Day of Portugal Festival 2024

CONTACT INFO :

Fax : (001) (508) 324-2584.
E-mail : aoliveira@fallriverma.org .
Website : https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Gates_of_the_City,_Fall_River .

ABOUT THE EVENT :

DAY OF PORTUGAL FESTIVAL 2024.

Portugal Day, officially in Portuguese "Dia de Portugal, de Camões e das Comunidades Portuguesas" (Day of Portugal, Camões, and the Portuguese Communities), is Portugal's National Day celebrated annually on 10 June. It is one of the public holidays in Portugal and celebrated by Portuguese people throughout the world. It commemorates the death on 10 June 1580 of Luís de Camões, a poet and national literary icon.

Camões wrote "Os Lusíadas" (usually translated as The Lusiads), Portugal's national epic poem celebrating Portuguese history and achievements. The poem focuses mainly on the 15th-century Portuguese explorations, which brought fame and fortune to the country. The poem, considered one of the finest and most important works in Portuguese literature, became a symbol for the great feats of the Portuguese Empire.

Camões was an adventurer who lost one eye fighting in Ceuta, wrote the poem while traveling, and survived a shipwreck in Cochinchina (a region of present-day Vietnam). According to popular folklore, Camões saved his epic poem by swimming with one arm while keeping the other arm above water. Since his date of birth is unknown, his date of death is celebrated as Portugal's National Day.

Although Camões became a symbol for Portugal nationalism, his death coincided with the Portuguese succession crisis of 1580 that eventually resulted in Philip II of Spain claiming the Portuguese throne. Portugal was then ruled by three generations of Spanish kings during the Iberian Union (1580–1640). On 1 December 1640, the country regained its independence once again by expelling the Spanish during the Portuguese Restoration War and making John of Bragança, King John IV of Portugal.

During the authoritarian Estado Novo regime in the 20th century, Camões was used as a symbol for the Portuguese nation. In 1944, at the dedication ceremony of the National Stadium in Oeiras (near Lisbon), Prime Minister António de Oliveira Salazar referred to 10 June as Dia da Raça (Day of the Portuguese Race). The notion of a Portuguese "race" served his nationalist purposes.

Portugal Day celebrations were officially suspended during the Carnation Revolution in 1974. Celebrations resumed after 1974 and were expanded to include the Comunidades Portuguesas (Portuguese Comunities), Portuguese emigrants and their descendants living in communities all around the world.

In the United States, Portuguese-Americans celebrate the holiday throughout the country, especially in Portuguese-American neighborhoods.

This popular festival, which draws annually more than 20,000 people to Fall River's City Gates Plaza over its four feast days, was postponed in 2021 from its typical June slot to August due to COVID-19. It was canceled, along with just about every other event in 2020 because of the virus and restrictions.

A festival that brings food, faith, and entertainment to the city will be returning once again. One of the more popular events in Fall River which features Portuguese and American singing acts, along with food from area restaurants and a kids fair, is scheduled to take place from Thursday, June 6th to Sunday, June 9th this year, and will be hosted by Master of Ceremonies and well known radio and television personality Ricardo Farias.

Start Time : 3:30 PM.
End Time : 12:30 AM.
Artists on Stage : Capitalistas - DJ Infinite - Jorge Ferreira - Tony Borges.
Headline Artist / Tour Name / Show Time : JORGE FERREIRA / UM BRINDE A TODOS VÓS TOUR 2024-2025 / 9:45 PM-11:45 PM.

Schedule :

3:30 PM - Opening.
4:00 PM - Live Entertainment by DJ Infinite.
6:00 PM - Live Concert by Capitalistas.
7:45 PM - Live Concert by Tony Borges.
9:45 PM - Live Concert by Jorge Ferreira (Headline Artist).
12:30 AM - Closing.

Free Admission.
More Informations : (001) (508) 678-8145 / (001) (774) 526-0852 / dayofportugalfr@gmail.com .

Outdoor Festival and Show - All Ages Admission - Portuguese Foods and Drinks Available (Valid ID and a $1 Bracelet are Required to Purchase Alcohol).

Parking Facilities : Free parking with trolley service to and from the Pearl Street Parking Garage every 15 minutes. Other outdoor parking lots are available too around Firestone Pond.

Organized by Day of Portugal - Fall River's Organizing Committee.
Website : https://www.facebook.com/DOPFR2024 .