A PICTURESQUE town in Portugal is overrun by boozy stag do Brits who down beers in the sun and turn into “vampire creatures” by night.
Locals in Albufeira say lairy groups of UK tourists repeatedly unleash “carnage” on the main strip after it became one of Europe’s top stag destinations.
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Located on the southernmost tip of the Algarve coastline, the city is divided into two districts – Old Town and “The Strip”.
Both are teeming with mad lads who send off their hitched pals in one final embarrassing blaze of glory.
“It is lined with millions of bars that cater to alcohol fuelled stag frenzies where Brits get drunk all day, every day,” one local told The Sun Online.
“Just last month, at about 3pm in the afternoon I saw an almost naked British man wearing only a diaper walking down the street high-fiving his mates.
“And after dark, the Oura strip is full with horrible vampire type creatures.”
More than 2.7 million people reportedly visit the southern region every year.
But its notorious mile-long bitumen stretch known as “The Strip” was the main arena for debauchery that is rivalling its infamous Spanish counterparts.
Footage showed the neon-lit terrace crammed with heaving bars full of rowdy tourists getting up to all sorts of antics.
“They’re trying to turn the place into another Magaluf,” another local told the Sun Online.
“It’s the worst I have ever seen it – obviously you cannot stop groups from coming here but it’s the half-naked drunk men during the day that need to be stopped,” one added.
“Spain has cracked down on anti-social behaviour so the word has spread about how good it is in Albufeira and it’s more inviting to them,” a second claimed.
“Albufeira is the horse that bolted, it’s never going back to how it was,” a third said.
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Lewis Rose just came back from a stag in Albufeira and said it was brilliant.
Lewis said: “It was really wild in the strip.
“It’s not somewhere you would take the kids as there are too many people walking around drunk.
“The most off-putting thing was you’ve got around 50 blokes approaching you one-by-one offering cocaine and pills.
“But I would definitely recommend it as a stag destination, especially the strip and old town square too.”
The most popular local haunts include Legends, Club Heaven, Club Vida, Liberto’s and Kiss Disco Club.
Prices for cocktails varied from £5 to £15, while a pint of beer will go for about £2.50 during happy hour.
It comes as an increased number of stag parties head for Portugal to avoid the usual hotpots that have been threatened by Vladimir Putin’s wrath, experts say.
Pre-pandemic, Albufeira wasn’t even in the top ten international destinations but this year it has surged to third place.
That’s according to StagWeb, one of the UK’s leading stag party organisers, who claimed Brits had turned away from Eastern Europe.
Jon Stainer, the creative director, believed stags were also opting for sunnier destinations post coronavirus lockdowns.
Jon said: “After travel ground to a standstill, stags are looking for one thing and that’s sun.
“Whereas city breaks in Berlin and Hamburg used to be hugely popular, stags are looking for guaranteed good weather to get the most out of their first trips abroad after the pandemic.”
Recent turmoil in Ukraine has also played a big role in the switch.
Jon said: “Pre-pandemic, cities like Prague, Krakow and Budapest were the go-to destinations for stags heading abroad.
“But with uncertainty in Ukraine, at least at the beginning of the conflict, people have favoured Western Europe instead.”
He confirmed 2023’s standout summer package seller was Albufeira.
Jon said: “It has become a popular choice thanks to its great weather, beautiful beaches and lively nightlife.
“Its vibrant strip is quickly catching up with its famous Spanish party counterparts and has loads of insane activities from water parks to cave cruises, off-road treks and more.”
Smurfs, mankinis and sticky madness
Lauren Roberta Venters has lived in Portugal for 25 years and has spent more than a decade coordinating stag and hen parties.
She runs Very Into Partying – which organises local private boat charters, golf tours, bubble football, beer bikes and more.
She said business in Albufeira was booming, having already catered for 6000 Brits this year.
Besides its ideal weather, Lauren believed the town’s biggest drawcard was having food and booze available for 24 hours.
Lauren said: “It’s value for money that offers both nightlife and relaxation.
“It’s also extremely safe.”
The Brit expat admitted she has seen plenty of nonsense over the years.
Lauren said: “Go to the strip and you will have a front row seat to a circus.
“I have one word to describe it and that is ‘sticky’.
“It’s total madness – I have seen groups of baby Smurfs, mankinis and people left sellotaped to street polls with nothing left on but unicorn horns.
“Basically they are jus trying to annihilate the stag but the majority of it is done in good taste.”
The most common way to get to there is to fly into the region’s main travel hub, Faro International airport, and then get a 40-minute transfer to Albufeira.
Despite the hype, locals aren’t too pleased with the increased number of boozy Brits.
“Stags and hens have zero respect for residents and are getting worse,” Becci Rich said.
“I wish they would stay away,” Filomena Duarte said.
On the contrary, another local added: “I’ve had some stags come into the bar and the behaviour was great, they even cleaned up after themselves – putting glasses on the bar, cleaned up spilled drink, no problems.”
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