Carnaval de Loulé is the oldest continuous pre-Lenten party in Portugal, with 119 years of celebrations. Thousands of revelers jam the streets. Those in costume strut their stuff. Others are there to watch and enjoy. The parades, each afternoon of 15, 16 & 17 February along Avenida José da Costa Mealha, are full of floats, samba groups, Brazilian dancers and giant costumed characters, providing a rhythmic beat, lots of laughs and pure enjoyment.
Carnaval Parade – 15, 16 & 17 Feb at 15:00
Every afternoon at 3:00pm, Avenida José da Costa Mealha transforms into a full-on comic-book fantasia as Loulé’s “Super Carnival” parade bursts onto the scene. The procession rolls out with 14 exuberant floats and more than 600 participants, mixing samba rhythms, animation groups, giant puppets, jugglers, and a roaming DJ spinning upbeat sounds from across the Atlantic. It’s loud, colorful, and gleefully over the top.
At the heart of it all is Zé Povinho, the unlikely superhero of the people. Dressed in a green-and-red Superman suit and flying with the help of a closed umbrella (a long-standing superstition to keep the rain away), he takes on real-world villains like the rising cost of living, health care woes, and the housing crunch. Politics, as always in Loulé, gets the sharpest satire: a float imagines the presidential race as an underwater epic, with Admiral Henrique Gouveia e Melo as Aquaman and Luís Marques Mendes as Nemo, while José Sócrates appears as the Joker, Batman’s infamous nemesis.
Sports fans are in for their own laughs. Cristiano Ronaldo makes his traditional cameo as “Super-Ronaldo,” controversies and all, and Portuguese football’s power struggles are reimagined as a superhero brawl between club presidents in Hulk, Falcon, and dragon form.
Even international affairs join the party. One of the most elaborate floats riffs on tensions in Venezuela, with Nicolás Maduro cruising in a drug-laden boat that’s intercepted by Captain America–style Donald Trump in Caribbean waters.
Children’s Carnaval – Friday, 13 Feb at 10:00
The fun begins on the Friday before Carnaval, with a day dedicated to kids! The children’s carnival kicks off at 10:00 and runs for two hours until 12:00. Kids come to the streets with their faces painted and in costumes for a mini version of the parade.
Grand Ball – Monday, 16 Feb at 22:00
A themed Carnaval Gala Ball is scheduled for Monday evening at 22:00 in the Salão de Festas de Loulé. Guests are asked to wear masks reflecting the theme.
See more at the Carnaval Loulé Facebook page.
Carnival Loulé
Avenida José da Costa Mealha
Loulé
Algarve
Entrance: €2.00.
Ticket booths are set up at the entrances to the parade
Proceeds benefit the associations participating in the parade (50%) and IPSS (50%).
Hours: Between 15:00 and 18:00 each day.