The annual Portuguese Festival, which honors all things Portuguese in terms of culture, cuisine, music, and dancing, is back and better than ever! The three-day event is scheduled to take place from May 26 to May 28 at the Nasrec Expo Centre.
Both the Portuguese community and visitors get the chance to experience the essence of Portuguese culture and fully immerse themselves in the customs, tastes, sounds, and rhythms of Portugal at the festival. Additionally, the festival attendees are encouraged to trade and appreciate cultures through this event. Kurt Darren, Jack Parrow, Mi Casa, Choppa, DJ Crazy G Joao Quintino, Diana de Sousa, Miguel Pregueiro, and Ana de Abreu are among the eclectic lineup.
The festival will “encapsulate” the best of South African Portuguese culture, according to the event’s organizer Paulo Calisto. “We are extremely proud of the musical line-up we have put together for the 2023 Portuguese Festival,” Calisto said, “We have obviously catered for Portuguese tastes in our set lists, but we represent a whole range of musical genres on each of the show days”.
“I advise any music fan who wants to see a particular artist to visit our website or Facebook page and see which artists are appearing on a particular day, as the set lists will be different. Obviously, Sunday will be the big day as far as the musical line-up is concerned when we will be rolling out our heavy musical hitters.”
The Portuguese Festival 2023 plans to bring back a cherished custom that was started decades ago at Wemmer Pan, which was shut down to the public because of environmental and geological concerns. The traditional Portuguese dances, performed by dancers in full traditional attire, will be a major draw during the festival. Over the years, the Portuguese population in South Africa has significantly expanded and is today estimated to a number over 500,000.
Of course, Portugal established ties to South Africa before any other European country. When he first arrived at the Cape in 1488, renowned Portuguese explorer Bartholomeu Dias became the first European to step foot in South Africa. That happened more than 170 years before the Dutch built a ship’s refueling station in 1652. Helicopter flips, a kids’ play area, and a miniature fun fair are some of the other major event highlights. The Portuguese Festival 2023 tickets cost R80 and are available on Computicket.
