Feast of the Blessed Sacrament

The Feast of the Blessed Sacrament is an annual four-day Portuguese cultural festival held at Madeira Field in New Bedford, Massachusetts. It occurs every first weekend in August, and is recognized as the largest festival of Portuguese culture in the world and the largest ethnic festival in New England. It is organized by the Clube Madeirense S.S. Sacramento.

History

The festival was founded in 1915 by four immigrants from Madeira, both to recreate religious festivals from their homeland and to celebrate their safe arrival in the United States.
In 1998, the Clube Madeirense S.S. Sacramento, which organizes the festival, altered its bylaws to allow the sons of Madeiran mothers to serve on feast and club committees; previously, only Madeiran-born adult males and their male descendants were allowed to serve on those committees.
In April 2023, the Clube Madeirense S.S. Sacramento altered its bylaws to allow women to serve on the committees.

Traditions

A traditional Mass is held in honor of the Blessed Sacrament at Our Lady of Immaculate Conception Church, but most people come for the parade, live music, folk dancing, kids activities, amusement park rides, and food and drink. The Feast also has Madeira wine imported in casks from Madeira through an agreement with the Madeiran government.

Food

Escabeche de atum, ''carne de espeto, linguiça, bacalhau, and carne de vinha d'alhos'' are some of the popular dishes sold at the festival.

Miscellaneous

Governor of Massachusetts Charlie Baker described the event as an "all-time favorite" and lamented the cancellation of the 106th annual festival due to the COVID-19 pandemic.