Loulé’s Hollywood-themed Carnival attracts 75,000 people

Loulé Council has announced that the town’s Carnival festivities, held between Sunday and Tuesday (February 23-25), attracted around 75,000 people.

Among them were several foreigners, said the council, including British, French, Spanish, German and Italian revellers.

Taking place along the José da Costa Mealha avenue, the Carnival parades included several satirical representations of some of cinema’s biggest stars from “sexy Marilyn Monroe in her famous white dress in The Seven Year Itch and Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean”.

Even Jedis and Siths from Star Wars, superheroes such as Spider-Man, Superman and Captain America and the little yellow creatures known as Minions made their appearance at the festivities.

And, of course, it wouldn’t be Carnival without poking fun at Portuguese and international politicians, including Britain’s own Boris Johnson.

Carlos Carmo, the councillor in charge of Loulé’s events, said this was another year in which Loulé’s Carnival “was able to reinvent itself, creating a special edition with a theme that pleased everyone and allowed both the team behind the parade as well as revellers to unleash their creativity”.

Loulé Mayor Vítor Aleixo said that the event’s success surpassed organisers’ expectations, with the town’s streets being lined by thousands of revelers, particularly on Tuesday.

“Loulé was once again the destination chosen by many people who love Carnival or simply like to enjoy the beauty of the parade,” said the mayor, adding that the festivities provided a boost to the local economy from stores and cafés to restaurants.

Credit to Michael Bruxo of the Portugal Resident