Festival Do Marisco / Olhão Seafood Festival is an Algarve experience not to be missed if you want to sample a real taste of both Algarve food and culture in one single event!

Olhão is the next city along from Faro in an easterly direction and many people who arrive in the Algarve, land in Faro and never explore this bustling little river front town but if there is one time of the year that you should try to make the effort, then it is for the Olhão Seafood Festival.

The Olhão Seafood Festival takes place annually in August, usually around the second week in the month, and is held in the municipal garden area along the banks of the stunning Rio Formosa.

While the focus is clearly on the sumptuous seafood that you can eat during the event, the festival is basically a combination of two elements; the food and then the live entertainment. If you are a fan of seafood then you can’t afford to miss the Olhão Seafood Festival because here only the very best shellfish and seafood is served up in the Algarve. Pick and choose from anything from prawns and oysters to stranger looking specimens including razor clams and barnacles.

Once you have eaten all you can manage then it is time to get ready to welcome the live music acts and this Olhão Seafood Festival usually attracts some of the biggest names in Portugal as well as a good few tribute acts for those not familiar with Portuguese pop, rock and Fado stars and songs!

The lure of the seafood combined with the headlining acts means that this is one that is hugely popular, not only with visitors to the Algarve but even more so with local Portuguese people who travel from all over the region and further afield for a lazy summer evening by the river.

Be prepared for crowds and if you are a larger group that all wants to sit together to eat then it pays to be organised and send half to save seats while the others gather the seafood goodies to make the whole process smoother.

There are few events in the Algarve that are more authentic than the Olhão Seafood Festival, so be sure to get there early to make the most of this fantastic Algarve summer attraction.

What to expect

During the Seafood Festival you can try all kinds of seafood. Prawns, oysters, shellfish, clams and much more. You can also find local specialties, like arroz de marisco (seafood rice) or the traditional cataplana (seafood cooked in a special pan). All seafood is fresh and caught in waters of the Ria Formosa. There is live music and entertainment. Some of the best Portuguese artists have performed here. Also, you can find stalls that sell a variety of local crafts. Every year, tens of thousands of people attend this event to enjoy the combination of music and seafood. In general, the atmosphere is very friendly.