The net's wing is a new addition to the recreation of the sardine unloading in Portimão

The recreation of the unloading of sardines at the pier marks the start of the Sardine Festival and has been bringing many people to the Riverside Zone since 2019 to experience the vibrant atmosphere of the activity.

However, this year, the Portimão Museum decided to innovate and elevate this cultural experience by also presenting the network's wing as a new element of this return to the past, which will take place on the morning of August 5th.

The initiative paves the way for the 29th edition of the Sardine Festival, which opens in the late afternoon of that day, and allows, between 11:00 am and 12:30 pm, the population to experience an enriching, authentic and engaging experience, which is undeniably linked to the origins of Portimão's identity.

Promoted by Portimão City Council , through the city's Museum, everyone, both residents and tourists, are invited to watch this recreation at Cais Gil Eanes, in a perfect setting to remember the times when sardines arrived after the harvest, with the docking of boats and the hustle and bustle characteristic of the old fish market.

However, those who are unable to travel to the pier can watch the live broadcast on the official Facebook page of the Municipality of Portimão, available here .

The population that travels to the Portimão Riverside Area to watch the recreation this year will, therefore, be surprised by yet another reason for interest.

This is because it will give you the opportunity to revive the raising of the net on board the vessels, another moment that, in the past, marked the fishing hustle and bustle.

To the sound of the "Arribalé" work song, the recreation will show how one of the most important work tools of the day was pulled aboard the vessel by the crew. This activity is based on Michel Giacometti's fieldwork.

This episode, which will mark the 2025 edition of the recreation, will feature the participation of the community, the Adágio Choral Group and the crew of the «Travesso», a vessel still in operation, which after completing the unloading of sardines, at Cais Gil Eanes, will give shape to this moment.

The recreation continues to be, however, a unique experience, with seven dozen members of local associations and volunteers participating, wearing costumes, using slogans and using means of transport from the period.

The group of extras has been rehearsing since July 14th at the Portimão Museum, once again directed by actor Vítor Correia, to ensure this episode is memorable and a portrait of an important activity from the municipality's past.

For this to happen, in addition to extras, costumes, and equipment, a large quantity of fish is always required. Therefore, 600 kilograms of fresh sardines will also be used in the recreation, provided on the day by Docapesca – Portos e Lotas SA, a partner in this anchor event. This quantity will be shared between the trawlers "Arrifana" and "Portugal Jovem," vessels still in operation and also key elements in this recreation.

The Sardine Festival will distribute 3,000 free tasting tickets to spectators (600 per restaurant), which entitle them to two sardines on bread and a drink.

They can then be used, from August 5 to 10, in one of the five restaurant spaces run by local associations at the event venue.

The intention is to recall an activity that is very characteristic of Portimão, which was lost since the Fishing Port moved to the opposite bank of the Arade River.

The efforts of the municipality of Portimão, through its Museum, to keep this important aspect of local history alive in the memory of the entire population, was recognized in 2020 with an honorable mention from APOM – Portuguese Association of Museology, in the category "Innovation and Creativity".

Thus, this day commemorates the activities of the fish market and purse seine fishing, most notably the arrival of the trawler laden with sardines, heralded by the siren that summoned buyers. It was accompanied by the boat carrying the man who shifted the vessel, selling the "companion's catch" on the quay wall.

Belonging to the fishermen, this fish didn't go through the "official" auction. It was taken to the dock steps, where it was sold to interested parties who were "eyeing" it, as it was cheaper.

Meanwhile, the buyers, heeding the siren, had already made their way to the pier to assess the quality of the fish. The open-air auction then ensued, a litany of numbers chanted in descending order, interrupted only by the order to buy, "Shoot!"

It was at this point that the fish were unloaded, a kind of choreography perfected by experience, in which the men would fly baskets full of fish from the deck of the vessel to the receiver who would catch them on the wall, and then immediately empty them into boxes.

It was frozen or salted and transported on bicycles, vans, tricycles and motorbikes to its destination, while children dodged sardines, creating a ruckus among those present.

This entire environment, with its own dynamics and interactions, attracted curious onlookers and tourists, providing a place for interaction between protagonists and onlookers, especially when fish unloaders grilled sardines for lunch and invited visitors to try this delicacy so typical of the region.

The fish market, a very masculine space, nevertheless always had a female presence, whether it was the women who salted fish there, or those who were linked to the first taverns and stove rentals, or the occasional buyer of a small pot of fish, or a tourist who passed by.

They were also joined by young men who tried to steal some sardines, either for home consumption or to try to do small business where they could make a profit for themselves and their families.

There were also some notes of begging and figures "hanging around the docks," doing odd jobs. And accompanying all this was the beautiful melody of "Fado de Portimão."

All these characters and the hustle and bustle of the fish market are the basis of this recreation, which, despite taking place in modern times, will take the audience back to the recent past to experience this important episode in Portimão's life.

This historical reconstruction is a living example of cultural heritage, collective memory and Portimão identity, whose preservation also aims to revitalize the Portimão Riverside Area, contributing to the development of local initiatives and the importance of cultural tourism.

And if there are stories that deserve to be told and recorded, the recreation of the sardine discharge is certainly one of them.

The seine fish market emerged in the Portimão Riverside Zone in the early 20th century, first with galleons and later with trawlers. It operated there until 1987, when it moved to the other side of the Arade River.

Therefore, the recreation of the fish unloading is a celebration of this memory, not corresponding to a specific decade, but to a period in which the main stories told by those who worked and knew the fish market well come together.

In this edition, the recreation involves two trawlers that are currently in operation – the «Arrifana» and the «Portugal Jovem», the «Travesso» and our envoy «Moira».

This initiative and the Sardine Festival, which will open in the late afternoon of August 5th and will feature a concert by Rui Veloso, are two of the highlights of the programming agenda, promoted by the municipality and called «It's Summer, it's Portimão» .

All information regarding this year's Sardine Festival can be found on the event's official website .