Portuguese Festival Celebrates Provincetown's Heritage

Artist Nancy Whorf painted this scene of our annual Portuguese Festival.

The 2015 Provincetown Portuguese Festival is underway, bringing folks from far and wide to PTown to celebrate our Portuguese Heritage. Many of our early sailors and fishermen came from Portugal and the Azores to work in our fishing fleet, and eventually brought their families to live here as well. Many went on to become captains of their own fishing vessels, or became entrepreneurs as they started operating bakeries, restaurants and many other businesses of their own.
In the painting above, Provincetown artist Nancy Whorf portrays people on the pier dressed in typical Portuguese costumes, along with a marching band, and fishing boats decorated for the annual Blessing of the Fleet. Click on the link above to get this year's schedule of events, running through Sunday night.

The rooster is a Portuguese symbol of good luck.

The Portuguese rooster symbolizes good luck, and will no doubt be found in this afternoon's parade, scheduled to begin in the Far East End, at the Harbor Hotel, at 3 PM. The procession will travel the length of Commercial Street, through the center of Provincetown, ending at Franklin Street in the West End.

Portuguese dancers, in costume, perform along the parade route.

Portuguese dance troupes will march in this annual parade, performing along the way, and will be found at various times dancing in "Portuguese Square" as Ryder Street, next to Town Hall, is transformed into an outdoor theater and stage during the festival.

This couple, visiting from New Haven, Connecticut, enjoys a great meal
of Portuguese favorites, under the tent top at the Bas-Relief park.

Of course, tasting Portuguese food is a big part of the festival every year. A huge tent top is erected at the Bas-Relief park behind Town Hall, with traditional foods like Portuguese rice and linguica rolls being served, along with other favorites like porco, which is pork marinated in wine, herbs and spices, and cooked on charcoal grills set up here for the occasion. Sunday's schedule includes an outdoor cafe set up near the far end of MacMillan pier.
Entertainment during the festival includes music from many bands performing near Town Hall, dance, comedy, an old-fashioned band concert, and traditional Fado singers, performing songs of Portuguese fishermen and others.
Check the schedule and get out and enjoy our annual Portuguese Festival. Many of the events are free.