The new year will be rang in in Albufeira with a concert by pop act Agir, for the younger members in the crowd, followed by legendary rock band Xutos & Pontapés, for the older public.
The announcement was made last Sunday in a press conference at a hotel in Albufeira; a city that every year pulls out all stops for what is one of the biggest and most popular New Year events in Portugal.
A firework display, a star parade on Oura beach, the Solrir festival and a medieval festival in Paderne are other attractions being staged in and around Albufeira for the New Year
holidays.
José Santos, president of the Association for the Promotion of Albufeira (APAL), stressed the importance of announcing the New Year programme well in advance so that “anyone who wants to visit us can start preparing” for it.
Santos said “everything is being done for the New Year to be the most successful possible.”
“Also in winter, at a time when Albufeira is sleepier, we need to give it more dynamic”, the businessman added.
Carlos Silva e Sousa, Mayor of Albufeira, who foots the biggest part of the New Year entertainment bill, explained that “even though we will be having the local elections in the middle”, it is necessary “to have the contracts firmly signed as early as possible so we can secure the best artists” for Albufeira.
He described the line-up as “a gift” to “all those who visit, but also to those of us who live here.”
Agir will be performing on 31 December, at around 10.30pm, followed by Xutos, just before or after midnight, on Pescadores beach.