There may be a smaller selection of events taking place on the Algarve during Autumn, but there's still a choice that should satisfy anyone on holiday there during that period.

For people with an interest in traditional cultural events the annual Alcoutim festival may be of interest. This is a typical local festival that encompasses musical performances, sporting competitions and other festivities. Alcoutim is a pretty hillside town sitting on the Guadiana river close to the Spanish border. It's easily reached from some of the Algarve's eastern resorts, being just 50 miles by road from Faro.

For sports fans the choice of events was either horses or fast motorbikes. The world of Superbikes came to the Algarve over the weekend of the 23rd, 24th and 25th of September. This was the final round of the 14 race 2009 SBK series and promised to be an exciting finale with riders Ben Spies and Noriyuki Haga close on points at the top of the series standings. Last year Australian Troy Bayliss was victorious in the first SBK race ever to be held at the circuit. An international showjumping competition took place between 18th and 20th September at the Belmonte Horse Riding Centre near Portimao.

For food fans, Portimao hosted its annual cockle festival on 12th and 13th September, while a gastronomic event with wider appeal would probably be the 9th Almancil Gastronomy Fortnight that also started on the 12th of September. During the fortnight most of the restaurants in the town were taking part with special menus and entertainment during the meals. It was the perfect opportunity to sample a range of food typical to the Algarve area of Portugal.