I visited the Algarve for 20 years for holidays. As a musician, I was always curious about the events and concerts going on, but I found rarely more than busking in the streets. Don’t get me wrong, busking is a wonderful thing and it adds a lot to the vibe in the cities. But the Algarve has so much more to offer. The problem is, that all the beautiful small events, concerts and happenings are usually not announced in newspapers or on the radio, as it is just too expensive. A lot of events are announced using Facebook, Whatsapp groups or Telegram channels, but with these platforms, the information only reaches a few.
So – the best things happen unnoticed. And this needs to change!
I discussed the problem at a meeting of the Creative Circle Of Algarve Musicians (CCAM), and we agreed that the Algarve needs a centralised spot for announcing cultural events. A website that offers all the information you need for your night out – or for your family trip to Sintra. This website should be free to use for all the small venues and event organizers, as their work is good for culture, and many times events are not really profitable in the end. Anyway, a website like this could really change the perception of the Algarve in the world. When holiday-makers are able to plan their holidays including the markets they can visit, or the concerts that will be played in the town they visit at the time of their visit, this will make the whole area more interesting for culture-loving tourists. So a website like this is not only good for musicians, event planners, organizers, venues etc., but it’s also good for tourism and the development and international perception of the Algarve.
And now, voila, here it is! Please feel free to use it, spread the word, feed it with as much content as you can, and help it to stay alive. This is a big project and I can not do it alone. I made the start by developing this website and putting it online. But now I need help. Especially the help of the people that will benefit from this site when it will be well-known and used broadly. Please help with submitting content, and if you can, please help me with a donation. Because running a website like this costs a lot of money. The domain hosting, the pro-plugins that are the engine of this website, and last but not least the Google Maps service fees are adding up.
Thanks for being here. Spread the word!
All the best,
Marc
