The Club Farense

Club Farense is a unique institution. It was founded on the 8th December 1863 and it’s hosted at an old house dated from the 17th century and located in rua de Santo António, the main pedestrian street of Faro’s center.

To gain access to the clubhouse membership is required. And that can only be obtained upon a proposal from an existent member and approval by the assembly of members. Fortunately the club often organizes events which are open to the general public, although an entrance fee is to be expected.

The club’s Carnival bawl is legendary and there is always a New Years party and a Christmas gathering. But for most of the year, they all have something going on during the weekend. No matter what. All sorts of art and cultural events take place on Saturdays and Sundays.

You will find here a special atmosphere. You can feel history in Club Farense. There is a touch of the Victorian Era, at least I feel it this way. A fine library, a TV room, a games room, a small bar where you can order a drink to sip while enjoying a concert. And, of course, the saloon where magic takes place. It’s an old place and looks exactly as it should. There are small tables with a couple of chairs placed around. Bring your glass of wine from the bar and get ready to the performance. It’s quite a place!

Special hint: don’t miss the coat of arms painted on the ceiling of one of the rooms.

How to Visit

As I said, to access the club it’s required membership. Perhaps if you are nice and ask gently the folks will let you poke around a bit, but don’t count on it. Once I was outside, talking about the club to two friends from Belgium and a kind member who was arriving kindly invited us all to visit. But this should not be taken for granted, specially as the pressure of mass tourism became a reality in Faro.

Your best bet will be attending one of the public events often organized by the club. Usually there is nothing going on during the summer, as it gets really warm inside and uncomfortable for the audience and the artists.

The rest of the year usually sees performances every weekend, sometimes both on Saturday evening and on Sunday. The standard time for the evening performances is 22:00 but it’s common that things get a bit delayed.

And what usually goes on in there? Everything! It can be jazz, fado (the Portuguese traditional singing style), a simple guitar concert, a homage to some well known Portuguese artist. All sorts of music, sometimes poetry declamation, a theater play… imagination is the limit. Anything related with arts and culture can happen there. My sweetest memory was a performance by a Portuguese young woman who traveled in Mali and adapted the traditional music of that African country to harp. That, my friends, was the sound of Heaven.

Expect to pay anything from 5 Euros to 10 Euros, a bit more in exceptional occasions. Someone will be selling the tickets by the top of the stairs.

To know what and when is going on, check their Facebook page. Anyway, during the day it’s common to see a panel in front of the clubhouse with information about forthcoming events.

The House

The house where you will find Club Farense has a name: Solar dos Pantojas. Its first owner was Gil Vaz Lobo Freire Pantoja.

It was probably built in the late 17th century but there is no historical evidence of this, and it’s possible that its construction dates back to the early 18th century. Notice the coat of arms, carved in stone, visible in the main facade.

The Club Farense moved to the current building in 1917, replacing the Maritime Museum as tenant and ordering renovation works to suit the space to the club’s needs.