Come to Tavira’s community garden party: open to the entire community

The association Ecotopia Activa is inviting local people to a party in the community vegetable gardens in Tavira on 24 May 2025 between 9:30 am and 7:30 pm. There will be music, workshops, a competition and activities to promote healthy eating.

The event “Há Festa na Horta!” – from the garden to the plate for a healthy life!, is part of the municipal program Equinócios, promoted by the Municipality of Tavira. The initiative will take place in the Amendoeira Community Garden, in the Posto Agrário de Tavira, and entry is free.

“This event is a unique celebration,” says the association, and an opportunity for the entire community to visit the community gardens, learn about the ongoing projects, and participate in the various activities planned throughout the day. The organisation asks that if you want to attend, please register for the activities in advance.

The program includes visiting the Tavira Agricultural Experimentation Center (CEAT) fruit collections, guided by agricultural engineers Luís Cabrita and Sandra Germano from CCDR Algarve IP Agriculture and Fisheries. Practical workshops, such as solar cooking, led by Carlos Silva and Isabel Chavez, will also be included, where students will learn how to build solar ovens using recycled materials.

There will also be a horticulture workshop led by Paula Pedro, covering topics such as the creation of bio-preparations and a vegetable garden mural to be developed by artist Iara Mendonça during the afternoon.

One of the day’s highlights will be the vegetable competition, with prizes offered by the companies Sementes Vivas and A Loja da Maria.

Ecotopia Activa stresses, “The competition will be decided by judges who are experts in the field”

The program also includes a solar tasting with dishes prepared with products from the community gardens and a shared picnic. There will also be a concert with the local band Rush do Lavagante and the seed bank exchange, a moment designed to encourage agricultural diversity and community sharing.

According to the association, “Tavira has had community gardens since 2022,” and it is “essential to raise awareness of the issue of sustainability in food systems.” The association highlights that growing food “provides contact with nature and a healthy outdoor experience.”

The initiative also aims to strengthen the city of Tavira’s connection to the “Sustainable Development Goals” and the principles of the “Mediterranean Diet,” promoting “healthy eating habits and lifestyle”, “mental health,” and the concept of “slow living.”

Ecotopia Activa, an association born out of the Citizens’ Movement for CEAT and Urban Gardens of Tavira, intends to “value the role of community gardeners and gardeners in general as emerging protagonists of a new culture that contributes to the construction of a more diverse and interactive urban landscape.”

All activities are free. Sign up for the day’s activities here: https://forms.gle/YDk44wdKbaeG7Dho7

Check the rules of the horticultural contest here: https://docs.google.com/…/1eQXnr2UJJmCMwyVe8fDX…/edit…

Enter the vegetable contest here: https://forms.gle/KTytYDpKJWD22iAq9

5 rules for community garden visitors

1- Travel on the common roads, do not trample on or tread on plots;

2- Appreciate the beauty, don’t touch, or remove anything from the orchards, or the the products in the plots;

3- You are a guest, don’t make a mess or leave rubbish on the ground, use and recycle;

4- Take care of children, adults are responsible for guiding children;

5- Be nice, respect the festival activities and the rules of the organisation, enjoy the day.