Ovibeja celebrates its Silver Jubilee

Tradition and innovation. These are the foundations of Ovibeja, the largest agricultural fair held annually on Portuguese soil. Organised by ACOS – the Southern Association of Sheep Breeders – Ovibeja occupies over ten hectares to display the culture and ancestral customs which it inherited from the ancient Beja May Festival, which was established in 1261 by a royal charter from D. Afonso III, showcasing the boldest technological innovations not only in terms of agricultural practices but also of the different sectors of the economy and society.

Ovibeja, which every year attracts over three hundred thousand visitors, is a Fair in the true sense of the word. It is a place for festivities and entertainment. For socialising and meeting old friends. It is a space for conducting business and sharing experiences. It is a soil for culture and debate. It is a forum for politics and citizenship. It is the spring in all its exuberance, where the past and the future walk hand-in-hand.

In 2008 Ovibeja will celebrate its 25th anniversary. The festivities, which will be held at Beja’s Parque de Feiras e Exposições {Fair and Exhibition Park} from the 26th of April to the 4th of May, will serve not only to mark the silver jubilee of the greatest cultural, political, economic and social event held in the heartland of Portugal. It will also serve to highlight that the changes which have taken place in the country and in the region over the last 25 years also passed through Ovibeja: a Fair which has been showing us “The Whole Alentejo Of This World”, but which now wants to bring the whole world to this very Alentejo.