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Alcoutim's Festival do Contrabando
Remembering the smuggling activity between Portugal & Spain
Algarve Alcoutim https://www.myguidealgarve.com/events/alcoutims-festival-do-contraband VISIT WEBSITE
The Festival do Contrabando - Smugglers Festival, is an annual event which commemorates the history of 'smuggling' which took place between the people living on the Portuguese and the Spanish borders of the Guadiana river. This is a great weekend event for all the family, with plenty of live entertainment, food and drink. Held every two years, the festival is back in April 2025.
The history
Before Portugal was part of the European Union the Guadiana was a popular passage for smugglers. The Portuguese took coffee and sugar and traded it for fabrics from Spain. Smugglers transported the goods by swimming across the river between Alcoutim and Sanlúcar de Guadiana. Aside from the contraband that was exchanged, there was an exchange of arts and culture, which is also celebrated at the festival.
The festival
The Contraband Festival focuses on a cultural and historical legacy that is remembered throughout the region and the area, and which is part of the local heritage. The festival re-creates a rural market of the era, combining all the activities of contraband, guards, ancient crafts, street art and historical reenactments.
One of the great attractions of this event is the Floating Bridge over the Guadiana river that allows local communities to see a longstanding dream fulfilled; allowing pedestrians to cross between the two banks of the river, during the three days of the event.
2025 dates: 4 - 6 April
Programme details will be available closer to the date.
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