Fiesa 2006 - Revenge of the Sandman
It wasn't hard to be reminded of Fiesa 2006, since the posters had sprung up everywhere, as usual. So Nev and I put aside a day to see the exhibition at Pêra and to visit nearby Albufeira. It's an easy enough drive along the main motorway, even if your starting point is east of Faro! A boiling hot day meant we were glad that our little Renault hire car had air conditioning, although things did slow down a little on upward gradients. As has become our habit (since last year, even), we visited the Fiesa 2006 sand sculptures during the day, went off for a few hours and had a meal, then returned after dark to see the exhibits a la 'son et lumiere' (well, there was music playing). The event is well signed off the main roads and you can see the flags flying while you're still a fair distance away. Taking care not to run over any of the usual unwary pedestrians (it must be the heat!) we bumped down off the road onto the sandy parking area (free, of course) and even managed to find a spot under a tree to help keep the car cool in our absence. Entrance money has increased to 7 Euros, but you can come and go as many times as you wish in one day, and we agreed it was still worth the price of a ticket. So, what's this year's theme, you ask... Fiesa 2006You could blame the heat again, but I was a little confused. The large sand sign near the entrance advertised 'Mitologias' (mythologies?)... However, since most of the things on show dealt with items that were as much from various religious texts as from from 'mythology', I couldn't see that they'd chosen the correct term. Then again, perhaps 'Belief Systems' just didn't hit the right note with the exhibition's sponsors?
As usual, each of the sand sculptures had small notices describing its theme (in Portuguese and in English), and another crediting the sand artists responsible for the construction. There were themes ranging from the creation of Rome to the Fall of Mankind in the Garden of Eden. In between, there were 'tilts of the sandman's hat' to the Nordic sagas, the fall of Troy, even the whole panoply of Greek gods and goddesses. And of course, due attention was paid to how those in the East think that things kicked off (in a cosmic sense, that is).
There was even an exhibit that dealt with extraterrestrial or 'alien' visitations, but that was my least favourite, mainly because its detail was not as impressive as most of the other sculptures. As this was my third year at Fiesa, it was possible to conclude that some of the inspirations behind the constructions crop up repeatedly, probably because of their popularity - or maybe it's that they're such significant contributors to the modern world that they're impossible to leave out? Whichever is the case, they're always different enough in approach to enjoy all over again. The bravest sculpture I saw was the huge Egyptian one, and that was because it had been partly destroyed to represent the decay of the Pharaohs' empire. It would have broken my heart to have put in all that effort, only to knock lumps out of it afterward! My thoughts went out to the dedication of the sand artists.
Once again, there were supervised attractions for younger visitors to enjoy, such as bungee trampolining (see pic above), and a covered area where formative attempts at sand sculptures could be executed. Some would-be naughty teenage boys had constructed a large phallic exhibit that failed to shock anyone, much to their chagrin. Back to the spray cans, boys? And the popular live demonstrations by sand artists had been repeated. It really is impressive to see them work. And, call me a philistine if you will, but I'd rather look at their work than all the junk created by the 'BritArt' set like Damien Hirst. (And who knows, perhaps at Fiesa 2007 there'll be a sand sculpture representation of a shark in a glass tank full of formaldehyde? That should be a laugh and a half.) Meanwhile, I had a bit of fun comparing sun hats with the goddess Athena. (Mine was immeasurably 'cooler' - in the purely thermic sense, anyway).
I forgot to check whether there were any live music events this year, as there normally are. But they always play suitably mood-inducing music through the network of speakers that spread throughout the exhibits. 
I will definitely be visiting again this year, probably to show the event to any guests who may visit, so I'll make sure I check out the details of any live music options - and I'll update this web page accordingly! (You may think I'm blaming the heat for a lot of things in this feature... But I've only ever visited Algarve in April or September. And July is definitely a different 'kettle of fish' if you'll excuse the inapt metaphor). I think I'd like to visit Fiesa 2006 again on the last day (20th September) and chill out once more on a balmy Algarve evening. It is a bit of a drive home if we stay late, but perhaps Nev will go teetotal for the evening, then I can snooze while he steers! Just in case you've forgotten (or never knew in the first place) the 'Fiesa' bit stands for "Festival Internacional de Escultura em Areia", which translates as International Festival of Sand Sculptures. (You may want to memorise that, in case I ask questions later).
Opening times are from 10am to midnight every day between May 20 and September 20, so you can check it out whenever your Algarve vacation might fall. And that was Fiesa 2006 (so far). Once again, it's a must-see event, and a fine day out - but you may be glad of those shaded rest areas... You can stay up-to-date with 'everything Algarve' by subscribing to my free monthly newsletter, Algarve Beach Life News, by clicking on the link below ("For Lovers of Algarve Beach Life") or on the button at top left ("Subscribe to ABLN") -- I'll keep you updated, every month, about what's new on the site, as it's added. For Lovers of Algarve Beach Life Return from Fiesa 2006 to Algarve Beach Life home Or, see other years' exhibits here: Back to top
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