Bem vindo!

While there is still a Portuguese bakery and other food influences, most visitors to P-town are usually not aware of its Portuguese heritage—except on the last weekend of June. On that Sunday, the lobster boats, scallopers, and other fishing vessels from the lower Cape towns of Truro, Wellfleet, Orleans, and Chatham converge in the Provincetown harbor to be blessed by the Catholic bishop from St. Peter the Apostle Church. The annual blessing of the fleet was established here in 1948 to honor and protect the New Englanders whose lives are dependent on the sea; similar blessings take place in other New England port towns. The boats are decorated with U.S., Portuguese, and Azorean flags and, after a parade down Commercial Street to MacMillan Pier that includes four fishermen carrying a statue of St. Peter, the boats circle in the harbor and then come one by one to the pier to be blessed. The event is preceded by three days of celebrations throughout town, including live music, traditional dancing, food festivals, and many other activities. The seventy-sixth annual Provincetown Portuguese Festival takes place June 22 through 25, 2023.

provincetownportuguesefestival.com

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