“Cultures and Rhythms of the World” will be represented for 9 days at the largest folklore festival in southern Portugal. FOLKFARO is a true showcase of world music and dance. The city of Faro is the centre of this festival, but many other Algarve locations will participate in the festival from 17 to 25 August.

FolkFaro is an annual event organised by Faro Folkloric Group and is now in its 17th edition. Dances, songs and costumes of people from different continents and more than four hundred participants, will show the richness of the popular traditions of their lands.

The Opening Gala at the Teatro das Figuras, on the night of August 17 (Saturday, at 9.30pm), will mark the beginning of the festival, whose programme is full of shows and countless activities, in what is one of the most anticipated events of the Algarvian cultural summer.

This Gala will be attended by the host group and six invited international groups, and tickets can be purchased at the Theater box office, BOL - online box office or at FNAC and Worten stores.

Participating groups were selected from over a hundred proposals received by the organisation, and the countries and groups that were confirmed to attend the festival are Argentina, Colombia, Slovakia, Spain, Japan and Turkey.

In addition to these full-time international groups, there will be occasional performances by 4 other international groups (Poland, Mexico, Chile and Taiwan) on the stage of Passeio da Doca.

As usual, Portuguese traditions will also be represented by prestigious folk groups from different regions of Portugal like Barcelinhos Folkloric Group, C.P. Arcena Folk Ranch - V.F. Xira, S. Salvador de Grijó Folklore Ranch - V.N. Gaia, Sambrasense Typical Ranch and Faro Folkloric Group (organizer).

The daily shows in Faro, at the Passeio da Doca Stage, take place from 18 to 25 August, at the same time as the Candy, Dried Fruit and Regional Drinks Fair.

FOLKFARO is the only festival in southern Portugal with the international certification of CIOFF®-International Council of Folklore and Traditional Arts Festival Organizations, a non-governmental organization (NGO) with formal consultative relations with UNESCO, created in 1970.