Imagine the traditional Christmas scene and snowy forests or icy lakes may spring to mind. Well the festive season on Portugal's Algarve coast is highly unlikely to feature either of those, benefitting as it does from mild, dry weather right through the months of November, December and January. Of course you may be unlucky enough to catch a stray band of rain or be subjected to one of the onshore Atlantic breezes but largely the weather will be mild and sunny.

Before the Christmas events get into full swing, visitors may be interested in a local fair taking place in the town of Aljezur on the Atlantic coast about 40 miles from Faro. The humble sweet potato may seem a little simple to base a 3 day festival around, but it plays such an important part in local agriculture that the festival has grown over the years and attracts many visitors. Of course the vegetable itself is not that exciting, what attracts the crowds to the Festival da batata doce are the hundreds of dishes and traditional delicacies based on the distinctive taste of the sweet potatoes of Aljezur.

Christmas concerts will also be held all over the Algarve as the festive period approaches. Locations that have held concerts in the past include Albufeira at the Auditorio Municipal, Loule, Lagos, Tavira and Faro. In particular the Lisbon Chamber Choir performs a Christmas Concert at the Lagos Cultural Centre on the 22nd December, which is also the venue for a Christmas Jazz concert the following day performed by the Lagos Jazz orchestra. The Portuguese Chamber orchestra also performed a Christmas Concert at Portimao's Municipal Theatre on 22nd of November.

Flythomascook.com has flights to Faro to the Algarve departing the UK from Glasgow and Manchester airports.