos de Portugal (Portuguese Wine Show) – Albufeira
The Great Portuguese Wine show brings over 100 Portuguese distributors and producers to EMA in Albufeira. Entry is free, but you’ll need to purchase an official wine glass to participate in any tastings.
When: 11-13 April 2025
Where: Albufeira, Algarve.
MED Festival – Loulé
Officially med is a World Music Festival, but it has an awesome array of local food and drink available in its food zone. The historic centre of Loulé is closed off and the streets will be lined with vendors, at it’s centre you’ll find large stages with music acts. It’s the food zone you’ll want to hunt for, everything from gourmet local produce, to world offerings are available.
When: 26th – 28th June 2025
Where: Loulé, Algarve.
Festival do Caracol (Snail Festival) – Porches
Want to explore snails and how they form a part of Portuguese cuisine? This festival will give you multiple types to try, and different methods of cooking them.
When: June/July (2025 dates to be confirmed)
Where: Porches, Algarve.
Arraial do Petisco – Petisco Festival – Pêra, Silves
I’m a huge fan of petiscos, small plates of food that are easily shared amongst friends. So a festival dedicated to all types of petiscos is right up my street. Arraial do Petisco is held annually in Pêra and is a great place to try a wide variety of local petiscos from local vendors. You’ll find typical Algarve dishes in an easy to eat format that lets you try a lot of them!
When: Late July 2025 (dates to be confirmed)
Where: Pêra, Silves – 40 minutes west of Faro
Festival da Sardinha (Sardine Festival) – Portimão
Sardines mean summer in Portugal, and you can’t really go anywhere without the intoxicating smell of Sardines cooking on a charcoal grill. Lisbon’s Santos Populares might be more famous, but head to Portimão between the 30th July and August 4th and you’ll find Festival da Sardinha, a festival dedicated to the humble and delicious sardine. Each day from 6pm to midnight you’ll find live acts playing music, and lots of vendors. The star of the show? For just €10 you’ll be able to get a plate of sardines, bread, potatoes, and a salad, it’s called the ‘festival plate’!
When: 5th – 10th August 2025
Where: Portimão, Algarve – 50 minutes west from Faro
Festa da Ria Formosa (Festival of the Ria Formosa) – Faro
The Festa da Ria Formosa is a lively festival, set against the stunning backdrop of the Ria Formosa Natural Park. Faro’s central Largo de São Francisco host the event for 2024 and you’ll find a wide array of local vendors offering a huge bunch of seafood and fish all caught from within the Ria Formosa. It’s officially tied to VIVMAR (Associação de Viveiristas e Mariscadores), so you’ll find a range of local producers, sellers, and restauranteurs.
When: Around 25th July to 4th August (2025 dates to be confirmed)
Where: Faro, Largo de São Francisco
Festa do Marisco (Seafood Festival) – Olhão
Each August, the charming fishing town of Olhão bursts into life for the Festa do Marisco – the seafood festival. This yearly event transforms Olhão’s waterfront into a foodie paradise celebrating all things seafood, much of it caught and prepared at the historic fish market in Olhão! Of course, you’ll also find local entertainment, arts and crafts, and other goods as well!
When: Around 10th to 14th August (2025 dates to be confirmed)
Where: Olhão, 15-minute drive from Faro in the Algarve
Feira da Dieta Mediterrânica
(Mediterranean Diet Festival) – Tavira
Each September Tavira hosts Feira da Dieta Mediterrânica, a celebration of the Mediterranean diet. It’s not just specific to Portugal’s version of the Mediterranean diet, you’ll find exhibitors from other countries, and local restaurants partaking too. Of course, you’ll also find the usual array of local entertainment, arts and crafts, and other goods as well!
When: Around 10th to 14th August (2025 dates to be confirmed)
Where: Tavira, 30-minute drive from Faro in the Algarve
Festival da Batata-Doce (Sweet Potato Festival)
Moving away from seafood for a moment, a lively end of year event is the Festival da Batata-Doce in the Algarve’s Aljezur. It’s a lively 3-day event celebrating the sweet potato harvest, and local producers. You’ll find everything from soups, pastries, and even desserts, it’s an incredibly enjoyable experience for any food lovers out there.
When: 24th to 26th November (2025 to be confirmed)
Where: Aljezur, one-hour drive from Faro
2026 Food Festivals and Fairs
This is the start of the list that we’ll keep updated as the year progresses!
Festa das Chouriças (Sausage Festival) – Querença
When: January (2026 dates TBC)
Where: Querença, a small village near Loulé.
Feira do Chocolate – Loulé
When: March (2026 dates to be Confirmed)
Where: Loulé, 15 minutes north of Faro
We’ll update this post regularly with any further food festivals and fairs as we find out about them. So if you’ve got a tip , let us know!
