Fulgor: A celebration of life, summer and Pinheiros Altos

1st October 2002

"Now that's what I call a party!" "The party of the year." "Pinheiros Altos showed the Algarve how to do a summer party." These were just some of the rave reviews from Portuguese TV and society publications following the first-ever party of its kind in the Algarve at Pinheiros Altos.

Over 1600 guests enjoyed the lavish hospitality and unique entertainment laid on by Sheikh Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber and the management team at Pinheiros Altos. The cars were valet parked; beautiful hostesses welcomed each and every guest and escorted them to the reception area.

The champagne flowed, the gala dinner was superb and the spectacle afterwards was unlike anything the Algarve had ever seen: truly, a night to remember. Property owners, golf club members and friends of Pinheiros Altos mixed and mingled with British and Portuguese celebrities. It was a chance for old friends to catch up with each other, an opportunity to meet new people and generally have a great time.

Preparations prior to the party were a mammoth, military-style operation. The site for the event was the 16th, 17th and 18th tees, which were re-sited for the duration. Over 20,000 tons of earth and sand were moved in - that's 1300 truckloads - to level the area so that the marquee, service tents and seating for the show could be accommodated.

All this imported earth will not go to waste; work is already under way on the construction of a new 18th tee, a larger tee area and the relocation and expansion of the chipping area. Perhaps the biggest technical challenge was the creation and stage management of Fulgor, the artistic spectacle that was the finale of the evening.

Written by Judite da Silva Gameiro, a Portuguese artist and director of Theatre Ka, Fulgor was produced by Beau McClellan and Adam Varley of Stray Dog Productions. Didier Sainderrichin designed the creative set, Phillipe da Silva was technical director and Iain McKinna and Beau McClellan wrote the music.

A truly international team combined to create a unique, one-off performance, an outdoor spectacle which used to maximum advantage the trees, the lake and the natural landscape to bring to life a journey through the elements, and through nature. The laser-created vortex over the lake was just amazing and who in the audience didn't sigh in sympathy when the three-headed monster was finally devoured?

Characters swung and swirled high overhead; giants strutted around on stilts; lights, sound, special effects and 75 performers created a magical world suspended in time and space. For those of you who like to know about the nitty gritty, here are the facts and figures on Fulgor. In total, eight tons of metal, steel and machinery and one ton of wood was used in the production, and the fabric used would easily cover six full-size football pitches. 400 Kilowatts of electricity were used for the lights and sound and 45 people worked full-time for four months to make Fulgor happen.

The whole purpose of the party was to put Pinheiros Altos firmly on the map as a first-class, five-star resort which is not afraid to break the mould of tradition in order to bring top-quality entertainment and culture to the region. "Whatever we do, we do it right, and we do it to the highest possible standard," commented Resort Director Fiona Mendes, "it is important at this stage of our development that people realise that Pinheiros Altos is the flagship resort of a major international group, it is not a one-off development.

With his enormous investments in the region, Sheikh Mohamed is making a strong statement about the Algarve and his confidence in its future. This party represented a considerable investment in time and effort; it has set the scene and the standard for what lies ahead".

Beau McClellan of Stray Dog Productions is determined to promote local talent and create more cultural events. "The time is coming when those who live here or visit the Algarve will demand more than just golf courses and beaches," he said, "they will expect the level of culture that they can see in their home countries. Just because it has not been done before does not mean it isn't possible and the reception of the audience to Fulgor showed that they really appreciated it.

It can be done, and it should be done, to make the Algarve more attractive as a quality destination. I applaud Pinheiros Altos for having the courage to commit to taking that first step." The summer party was a tremendous success, at every level - the only question now is, "how do you follow that?"