The Oldest Carnival in the country - and surely the best! Loulé Carnival is back in town and it is as vibrant and colourful and lively as ever.

This year the dates were moved to the Sunday, Monday and Tuesday … and yes that caught us out! Dave was on hand as always to take photographs of the event for you all, and even managed to set up a Photo Walk at the same time.

Entry is still only 2€ which has to be the best value - over two and half hours of music, dancing, parades and floats, and the most amazing spectacle.

There are children of all ages taking part and enjoying themselves …

And lots of super-heroes!

And fabulous masks and costumes …

We have concentrated on capturing the people and the dancers this year - the floats and political characters are still there too - but it is the people and the costumes that really make this event so special and colourful …

We know how much you all love Dave’s photographs each year - so we have included lots of them for you here .. and an album full at the end for you to enjoy too!

What really stood out for us this year is just how much everyone seems to really love taking part in this event - the smiles are wide and genuine .. and there were lots of male samba dancers too this year - much to everyone’s delight!

As in previous years, Dave’s photographs were used on the front covers of the Tomorrow Magazines too this month - which is a real thrill for us .. here they are!

You can click the link here to read these magazines free online each month.

We leave you with the biggest smile of the afternoon .. and a gallery of images below for you to enjoy. And as always - if you are in one of the photos - and you would like a free copy, please just email us on [email protected]

If you would like to know more about Dave’s photography - you can click the logo here to visit his website:

Click on any of the images here to start the slideshow: