New Year's Eve in Porto

©ARPT Porto e Norte

New Year's Eve in Porto to the sound of Blind Zero and Os Azeitona

Welcoming the new year in the main living room of the city, Avenida dos Aliados, which is also one of the biggest outdoor stages in the country, will be given by Blind Zero and Os Azeitonas, in what will be the last concert of the band with Miguel Araújo. There will be the traditional firework, which this year will also have even more surprises.

As in other major cities in Europe and in the world, Porto has been preparing great shows in its main living room to mark the start of the new year, offering more entertainment to the people of Porto and, at the same time, stimulating domestic and foreign tourism and the social, commercial and economic dynamics of the centre of Porto. This time, the night of the end of the year will again be entertained by two national bands. From 10,30pm on December 31st, Blind Zero, led by Miguel Guedes (from Porto), take the stage of the  Aliados. Recognized for their energy on stage and on their way to release their eighth album, Blind Zero will bid farewell to 2016 with a special concert on the biggest stage of the city, recalling some of the most outstanding songs of their 20 years such as “Slow Time Love”, “Shine On” and “Recognize”, among many others.

At midnight, and as is tradition in Porto, there will be a fireworks show, which will be launched from the City Hall and from several buildings on Avenida dos Aliados. This year, with several surprises and an unprecedented countdown, after 11.55pm. At 12,30am and already as hosts of the arrival of 2017, the music continues with Os Azeitonas, in what will be the last concert of the band with Miguel Araújo, who will exclusively be dedicated to his solo career. As always, Os Azeitonas promise a show full of energy and good disposition and in which will have the main hits of the band, such as “Anda Comigo Ver os Aviões”, “Ray-Dee-Oh” or the latest “Cinegirasol”.

Among the novelties of the New Year's programme are three alternative venues in the surrounding area of Aliados, respectively in Praça de D. João I, Praça dos Poveiros and Praça dos Leões. The aim is to ease the pressure on Aliados and to propose different styles of music to all those who want to celebrate New Year's Eve in the city centre.

Programme: -Avenida dos Aliados 10:30pm-11:50pm Blind Zero 11:55pm Countdown 12:00am-12:15am Pyromusical show 12:30am-2:30am Os Azeitonas -Praça D. João I 10:30pm-1:00am DJ Rodrigo Affreixo 1.00am-3:00am DJ Set Holy Nothing -Praça dos Poveiros 10:30pm-1:00am DJ Isidro Lisboa 1:00am-3:00am DJ Set Throes + The Shine -Praça dos Leões 10:30pm-3:00am DJ Sete Magníficos

Find more information at http://www.visitporto.travel/

Source: Porto.pt

New Year's Eve Party in Lisboa

© Turismo de Lisboa 

On December 31st Lisboa dresses up to welcome and to celebrate amongst the New Year friends.

Thousands of people fill the city main streets and public squares to celebrate amongst the New Year friends.  The Terreiro do Paço will be the giant party hall for the city’s New Year’s celebrations featuring lots of entertainment to mark the passage into the New Year. 

Lisboa has begun the countdown to its big New Year's Eve night. But this New Year's Eve promises much more. To mark the entry of the New Year Lisboa's skies will light up with a fabulous fireworks display and musical entertainment. 

Do not make any more plans for New Year ... and enter Lisboa's largest "living room", Terreiro do Paço, with a fabulous view of the River Tagus and the best Portuguese music.

Program

• 30/12 

21:30 - Miguel Araújo23:15 - D’js Wilson Honrado / João Vaz

• 31/12 

22h00 - Rui Veloso00:00 - A spectacular firework display will light up the sky00:15 - AGIR

• 01/01 

17:30 - Raquel Tavares (Fado) + Orquestra Roemer Pinatel

Find more information at: www.visitlisboa.com

Source: Turismo de Lisboa

December 2016 "Follow Me": Lisbon monthly tourist Guide for visitors

Before you visit Lisbon, check "Follow me Lisboa" and discover what´s happening in the Lisboa region during the month of December.

Follow Me Lisboa is a monthly tourist Guide for visitors.

A bilingual publication in Spanish and English, it is a pocket-sized publication containing the main cultural and other events to interest to the tourist and a complete itinerary to museums, monuments, parks, gardens, hotels and restaurants.






