According to witnesses, tensions boiled over during the early hours of Monday morning after the 600-strong group, who were partying at Liberto’s Bar, became out of hand and, reportedly, fights had broken out.
Around 50 riot police were dispatched to the scene as the throng became too rowdy for the bar’s own security personnel to handle.
Out on the street two shots, rubber bullets, were fired into the air by GNR officers in a bid to bring the unrest under control, and after the revellers had hurled bottles at them.
Newspaper Correio da Manhã said Albufeira’s main strip became a true “battleground” as undeterred revellers faced off with fully-equipped riot police and their dogs.
It ended in a number of arrests and injuries.
The young partiers, aged between 19 and 22, were on a £600 package holiday named ‘Portugal Invasion’, which the organisers described as “a week jam-packed with partying and activities.”
It includes water-parks and boat trips during the day, and boozy parties and events at night.
Liberto Mealha, owner of Liberto’s Bar, has said “travel agents and hoteliers need to draw up measures to avoid these kind of situations” and put an end to “groups that are too big.”
His views were echoed by other local business-owners, who have slammed certain visitors to Albufeira for their often alcohol-fuelled anti-social behaviour.
Observers including foreign expats commenting on social media have deemed the group’s behaviour “disgraceful” and “disgusting.”
In a brief statement on twitter, Reiss Brightly, founder of Invasion Holidays, said “Invasion Holidays and its associated companies do not condone the behaviour displayed last [Monday] night.”
Albufeira council has asked the GNR to boost its presence in the Oura bar area, known as The Strip, following the recent events.
A day later, on Tuesday, as the Portugal Invasion group began their journeys home, another scrap broke out at Faro Airport.
The Express reported that, “police stepped in at Faro Airport as attendees at the Portugal Invasion, a festival which largely caters for British tourists, began their return to the UK.”
That spat is said to have involved three women, two of whom were barred from boarding their flight home, although no arrests were made.