The first-week promises to involve Tavira in an atmosphere of art, poetry, music and astronomy, with events that celebrate the work and life of the poet from Tavira, with activities that involve the local community and all admirers of Pessoa’s work.

The 15 October is Álvaro de Campos birthday so Tavira will be hosting notable events, which include an exhibition until 30 November at the Municipal Library of Tavira, where the work of Tavira artist Carlos Fonseca Martins, who has portrayed Fernando Pessoa for several decades, will be shown in an exhibition that allows us to see the poet through the eyes of this long-time creator.


There will also be an exhibition at Museu Casa Fotografia Andrade, with the Photographs of Tavira at the beginning of the 20th century, offering a unique perspective on the environment in which Álvaro de Campos discovered himself as a foreigner in his own land, when he returned to the Village of his Childhood. This exhibition is running until the 30 November.

Hidden Connections – Selection of images continuously displayed at Casa Álvaro de Campos show the work with young people that generates a participatory performance. It uses Fernando Pessoa's poetry recited by a plant through the sonification of its biological information, sounds of young people painting, and female voice and trombone improvisation. A creation by André Conde (trombone and pedal board), developed with the participation of singer Genoveva Faísca, and teachers Reinaldo Barros (art teacher and local coordinator of PNA (Plano Nacional das Artes) and Hugo Pereira (technology teacher).

15 October: FAAC’24 Opening Concert at 6:30 pm at the Misericórdia Church, where actor Vítor Correia will perform two poems by Álvaro de Campos, followed by the Navy Band Wind Quintet, evoking Campos’ connection to the sea and with Naval Engineering. The repertoire from the beginning of the 20th century will transport the public to the sounds that shaped the universe of Fernando Pessoa and his heteronym.

The night ends on a sweet note at Casa Álvaro de Campos, where one can taste the Doces Pessoa, different and unique creations by pastry chefs from Tavira and the Irene Rollo Foundation’s culinary teacher.

17 October to 16 November, from Tuesday to Saturday from 10 am to 1 pm. The collective exhibition Art Is Beautiful... And Useless can be seen at Artesis Galeria. Artists living in the eastern Algarve were inspired by a thought that Fernando Pessoa expresses in his Livro do Desassossego (The Book of Disquiet), through another heteronym, Bernando Soares:

Why is art beautiful? Because it is useless.

17 October: Moonlight Community Reading, 8 pm: everybody is invited to participate in a Community Reading of the poem “Vem Noite Antiquíssima”. The event is dedicated to Álvaro de Campos and to the Hunter’s Moon, the biggest full moon of the year. Those who join are invited to observe the moon, guided by specialists from the Centro Ciência Viva Tavira. They also can take part in the reading, led by Vitor Correia, in Portuguese as well as in English.

In this way this first week of tributes ends in a magical moment under the glow of the moon.


About the Birthday Party for Álvaro de Campos

Álvaro de Campos’ Birthday Party celebrates Fernando Pessoa’s connection with the city of Tavira, exploring the poet’s cultural legacy through various artistic expressions. Seven weeks full of cultural events will continue until the end of November.

For more information please visit: www.festadosanosdealvarodecampos.com