September settles in this week with a welcome variation in the weather and a calendar that makes a compelling case for lingering a little longer. The big events of late summer have passed, but what replaces them is not quiet: a Grateful Dead-inspired weekend lands at Wake Park out past Odiaxere, three nights of Spanish flamenco open at the cultural centre in Lagos, and fado takes up a six-week residence in Portimao's beautifully restored old fish market. If you have been here since August, the right response to all of this is to stay.

This week in the west

Silves museum archive donated to the council after historic reopening

The Fabrica do Ingles in Silves, an industrial museum housed in a cork processing plant that dates back to 1894, donated its entire archival collection to Silves Council on 3 September, weeks after the museum's own reopening in July following more than fifteen years of closure. The archive comprises thousands of documents and photographs recording roughly a century of cork industry history, and the mayor of Silves described it as a record of the people who worked there as much as the industry itself. The museum won the Luigi Micheletti Award for Europe's Best Industrial Museum in 2001 and had drawn more than 100,000 visitors a year at its peak before closing in 2009 when the previous owner became insolvent. Its return to public life, and this donation of the archive to public ownership, is one of the quieter good news stories of the summer. Silves is a rewarding afternoon: the castle is the best-preserved Moorish fortification in the Algarve, and the riverside road in from Portimao passes through orange groves and has a quality all its own.

Six Saturdays of fado open at Portimao's old fish market

The Antiga Lota in Portimao, the restored fish market on the Arade riverfront, has launched a new fado programme running every Saturday from 5 September through to 10 October, free of charge and beginning at 9pm. The series, called Ha Fado na Lota, pairs a curated exhibition on fado's history and meaning with six live concerts, and marks fifteen years since fado was inscribed on UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage. This Saturday 12 September, Custodio Castelo performs with Ana Paula Martins, accompanied by Vitor do Carmo, Carlos Garcia and Carlos Meneses on supporting instruments. Castelo is among Portugal's most celebrated Portuguese guitar players and the setting of the open-air fish market beside the river is an unusually atmospheric one. Portimao is 24 kilometres east of Lagos along the EN125, and the riverside is worth the trip in its own right.

Forum Algarve shopping centre changes hands for 130 million euros

Spain's Alfana Investment Management has completed the purchase of Forum Algarve, the region's largest shopping centre in Faro, for just under 130 million euros, marking the company's first acquisition outside Spain. The centre, built in 2001 with 115 stores and more than 2,200 parking spaces, generates annual sales above 120 million euros and draws around 7.8 million visitors a year. For visitors to the western Algarve the practical effect is nil in the short term, but the transaction is a marker of continued investment confidence in the region. The new owners intend to integrate the centre into their Rivoli Retail portfolio.

What's on this week

Barbara Bandeira, Auditorio Carlos do Carmo, Lagoa, Tuesday 8 September

The Lagoa municipal holiday programme closes on Tuesday evening with a concert by Barbara Bandeira, beginning at 10pm at the Auditorio Carlos do Carmo. Bandeira is among the most prominent names in contemporary Portuguese pop and the choice of headliner for the municipal holiday confirms that Lagoa's September programme punches well above the size of the town. Entry is free, as it is to all events in the Festas de Nossa Senhora da Luz programme, and the auditorio is a short walk from the town centre. Tuesday is Lagoa's official public holiday, so the afternoon carries its own civic programme before the evening concert.

Eyes of the Algarve, Wake Park Lagos, Thursday 10 to Saturday 12 September

A Grateful Dead-inspired weekend in the Lagos area runs Thursday to Saturday, opening with a community day on Thursday 10 September built around beach yoga, cocktails at local venues and an afternoon catamaran cruise along the coast before an evening after-party with the bands. Friday and Saturday 11 and 12 September bring two full days of music at Wake Park in Odiaxere from 1pm, with Grateful Nights from Barcelona headlining across both afternoons. The supporting bill across the two days includes STiZL, Los Pissarros, Barko Waltz, Slim Jim, Franc GuitarO and the Pissarro Duo acoustic set. Local artisans set up through the venue, food is themed to the occasion and there is live art throughout. Tickets are on sale at the event website; single-day options are available. Wake Park is off the N125 at Odiaxere, roughly ten minutes east of Lagos.

