16-19 April 2026 in Faro, Portugal

We will gather in Faro to discuss how interpretation can enhance the value of heritage – both natural and cultural – for people and societies in European democracies.
It was here where the Council of Europe launched the “Faro Convention” in 2005, embarking on a journey towards more democratic, people-centred, and value-based practices in dealing with Europe’s heritage.
The official legal text refers to cultural heritage only, its underlying rationale matters for all heritage interpretation, including natural heritage, as Europe is facing multiple challenges.
Join us to discuss how the Faro spirit can inspire theory and practice of interpretation. And, vice versa, how new approaches to co-creative interpretation can empower Faro heritage communities while strengthening cohesion of democratic societies committed to European values and sustainable development as ideals which are rooted in Europe’s past. Find out more about the theme and call for papers here. 

The city of Faro and its surroundings, in Portugal’s Algarve, are alluringly rich in natural and cultural heritage.

Faro is situated in the extreme south-west of Europe and the whole region has been shaped throughout history by the succession and coexistence of diverse cultures and religions arriving by land and sea. It can look back on a turbulent past and it displays traces of these events everywhere. Many names in present-day Portugal and Spain testify to the influence of Romans, Byzantines, Visigoths and finally Moors. For centuries, explorers set sail from the Iberian Peninsula exporting, in turn, influences from this region.

What the Muslims once called Al Gharb, which simply meant the West, is what we now know as the Algarve and, with plenty of sunshine and beaches, it is one of Europe’s most popular tourist destinations. But the Algarve is much more than that. Between the Atlantic Ocean and the mountains in the hinterland, we can discover a diverse landscape rich in natural and cultural treasures.

This geologically diverse landscape is the home of carob, fig, almond and eucalyptus trees, not to mention the ancient olive trees and mighty cork oaks. The people of the Algarve have always known how to use the assets of the region and old traditions live on in many places, many adapted to the times.

Register here: Interpret Europe conference 2026 – Registration