Planning well beyond his tenure, Faro’s mayor Rogério Bacalhau plans that his proud city will successfully submit and win a bid to become European Capital of Culture in 2027.
Announcing his plan during Faro’s municipal day, Bacalhau admitted "It's not an easy process, we have, of course, many cities competing, but I think Faro and the Algarve have the right conditions."
The application will be spearheaded by the cultural expert Guilherme de Oliveira Martins who currently is the president of Portugal’s National Cultural Centre and the result of the bid will be known in 2019 after an expert committee at the EU has decided which city will be honoured.
Bacalhau says that the region is equipped with good facilities for holding cultural events and at the moment the biggest challenge will be to create an organised schedule which will involve the other regional mayors.
The idea for 2027 is to have "a set of events that draws attention to Faro and the Algarve in a different way, not only sun and sand, which is a great asset, but also the region’s culture, identity and heritage.”
Bacalhau gave examples of local development projects that would help assure funding.
“The Civil Government building and the Customs house are two spaces that can help to enhance cultural tourism in the area.”
"Today it makes little sense that some buildings full of history are being occupied by public services," said the Faro mayor who added that the council will take on the redevelopment and revitalisation of these buildings, if that’s what it took for a successful bid.
