Heads up, Joburg – the Portuguese Festival is back!

written by Rojaun Devos May 25, 2023

After a few years’ hiatus, a major Portuguese cultural festival is again set to wow the citizens of Johannesburg and its surroundings. This time the venue will be at Nasrec Expo Centre, which has hosted countless exhibitions over the past few decades.

The Portuguese Festival 2023 is set to revive a proud decades-old tradition previously established at Wemmer Pan, which unfortunately has been closed to the public, due to environmental and geological concerns.

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What to look forward to at the Portuguese Festival

Traditional Portuguese music and dance will once again be the centerpiece of the festival, while some top-class musical acts from a range of cultures and musical genres will feature throughout the three days. Portuguese cuisine is naturally going to be a key attraction at the festival.

Headlining the entertainment on the stage at Nasrec will be internationally-renowned balladeer Joao Quintino. Perhaps most famous for the hits Queres Tu e Quero Eu and Adoro Portugal, Quintino, and his traditional band have released several albums internationally. Other hugely popular Portuguese artists that will appear include the soulful Diana de Sousa, Miguel Pregueiro and Ana de Abreu.

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Joao Quintino

Representing a broader spectrum of South African musical fair will be Kurt Darren, Jack Parrow, Mi Cassa, Choppa and DJ Crazy G.

The live music will begin at 3 pm on Friday, May 26. On Saturday May 27 and Sunday May 28, the live music will kick off at 9 am.

Mi Casa

Another huge attraction at the event will be the traditional Portuguese dances, performed by troupes in full traditional costumes.

“We are extremely proud of the musical line-up we have put together for the 2023 Portuguese Festival,” says Paolo Calisto, organizer. “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.”