Find more about Lisboa region at:
- https://www.visitportugal.com/en/destinos/lisboa-regiao
- http://www.visitlisboa.com/
- Brochure "Lisbon City Breaks"
- Brochure Lisbon: " A whole world to explore" 

Algarve Events Guide for December 2017

Going to the Algarve during the month of December? So discover here what’s happening in the Algarve region.

The Algarve is known for its beaches, natural landscapes, bars and golf courses. And for its restaurants, hotels, monuments, and of course, for entertainment.

The offer of entertainment destination is diversified and includes events of public and private partners that invite you to enjoy emotions and traditions, sounds and regional flavors, that the Algarve Tourism organizes in this guide leaflet.

Find more information about the Algarve at:
- Algarve Region
- http://www.visitalgarve.pt/
- Brochure "Algarve, Europe's most famous secret"
- Algarve Map 

Christmas in Porto

In Porto, Christmas is a very special time. From the religious and pagan traditions, to the gastronomy, this is a good time to discover the essence of the city and the region.

The celebrations begin in early December, with the ritual of preparing our homes for the christmas time. To put up the Christmas tree, decorating it with colourful baubles and tinsels, putting christmas decorations throughout the house, are activities that bring the family together and start the season’s excesses.​ 

​... the gastronomic side of Christmas

In Porto, salt cod fills the tables in Christmas time, with lots of olive oil and accompanied with many vegetables. You can find other salt cod dishes, such as bolinhos de bacalhau (salt cod croquettes) or bacalhau com grelos (salt cod with greens). In some tables there are also filled with some octopus dishes: octopus rice, octopus croquettes or even boiled octopus.

As for sweets, the table will not lack in rabanadas (french toasts), mexidos, bolo-rei, sonhos (puffs), filhós (fritters), arroz-doce (rice pudding) and aletria. There are also those who delight in doces de bolina, fruit salad and nuts. The menu will be full of  puddings, leite-creme (custard), assorted cheeses, Port wine glasses or warm sweet wine, drink that warms the whole family through the night.

Source: Porto Turismo

Parques de Sintra wins the World Travel Award for the fourth consecutive year as “World’s Leading Conservation Company”

Last 2nd of December 2016, Parques de Sintra won, for the fourth year in a row, the World Travel Award for the “World’s Leading Conservation Company”. 

The Portuguese company received the award at the official ceremony held in the Maldives after having once again been the only European nominee in this category but facing such strong competition from around the rest of the world.

Considered internationally as the “Oscars of tourism”, the World Travel Awards were first launched in 1993 with the objective of recognising, acknowledging and celebrating excellence across every sector of the tourism industry. These awards certainly represent one of the most important distinctions that tourism sector companies might ever receive and a globally recognised and branded seal of quality. Both the general public and tourism sector professionals are eligible to vote.

The fourth World Travel Award for Parques de Sintra joins those already picked up by the company in recognition of the quality of the work carried out in restoring and enhancing the parks and monuments encharged to its care.

On hand to accept the award in the Maldives was the Parques de Sintra Director, José Lino Ramos, who declared that “winning such a prestigious award for the fourth consecutive year serves to revalidate the international recognition of the merit of the work undertaken by Parques de Sintra in recent years, especially in terms of the conservation and restoration of the parks and monuments under its management”.

Parques de Sintra is a publicly owned company that receives no financing from either the state or its shareholders and that maintains and opens to the benefit of the public the sites under its management only through recourse to the revenues generated (ticket, cafeteria and store sales and the leasing of venues). In 2016, Parques de Sintra expects to welcome over two and a half million visitors.

Source: Parques de Sintra 

Christmas in Sintra

In this holiday season, the National Palace of Sintra will become a Christmas factory. 

From December 16th through the 23rd , the facade of the palace will be the screen of the video mapping show "The Incredible Christmas Factory". 

The toys, and how they are made, are the lead stars of the show, and the facade of National Palace of Sintra is the stage, in a project created by the OCUBO studio - the authors of the "Circo de Luz" and "Fabuloso Desejo de Natal", shows that took place in Terreiro do Paço, in Lisbon, in other holiday seasons.

According to the organization, the oldest Portuguese Royal Palace wants to become the background of a Christmas factory, in Lapland, where "virtual characters interact with the facade of the Palace" and "traditional toys are in the spotlight".

Wooden trains, dancers, robots and dolls are the focal point in a 15-minute show that takes place every hour from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.

Find more information at:
- http://www.parquesdesintra.pt/Fábrica de Natal
- http://www.cm-sintra.pt/A incrivel fabrica do Natal