The Batalha das Flores (“Battle of Flowers”) parade returned to the centre of Famalicão, with nearly a thousand participants from more than two dozen organisations, who crossed the main arteries of the city on a sunny Sunday, in the presence of thousands of people, from inside and outside the municipality.
During three flowery days there was a Festa da Flor (“Flower Festival”) in the city, with the presence of exhibitors and sellers of flowers and plants, as well as floral decorations made by cultural groups and companies in the floriculture branch, musical moments in the central squares, with Zés P'reiras, concertinas and bombos, as well as the concerts of Flor, Miramar - Frankie Chavez e Peixe, Carlos Correia, Sebastião Antunes & Fernando Barroso and the Arnoso Martial Band on the stage installed behind the Cupertino de Miranda Foundation.
Also, part of the Festa de Maio (“May Festival”), but more focused on the Trades, a fair dedicated to local products and gastronomy was set up at the D. Maria II square, with handicrafts, traditional sweets, snacks, horticultural products, among others, in addition to the traditional Feira Grande Maio, which took place last Sunday.
"The Festa de Maio represented the full return of street parties, after a period of two years in which we were quite limited by the pandemic" highlights the Mayor, Mário Passos. “The Festa da Flor is an initiative that famalicenses appreciate", adds the mayor, who also highlights "the important mobilization of flower producers and sellers, as well as local associations, which are the basis for the success of the Battle of Flowers".
The Batalha das Flores is a tradition that dates to the sixties of the last century, at the time an activity associated with the Antonine Festivities, which, however, was forgotten in time, gaining a new lease of life in 2013, with its association to the Flower Festival, an event that arose in 2011, inspired by the surroundings of the spring season and by the flowers in all their splendour.