2019 Feast of the Blessed Sacrament Survival Guide (Aug. 1-4)

3. Food

One of the greatest features of the feast is the delicious Portuguese fare. There are many food stands located throughout Madeira Field that serve your favorites from the simple delights of linguica and cacoila sandwiches to full-on Portuguese cuisine plates of chicken, beef, goat or tuna with potatoes, rice, and vegetables.

Another major culinary draw is the Carne de Espeto, a massive, 40-foot barbecue pit where beef sirloin cubes can be cooked over an open flame on massive skewers. This is hard to miss since the aroma is absolutely mouthwatering. Visitors are able to buy the meat for eight tickets a pound and a delicious aromatic salt is provided to cook with.

Visitors are then able to roast their own dinner over the gas-fired lava rock grill. Mr. Camara, (who has been a part of the organization since 1982) advised me that if someone tells you to pour Madeira wine on the meat it is not advisable (it does not help the flavor and causes the meat to burn faster!)

Other items that will be featured at the feast include Milho Frito, fried cornmeal, garlic and finely shredded kale make this the perfect treat to go with Carne de Espeto, pasteis de Bacalau (codfish cakes), atum, cabra, favas, coelho, carne de vinho e alhos, malassadas, tremocos and other Portuguese classics. There will also be ice-cold fresh fruit cups, the perfect way to cool down for health-conscious attendees.

In case you are not accustomed to the flavorful cooking style of Portuguese cuisine, go to the Food & Drink page of the Portuguese Feast website for definitions of some of the food you might expect to see.

4. Drink

One of the draws of the feast is the consumption of Madeira wine, which is a central part of the festivities as it is part of a long tradition. Madeira wine is a sweet, fortified red wine. Genuine Madeira wine is made on the island of Madeira, and exportation of actual barrels are restricted due to regulations. However, thanks to a special agreement made between feast officials and the President of Madeira, casks are able to be delivered to New Bedford and served for the weekend, making this a very rare treat for those who attend.

For those who don’t find that the taste of Madeira wine suits their pallet, there are a great variety of additional options including a full liquor bar for mix drinks and frozen drinks. Alcohol stands also serve sangria and white wine and Budweiser beer is on tap.

If you wish to partake in the consumption of alcoholic beverages, you will need to have your ID scanned when you enter the feast grounds in order to receive a wristband that proves you are legally old enough to be served.

There will be additional ID stations at this year’s feast due to the anticipated increase in numbers of attendees.

5. Entertainment

There is a great deal of quality free entertainment at the feast each year from Portuguese and American cultures. There are four separate stages of entertainment on the main grounds and a “Fado” stage at the Museum of Madeiran Heritage Courtyard Venue – these performances will be featuring a Portuguese genre of music that can be traced back to the 1820s but is believed to be even older than that.

One of the cultural acts that you may see take the stage at Madeira field is Groupo Folclorico Clube Madeirense S.S. Sacramento. This group of dancers presents traditional dancing performances to authentic Madeiran music and in traditional clothing. These performances are always very spirited and interesting to see.

There will be many bands on the smaller stages during the feast, but the largest stage is reserved for a special performance at 10:00 each night by a headliner band. For those old school metalheads, you will be excited to know that Scott Stapp of Creed will be headlining this year! Scott Stapp is known as a Grammy-winning songwriter and frontman for Creed (over 50 million albums sold worldwide), and for his work as a solo artist who released the platinum-certified The Great Divide (2005) and Proof of Life (2013) which featured his first solo Billboard #1, “Slow Suicide.” His next solo venture reflects a new outlook after the biggest fight of his life – five years and counting. With new single “Purpose For Pain,” one of rock’s biggest names roars back to the scene with a driving, introspective new single.

For more information on when and where events will be taking place, go to the Portuguese Feast Entertainment Schedule.

Time, Act and Stage

6:45pm-8:00pm: Tony Borges (2)
6:45pm-8:00pm: Freeze Pops (3)
7:00pm-10:00pm: Cadence and Co. (4)
8:00pm-9:00pm: Grupo Folclorico do Clube Madeirense S.S. Sacramento (1)
9:00pm-10:00pm: Tony Borges (2)
9:00pm-10:00pm: Freeze Pops (3)
10:00pm-11:30pm: Scott Stapp (1)

Time, Act and Stage

1:00pm-2:00pm: Country Monsta (2)
2:00pm-3:00pm: The Relics (1)
3:00pm-4:00pm: Country Monsta (2)
4:00-5:00pm: Morissey Blvd. (1)
5:00pm-6:00pm: Luz Eterna (2)
5:00pm-6:00pm: Radioactive (3)
6:00-7:00pm: Morissey Blvd. (1)
7:00pm-8:00pm: New Bedford Rude Boyz (2)
7:00pm-8:00pm: React (3)
8:00pm-9:00pm: Grupo Folclorico do Clube Madeirense S.S. Sacramento (1)
9:00pm-10:00pm: New Bedford Rude Boyz (2)
7:00pm-8:00pm: React (3)
7:00pm-10:00pm: Ponta D’Sol (4)
10:00pm-11:30: The Edge (1)

Time, Act and Stage

12:00-3:00: “Walgreens Kids Day” w/ Dartmouth Acapella, Dance Extreme, Benner Magic Show, and more.
3:00-4:00: On The Rocks (2)
4:00-5:00: Wild Nites (1)
4:00-7:00: Somethin’ Else (4)
5:00-6:00: On The Rocks (2)
6:00-7:00: Wild Nites (1)
7:00-8:00: 7 Day Weekend (2)
7:00-8:00: Below Zero (3)
7:00-10:00: The Concept (4)
8:00-9:00: Grupo Folcorico Madeirense (1)
9:00-10:00: 7 Day Weekend (2)
9:00-10:00: Below Zero (3)
10:00-11:30: Bryan Wilson & Johne D’Luka (1)

Time, Act and Stage

Parade Starts 2:00pm

1:00-4:00: Matt Silvia (4)
4:00-7:00: Tim & Annette (4)
5:00-6:00: Flamingo Pluto (3)
5:00-8:30: Discovery Language Academy Folkloric Performance Group, Grupo Folclorico de Imaculado Coracao de Maria, Rancho Folclorico do Clube Social Portuguese, and Grupo Folclorico Madeirense (1)
7:00-8:00: Responders (3)
7:00-10:00: Graig Demello (4)
8:30-10:00: Timmy Brown (2)
9:00-10:00: Responders (3)
10:00-11:30: Badfish (1)

Thursday, August 1, 2018 (8:00pm–11:30pm)
• Sonya Bettencourt, Fado Singer
• Jeremias Macedo, Fado Singer
• Viriato Ferreira, Viola Classica
• Loïc da Silva, Guitarra Portuguesa

Friday, August 2, 2018 (7:30pm–11:30pm)
• Sonya Bettencourt, Fado Singer
• Carlos Furtado, Fado Singer
• Viriato Ferreira, Viola Classica
• Loïc da Silva, Guitarra Portuguesa

Saturday, August 3, 2018 (2:00pm-5:00pm & 7:30pm–11:30pm)
• Edite Lawrence, Fado Singer (2:00pm-5:00pm)
• Sonya Bettencourt, Fado Singer
• Loïc da Silva, Guitarra Portuguesa
• Viriato Ferreira, Viola Classica

Sunday, August 4, 2018
4:00pm-7:00pm: Rebecca Correia (Singer-songwriter & guitarist)
7:30pm-10:30pm: Jordan Paiva (Josh Groban)

To see more and keep abreast of changes, check out the Feast of the Blessed Sacrament’s entertainment schedule page.