Recently we reported on a series of Flamenco concerts taking place in the Canary Islands during February. Perhaps it's that time of year but there was also a brace of Flamenco concerts which took place in Faro on the Algarve at the 6th Flamenco Festival in early February.

The two events took place at Faro's Teatro das Figuras. The first on the 5th of February when the group Embrujo performed and then the second the following evening where Duende Flamenco performed. Both concerts started at 9:30pm and cost 12 Euros. Both performances showcased this traditional art form which combines a unique singing style with a dance form that embraces elements of tap and ballet.

Faro's main theatre was also the venue for some other events around those dates and may have been of interest for anyone on holiday in the area at the time. On 30th January the Tennessee Williams' play "The Glass Menagerie" was staged. Performers are drawn from a collection of talented acting groups in the Algarve. The Orchestra of the Algarve, or Orquestra Do Algarve, also performed a selection of concerts on 2nd February, 9th February and 26th February.

Two international sporting events have been scheduled for the early part of the year on the Algarve. On 3rd March Albufeira hosts its 33rd Almond Blossom International Cross Country running event. This is an official IAAF event and should feature some of the world's best runners who will be putting the final touches to their preparations for their world championships which take place later during March in Bydgoszcz, Poland.

In mid February the Tour of the Algarve international cycling race took place. The five day race started on the 17th of February, with the first stage typically taking riders 160km along the coast to Faro .