Fall River to celebrate Day of Portugal June 6-9 with flag raising, music, food and more

FALL RIVER – The Fall River Day of Portugal celebration will return to the Gates of the City Plaza on Ponta Delgada Boulevard from June 6 to 9, featuring local and international music acts, folklore dances, plenty of ethnic foods and a kids fair.

“We hope to have a safe and fun event for the entire family,” said João Gonçalves, speaking on behalf of the organizing committee. “We try to have a well-rounded program, to appeal to different tastes, different ages.”

The festivities will kick off on Thursday, June 6 at 6 p.m., when the food court opens with DJ Kilo.

“We provide space for the vendors, and they decide what to serve,” Gonçalves explained.

According to Paul Rodrigues, who oversees the food court, confirmed vendors include Avós Feast, Piri Piri Kitchen, Amigos Unidos, Our Lady of Light Band, and Mario’s Bifanas.

“Malassadas are the best seller,” Gonçalves said. “We also have a booth that serves espresso, and we are working on having a desserts booth.”

The opening night will also provide some comic relief at 8 p.m., with a private event titled “Ms. Dia de Portugal with Gertrudes Labaça.”

Gertrudes Labaça is a character created by Bruno Costa of Furnas, Azores, portraying an independent Azorean woman who is not afraid to say what’s on her mind.

Tickets are $15 and proceeds will help defray the expenses associated with putting together this celebration, which organizers estimate to be upwards of $250,000.

“We are proud of the way the community has responded since we started and how so many businesses have pitched in to allow us to have such a quality group of performers,” Gonçalves said. “Fundraising is always the biggest challenge because all events and performances are provided at no cost to those who attend. Our biggest fundraising event is our golf tournament, but we are fortune and grateful to have quite an array of sponsors, who donate what they can.”

Organizers are expecting the festivities will draw about 30,000 to the Gates of the City.

Portuguese-American international recording artist Jorge Ferreira will headline the celebration on Friday. Toy, of Portugal, will headline on Saturday, while Got Talent Portugal winning singing group FADOalado will bring their fado with a twist on Sunday.

On Friday, the celebration resume at 5:30 p.m. with DJ Infinite. Scheduled to perform are Capitalistas (6 p.m.), Tony Borges & Euro (7:45 p.m.) and Jorge Ferreira (9:30 p.m.)

Portuguese flag raising ceremony to open festivities on Saturday

The celebration will resume on Saturday, June 8 at 3 p.m. with a Portuguese flag raising ceremony in the shadows of the Gates of the City. The Banda Senhora Conceição Mosteirense will be performing the American and Portuguese anthems.

Fernando Benevides, owner of Portugalia Marketplace will be honored during this ceremony.

A brief speaking program will be followed by the performances of Banda Senhora Conceição Mosteirense (3:45 p.m.), Gertrudes Labaça (4:45 p.m.), Nelia (6 p.m.), Eratóxica (8:15 p.m.), and Toy (10 p.m.)

Sunday afternoon filled with children’s activities

Starting at 1 p.m, there will be plenty of activities for children on Sunday, June 9 at a Kid’s Fair.

“We are proud to be the only Day of Portugal celebration that has a time slot just for children,” Gonçalves said. “In our case it is always on the Sunday, between 1 p.m. to 4 pm. We have a DJ (Edson Lazaro), a magician, a train for them to ride, soccer darts, face painting, airbrush tattoos, characters, police and fire vehicles, and much more. All with free admission.”

Live entertainment will resume at 4:15 p.m., with the performance of the Recordações de Portugal Folklore Group. It will be followed by New Bedford-based BandFaith (5 p.m.), Marc Dennis (6:15 p.m.), and FADOalado.

In addition to Gonçalves and Rodrigues, the Fall River Day of Portugal Committee is composed of Tim Cabral, Kyle Marois, Brittany Pimentel, Kevin Santos, Mike Louro, Jaime António, Jimmy Costa, and Tony Rodrigues.

For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/DOPFR2024/

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Fall River to celebrate Day of Portugal June 6-9. Here's what to know