Following a successful inaugural event in 2019, the Portuguese San Joaquin Valley Festival will return to Turlock this summer after a one-year hiatus due to the pandemic.

The Carlos Vieira Foundation hosted the first SJVPF in April 2019 and it was a huge success, with nearly 15,000 community members from Turlock and beyond coming to the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds to enjoy the Portuguese cuisine, dancing, music and entertainment. The festival not only allows people from all walks of life to experience what Portuguese culture has to offer, but also raises funds for the CVF’s Race for Autism campaign to help families in the Central Valley who have children with dementia. ‘autism.

With such a large Portuguese population living in Turlock and the surrounding area, CVF founder Carlos Vieira said the first event was a way to bring a bit of Portugal to the fairgrounds.

“It was such a wonderful event,” Vieira told Podcast 209 earlier this year. “The Portuguese are such a big community and they love to celebrate their history … I saw an opportunity to bring the Portuguese community together and raise funds for autism.”

The foundation was forced to cancel the second annual festival in 2020 due to the pandemic, then postponed it again earlier this year as COVID restrictions continued. After the state reopened on June 15, however, CVF was able to schedule the two-day event for August 28 and 29 later this year.

“This first event, it exceeded our imagination. We thought we would be lucky if we had 5,000 people and over 15,000, ”Vieira said. “We were all motivated and ready to start over and the pandemic put an end to that. “

The festival will be back and better than ever this year. The festivities will begin with a Portuguese parade on Saturday, followed by many activities including folk performances, a bull on a rope by Joe Vaz, philharmonic performances, wine and cheese tasting, cultural exhibition, rides, many dishes. and Portuguese crafts. sellers.

Once again, the event will also feature performances on the 51FIFTY stage throughout the day, including Generations Band, Alcides Machado, Chico Avila and, from Portugal, Ana Malhoa and Jose Malhoa. Ana Malhoa is a popular pop singer, TV host and actress in Portugal, while Jose Malhoa is a well-known folk / pimba singer. In addition, on Sunday there will be a traditional Portuguese bloodless bullfight.

Tickets will be on sale soon; two-day advance tickets will be on presale for only $ 15, tickets at the door will be $ 10 per day and children under 10 will receive free admission to the festival. To follow the festival’s news, follow the Carlos Vieira Foundation on Instagram and Facebook. Interested vendors, sponsors or parade contestants can visit SJVportuguesefestival.com for more information.

“You don’t have to be Portuguese to benefit from it,” Vieira said. “We envisioned it as a community event and that’s what it has become.”