António Maria da Silva won for the first time the Espanta Festival, winning first place with 108 points. Second place was awarded to Daniel Guilherme with 106 points and third to Joaquim Maria da Silva with 105 points. The winner has been participating in the festival since 2017 and this year presented a scarecrow with the theme "worker", representing a figure with broom and shovel in hand cleaning the street.
The contest featured 22 scarecrows competing, with the winners selected by an independent jury composed of the president of the Alfeizerão Parish Council, Inês Delgado, and the sponsor of the prizes, who offered hand-painted tiles.
The results of the Espanta Festival are announced during the annual festival of Valado de Santa Quitéria. The festival was born from the desire to remember the "people" of centuries past, who used scarecrows to drive birds away from fields, gardens and fruit trees.
