FAVA, Feira do Ambiente e Vegan do Algarve

FAVA, Feira do Ambiente e Vegan do Algarve is, by most measures, Portugal's biggest plant-based event, and the 2026 edition runs 18-20 September at the Parque Municipal de Loulé, a generous open-air park in the Algarve's historic inland capital. Organised since 2018 by Benfazer, a non-profit association focused on social, environmental and animal welfare, in partnership with the Loulé city council, FAVA has grown from a local fair into a three-day festival that pulls visitors from across southern Portugal and the expat community along the Algarve coast.

The numbers tell the story: 100+ exhibitors, 100+ free shows and activities, and what the organizers bill as *"500 hours of free activities"* across the weekend. Entry is free, the whole site is outdoors, and the programme deliberately leans wider than food alone, this is a festival about veganism and the environment together, which means solar-energy demos sit next to vegan cheese makers, and a repair-and-clothes-swap station runs alongside the main food court.

The food scene covers everything from food-truck street eats to sit-down restaurant outposts, with strong Portuguese plant-based representation, expect alheira, pastéis, cozidos, and the increasingly ambitious local vegan pastry scene. Beyond food, exhibitors cover sustainable home and garden, ethical fashion, natural beauty and wellness, renewable energy, and green mobility. The programme includes culinary and nutrition workshops, live music, dance, theatre, and circus performances, plus yoga and relaxation sessions on the park lawns.

Families are clearly the target. The park setting, free entry and all-ages programme make FAVA one of the most kid-friendly vegan events in Iberia. Animal-protection and community organisations run booths aimed at children, and the 500-hour activity count includes dedicated family programming.

Loulé itself is a 25-minute drive from Faro airport and 20 minutes from the main Algarve beach towns (Quarteira, Vilamoura, Albufeira). The town has its own Moorish castle, a Saturday municipal market, and an increasingly good café scene, easy to build a long weekend around the festival. The 2026 programme is still being finalised at the time of writing; Benfazer publishes the full schedule in the weeks leading up to September, and also accepts activity proposals from the public.

Practical tips: September in the Algarve is still firmly summer (often 28-30°C), so bring sun protection and a refillable bottle. Most locals attend in the late afternoon and stay for the evening performances, when the temperature drops.