23rd Flamenco Festival, Centro Cultural de Lagos, Thursday 10 to Saturday 12 September

Three Spanish flamenco companies perform on three consecutive evenings at the Auditorio Duval Pestana inside the Centro Cultural de Lagos, with shows starting at 9.30pm and tickets at 10 euros. The companies across the three nights are La Dezima Musa, Cuadro Flamenco and the Al Felah-Menkub Ensemble; the specific order is confirmed by the box office and on the Lagos cultural centre website. On Saturday evening 12 September, the festival also presents a free outdoor tango show at a Lagos street location, with Giovanna Socci and Mario de Buenos Aires performing from 9pm. Tickets for the indoor shows are available at the Centro Cultural de Lagos box office and through the usual platforms.

Art evening at Chiccas Restaurant, Praia da Luz, Friday 11 September (unconfirmed)

We hear that Chiccas in Praia da Luz may be hosting an art exhibition paired with a special menu this Friday evening. A reader tipped us off some weeks ago, but the restaurant has yet to announce it on its own page, so treat this one as unconfirmed and ring the restaurant to check before making plans. Chiccas is one of the most consistent tables in the village, and if the evening does go ahead, booking in advance for the special menu would be wise.

Festival do Berbigao, Figueira (Portimao), Friday 11 to Sunday 13 September

The cockle festival in Figueira, a small village tucked between Portimao and Mexilhoeira Grande, runs across three evenings from Friday, with the Sociedade Recreativa Figueirense organising it for the 23rd time. Berbigao, the local cockle, is the star of the kitchen: served as pasta, rice, rissois and simply cooked, it anchors a festival that is as much about community as it is about food. Dancing from 8.30pm each evening gives way to a live concert at 10.30pm: Iran Costa headlines on Friday 11 September, Belito Campos on Saturday 12 September and Rosinha closes the run on Sunday 13 September. Entry is modest and the atmosphere is warm; Figueira on a September evening is a world away from the coast.

Coming up

13th International Guitar Festival, Lagoa area, from Friday 18 September

The International Guitar Festival of Lagoa returns for its 13th edition, running from 18 September through to 1 October at venues spread across the municipality including the Auditorio Carlos do Carmo, the Convento de Sao Jose in Lagoa town, Sitio das Fontes and the Olaria de Porches. Tickets are 8 euros per concert, with discounts available for Cultural Passport holders, and can be purchased online and at CTT, Fnac and Worten. The programme spans classical, world and flamenco guitar across nine concerts in varied surroundings; a September afternoon in the Lagoa countryside at one of the outdoor venues makes for a particularly good couple of hours. This festival has built a real reputation over thirteen editions and deserves to be on the radar of anyone staying into late September.

European Researchers' Night, Centro Ciencia Viva de Lagos, Thursday 25 September

The annual European Researchers' Night lands at the science centre in Lagos on the evening of 25 September from 5pm, bringing researchers and scientists into direct contact with the public through experiments, demonstrations and talks. The Lagos edition sits naturally in a coastal setting and the science centre is centrally located in Lagos. Worth knowing about, particularly for families and anyone curious about the marine and coastal science that underpins so much of the region's character. Entry details will be confirmed closer to the date on the Lagos municipal website.

Concierge corner

Why I keep going back to Sagres

Sagres is probably my favourite place in the Western Algarve.

I've been back several times and there's something about it that feels completely different from the Algarve most people come looking for. It's wilder, windier and somehow less polished, and that's exactly why I love it.

Drive out towards Cabo de Sao Vicente and you really do get that feeling of reaching the edge of Europe. Huge cliffs, Atlantic waves crashing below you, surfers chasing the next break and, if you time it right, one of the best sunsets you'll see anywhere in Portugal.

This week I discovered the videos of Isabel Jardim, who explores and films places across southern Portugal simply because she loves doing it. Her Sagres footage captures something photographs sometimes miss, the movement, weather and sheer power of the Atlantic.

I've included one of Isabel's videos below. Have a watch.

And if you're staying in the Western Algarve, give Sagres a day. Don't rush it. It's worth the drive.

Video: Isabel Jardim, "O que de bom os meus olhos veem!", shared with permission.

The week's weather

Monday opens very warm at around 35 degrees with cloud overhead, and the week dips nicely through Tuesday and Wednesday as temperatures fall to the mid-twenties and the nights turn properly cool for the first time this season. From Thursday the heat builds again: skies clear, temperatures push back to 32 degrees on Friday and 35 on Saturday, and the weekend arrives with the kind of late summer conditions that make September swims feel like a bonus. No rain anywhere in the forecast this week.

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