Organisers estimate between 8,000 and 10,000 people will attend each day and promise it will be the biggest festival of its kind to ever take place in this country. They pledge not only it will bring business to the Algarve, but will temporarily boost local tourism too.
“The idea came about as we know that LGBT festivals can be of enormous importance and we are trying to attract that vital tourism sector to Portugal”, said organizer Hugo Pereira.
“Suffice to see what happens in Spain, Italy, France and Greece, where increasing importance is given to this type of event”.
Over the two days in May the venue, which also hosts the annual arts and crafts FATACIL exhibition, will feature a ‘red light’ area, sex shops, piercing and tattoo stalls, shell and palm readers, and a gourmet area, amongst other interesting concepts.
The Allove Festival (www.allovefestival.com) will also feature a ‘gaydrome’, a traditional fair area with rides including a ghost train and a crazy bull, as well as an arts pavilion.
Hugo Pereira stressed that heterosexuals are welcome to visit the event.
“We see this not only as a business, but also as a celebration of sexual diversity. We don’t want to offend in anyway, it is not a private affair and is totally open to the heterosexual community”, he said.
Regarding controversy, the organiser suggested that the most radical event that could take place during the festival is a “luxury gay wedding”, which will, until the law permits otherwise, remain symbolic.
“We have luxury weddings [in the pipeline], with a limousine, wedding cake, and a wedding night in a five-star hotel”.
However, the event’s official Public Relations, David Canelas, told The Portugal News that despite the local Town Hall being receptive and supportive of the festival, others greeted it with resistance. In one case, a company blatantly refused to collaborate with the organisation.
“It has been extremely difficult, some people just aren’t prepared for it”, he said, indicating that homosexuality may still be a topic that in Portugal remains somewhat taboo.
The event is being sponsored by Lagoa Town Hall, the Algarve Tourism Association, the Abraço Association, and the Movement for Support for the Problem of AIDS (MAPS). Meanwhile, some of the most famous bars from Lisbon have confirmed their presence at the Festival, as well as well-known national entertainers, though the official line-up has yet to be confirmed.
Popular music channel MTV may also be covering the event, which is attracting significant national media attention
Source:www.theportugalnews.com
