The Golegã municipality is directly investing around 400,000 euros in the event, with additional logistical support over 200,000 euros. This includes providing spaces, setting up infrastructure, equipment, and security, explained the mayor, António Camilo.
This estimate also involves the human resources of the municipality, which play an essential role in organizing the fair, he noted.
In collaboration with the National Federation of Equestrian Sports, chaired by Camilo as well, the fair runs until November 16, remaining a premier equestrian event in the country, drawing thousands of visitors to the Ribatejo village.
The program of the Feira Nacional do Cavalo da Golegã includes numerous equestrian, cultural, and sports activities and competitions over 10 days, featuring national and international events, shows, and tributes.
A highlight of the 2025 edition is the submission of the fair’s candidacy to the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage, aiming to officially acknowledge “the fair’s historical and cultural value,” stated the mayor.
The fair also pays tribute to rider Luís Miguel da Veiga for his 59 years of professional engagement and to master Nuno Oliveira, seen as a beacon of equestrian art and ambassador of the Lusitano horse.
“It is a well-deserved homage to their significance in Portuguese and international horse riding,” said the mayor.
This year, the food court area has been reorganized, with ‘street food’ relocated outside the central core, now exclusively dedicated to equestrian activities.
“We want the heart of the fair to be entirely dedicated to the horse,” he justified.
The program includes all equestrian disciplines practiced in Portugal, with a focus on working equitation, which originated in Golegã at the end of the 1990s. The village is hosting the National Championship and the Portugal Cup for this discipline this year.
According to the mayor, the fair’s economic impact is “significant,” directly affecting local dining, commerce, and accommodation, not only in Golegã but also in neighboring municipalities.
“The return is increasingly greater and exceeds the geographic limits of the municipality. Some attendees must find accommodation in neighboring councils and even in Leiria, illustrating the extent this event has reached,” stated António Camilo.
Within the National Horse Fair’s scope, the Republican National Guard (GNR), through Santarém’s Territorial Command, will conduct a security operation from today to November 17, in Golegã and surrounding areas, to ensure “the safety and public tranquility of all visitors, entities, and local residents, as well as traffic control and flow,” reads a statement released today by the security force.
The GNR will collaborate with various entities and mobilize multiple areas and specialties, including resources for territorial devices, traffic, criminal investigation, bicycle and horse patrolling, public order, protection and rescue, Tourist Support Patrols, and aerial surveillance using drones.
The note from GNR also advises visitors to adopt responsible behaviors, such as following military instructions, identifying parking locations, avoiding leaving valuables visible inside vehicles, not carrying large sums of money, and paying special attention to the elderly and children.
