The programme, themed “(De) Férias no Algarve”, will take place on 16 and 20 August, using locations including Praia do Carvoeiro, the Nossa Senhora de Encarnação Amphitheatre, the coastal walkway and Algar Seco.

As reported by the festival organisers, PARAGEM is designed to place contemporary artistic practices in dialogue with places and routines associated with tourism and the bathing season. Rather than keeping the arts inside traditional cultural venues, the festival uses beaches, public squares, walkways and other everyday spaces as temporary settings for artistic intervention.

Artistic expression

In Carvoeiro, the programme opens on 16 August at 9.15pm at the Nossa Senhora de Encarnação Amphitheatre with “Improvisation into Drawing”, led by Ana Caetano, alongside musician Luís Lopes and visual artist Mario Gutierrez Cruz.

The approximately 30-minute performance combines movement, live drawing, music and projected imagery. A large wall becomes the central surface for an improvised visual composition, with each element responding to the others as the work develops.

This festival returns on 20 August for an afternoon and evening of events.

At 4pm, artist Vanda Madureira will present “PUT’ A CRIME” on Praia do Carvoeiro, which explores themes connected with the body, identity and contemporary social questions.

An hour later, at 5pm and 6pm, João Ferro Martins will present “Sem Título”, a performative installation and sound sculpture at Largo da Praia do Carvoeiro and along the Passadiço.

Drawing inspiration from street musicians, the work responds to the festival’s “(De) Férias no Algarve” theme while exploring the relationship between sound, landscape, public space and the experience of being on holiday.

The final performance begins at 7.30pm at Algar Seco, where Portuguese duo Lavoisier, formed by Patrícia Relvas and Roberto Afonso, will reinterpret songs from the country’s traditional repertoire.

Their approach combines Portuguese musical heritage with minimalist and experimental arrangements, creating a performance that brings together memory, tradition and theatrical expression.

Contemporary culture

The festival is described as an opportunity to see familiar Algarve locations differently, creating temporary artistic interventions within spaces normally associated with leisure, tourism and everyday life.

According to organisers, the intention is to create what they describe as reinvented postcards and altered views of the Algarve landscape, using art to interrupt the familiar rhythm of the bathing season.

The programme is open to residents, visitors and holidaymakers of all ages, with free admission and a commitment to universal accessibility.

Visitors are also encouraged to embrace one of the festival’s more playful ideas: people-watching is not only allowed, but actively encouraged.