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– December 3, 2021
Portimão will become an authentic Christmas Village, with the recreation of several attraction areas inspired by the festive season, crossing the Christmas universe with fantasy moments for the whole family, between December 1 and January 6.
Under the motto “Portimão, a Christmas Dream” (“Portimão, Um Sonho de Natal”), 37 days of pure magic will be provided, with unique experiences in several emblematic places in the city centre, in which the Christmas spirit will especially touch the imagination of the little ones, with emphasis on the Santa’s House, the Ice Rink, the full-size Nativity Scene, the Christmas Train or the colourful and joyful parades, among many other suggestions.
Ice rink, Christmas train, swings and more
Taking over public spaces, and in addition to the usual large Nativity Scene that will once again occupy Largo da Mó, a 200m2 ice rink will work in a tent installed in Praça da República, which can be used every afternoon, after 2pm and until 7pm, opening on weekends between 11am and 7pm, always with free access.
Plenty of daily entertainment will take place in the same tent, with musical moments, illusionism sessions and theatrical scrimmages, which will normally start at 7pm, with special mention for the shows for the school community during the week of December 13-17, starting at 10.30am.
Meanwhile, boys and girls will be able to visit the Santa’s House (Casa do Pai Natal) in Praça Manuel Teixeira Gomes, from 11am to 7pm, where they can also write a letter with their Christmas wishes, which they should place in a special mailbox.
A photographer will be available at the site to capture these magical moments for free, and the photos will be available for picking up soon after at TEMPO – Teatro Municipal de Portimão (Municipal Theater of Portimão).
Next door, the Francisco Bivar garden will become home to the Baloiços do Beijo (Kiss Swing) and the Baloiço do Abraço (Hugs Swing), while at the top of the access stairs to Jardim 1º de Dezembro, in front of the Municipal Theatre of Portimão, there will be a giant bench and three attractions where the families can capture sweet photos.
Finally, the Christmas Train will be the ideal means of transportation to discover all the existing entertainment areas in a fun way and will make several daily trips between Praça da República and Manuel Teixeira Gomes, also with free access.
Santa Claus themed parades
Throughout this period, thematic parades will be a constant on the main streets of Portimão, as will happen on December 4 (Circus “Circo Fantástico”), 8 (Alice in Wonderland), 11 (Clowns Parade), 18 (Ice Princess) and December 24 (Christmas Dream), with lots of live music and characters alluding to children’s imaginary and to the circus universe.
Likewise, Santa Claus and his elves will be constantly present on the main streets of Portimão, with daily parades between 10am and 12.30pm and from 3pm to 5pm.
Between December 1-23, there will be a Christmas Market in Jardim 1º de Dezembro, made up of wooden huts for small craft, new design and gourmet products, all honouring the festive season.
This space will be open from Monday to Friday between 5pm and 8pm, while on weekends and holidays it can be visited from 3pm to 8pm.
Various municipal facilities also prepared a special programme for this time, such as the Manuel Teixeira Gomes Municipal Library, Portimão Pedagogical Farm and Manuel Teixeira Gomes House, with decorative lights in and around three dozen streets throughout the council, including Alvor and Mexilhoeira Grande.
To help with the festive atmosphere, on December 8 and 20, CMTV (a major Portuguese news on channel 8) will broadcast the popular programme “Manhã CM” (CM Morning) live from the tent located in Praça da República, between 9am and 11am, with a presentation by Duarte Siopa and Ágata Rodrigues.
In both broadcasts, the country will discover Portimão’s Christmas Dream, as well as other points of interest, with the presence of several of the municipality’s best known names, with everyone invited to watch the broadcasts live.
All activities in “Portimão, Um Sonho de Natal” are free to enter and will respect the safety regulations in place, namely the use of masks, social distancing and hand sanitation.
The detailed schedule of these 37 days full of magical motifs for children and adults can be found here.
“Alice in Wonderland” and “Panda and the Caricas on the Island”
In addition, there will be two large shows aimed at children and with paid admission, the first of which, scheduled for December 11, City Day, will be the musical “Panda and the Caricas on the Island”, which will take place in Portimão Arena, with performances at 11am and 3pm.
Finally, the theatrical show “Alice in Wonderland”, aimed at people over 3 years old, is scheduled for 4pm on December 18 at TEMPO.
You can purchase tickets for both shows at bol.pt.
Source: Barlavento
Photo: Inês Lopes
