Celebrations on 27th, 28th & 29th August:

Aljezur Castle invites you to a “Fantastic Nights” heritage evening for ‘bringing people together’.

“Fantastic Nights in Fantastic Castles” is a programme aimed at families, to the general public and also to visitors, which aims to involve the local community in appreciation of their monuments.

The programme comes to Aljezur and its castle on August 27th at 6pm.

It begins with a symbolic opening, “taking the Castle by force”, with people assembling near the market, before they stroll through the ancient streets to “take” the castle, walking past places steeped in history before spending an evening with music inside the castle walls. This event is produced by the Vincentian Association-Association for the development of the Southwest, under the programme of Regional Culture Direction DiVaM of Algarve.

In statements to Sul Informação, Sónia Felicidade from the Association that produces the event, said that the goal is ‘bringing people together’ with their heritage. Sónia Felicidade also explained the reason of the choice of the castle of Aljezur as the ‘essential’ focus of the event, since two of the three planned activities within the framework of the cycle “Fantastic Nights in Castles Fantastic” take place in this space: ‘we had to choose a monument whose management was in charge of the Regional Culture Direction and Aljezur is located in our area of influence of the Vincentian Association’.

The evening is divided into two parts. The first, a symbolic element called “Let’s take the Castle”, begins at 6pm, with the gathering of the participants near the Municipal market of Aljezur, followed by a walk through the historical centre of Aljezur to the Castle.

This activity, says Sónia Felicidade, will have a ‘symbolic’ character: ‘Take the Castle” will cause people to see that this is an historical monument that still stands today and with which so many of the town’s experiences are associated’.

Once inside the castle of Aljezur, there will be a moment of conviviality between Moors and Christians, with the participation of some young students from the music school of the volunteer firefighters of Aljezur and elements of the theatre group “Per-Versus”.

Then follows, at 8:30 pm, the theatrical project “Places with history,” actress Neusa Dias, in which participants in these Fantastic evenings in Fantastic Castles “are challenged ‘to know places that are part of our heritage, but they are often not actually observed, and thought about’, said the Regional culture Direction Algarve.

The actress Neusa Dias presents ‘an approach that explores the biography of place, a work with an ethnographic and anthropological focus, as if searching for the life story of an individual, in search of its truths and omissions’.

‘We are facing a specific project, in which the theatrical part of this art and this ends, and where the place is not a mere decorative space or alternative stage, being before. Therefore, each performance is unique’, adds Regional Culture direction.

Then at 10:00 pm, the musician M-Pex takes the stage in the castle for a concert that will feature the Portuguese guitar, ‘merging his sound with electronic music’.

M-PeX, musician, composer and producer, seeks to position the Portuguese guitar ‘sound diverse aesthetic, culminating in a musical ‘ confluence.

Despite being a local development association, the Vicentina saw its cultural proposal be accepted by the Regional Direction of culture of Algarve, to integrate the DiVaM program. “Not being a cultural association, the Vicentina aims to develop its territory and therefore also to promote cultural activities, particularly those that could be difference around the material and immaterial heritage where intervenes”, concluded Sónia Felicidade.

All events of this initiative “Fantastic Nights in Castles Fantastic” have free entry. Still, the “Let’s take the Castle” activity requires prior registration, which can be made by sending an email to vicentina@vicentina.orgor by calling 282 680 120

(This item was translated by computer software from the newspaper Sul Informação)