Story of the week · Faro
Faro’s Santa Iria fair opens on Thursday
Eleven days on Largo de São Francisco, from 15 to 25 October: crafts, trade stands, amusements and a food pavilion, open every afternoon until midnight or later.
The organiser, Faro’s municipal company Ambifaro, announces it as the largest and oldest fair in the Algarve. The 2026 edition runs from Thursday 15 to Sunday 25 October on Largo de São Francisco.
What is there to see? The fair’s rules describe a show with centuries of tradition: crafts and other trades on display, with areas for leisure, amusements and entertainment, for education and for social organisations, with exhibitors from the town, the region and the rest of the country.
How old the fair is depends on which paper you read. Ambifaro’s announcement speaks of more than 500 years of history and of a fair that honours the saint whose name it bears. The rules for this year’s edition speak of a tradition of more than 400 years.
The fair opens at 5 pm on the first Thursday and at 3 pm on every other day. It closes at midnight, except on the two Fridays and Saturdays, when it runs until 1 am, and on the last Sunday, when it ends at 11 pm. The food pavilion opens at 5 pm, on Saturdays and Sundays at 3 pm.
Coming by car takes a little planning. Faro town hall has changed traffic and parking on and around the square from 3 to 31 October: several streets are closed to driving and stopping, and there are alternative car parks and a temporary taxi rank. Streets, times and plans are in the town hall’s notice no. 183/2026.
- When
- 15–25 October 2026
- Where
- Largo de São Francisco, Faro
- Hours
- Thu 15: 5 pm–midnight · Fri and Sat: 3 pm–1 am · Sun 18–Thu 22: 3 pm–midnight · Sun 25: 3 pm–11 pm
- Food pavilion
- from 5 pm; Saturdays and Sundays from 3 pm
- By car
- traffic and parking changed 3–31 October; alternative car parks, temporary taxi rank
- Organiser
- Ambifaro, licensed by the Município de Faro
Sources: Ambifaro · Regulamento da Feira de Santa Iria 2026 · Câmara Municipal de Faro · Full listing