Day of Portugal in Fall River cancelled for 2020, one day event may be held

A festival that brings food, faith, and entertainment to the city in June will not be happening this year.

Day of Portugal Fall River, which takes place every year at the Gates of the City, has been added to the list of cancellations for spring and summer of this year due to COVID-19.

The event issued a statement this morning on social media.

“After careful consultation with city officials regarding the health and safety of everyone in our city, vendors, techs and performers, we have made the difficult decision to cancel Day Of Portugal Fall River 2020.”

“Following increased and overwhelming concerns about the COVID-19 virus, we felt this was the best way to proceed during such an unprecedented global situation. We are very disappointed that we are unable to hold this event for our community and supporters. However, we know it’s the right decision based on the information we have today.”

“We are also exploring options with local officials in case of a ban lift on social distancing to hold a one day event in September.
Meanwhile, be safe everyone and see you all on June 17 thru 20, 2021.”

The Brockton Fair, scheduled to take place this July, was canceled Wednesday.

It was also announced this week that the Great Holy Ghost Feast of New England that was scheduled to take place from August 26th to 31th at Kennedy Park in Fall River had to cancel due to safety concerns involving COVID-19.

Last week the Freetown Parade & Fireworks Committee announced the cancellation of their 3rd of July Fireworks Festival and 4th of July Parade in 2020.

The Newport Folk and Jazz Festivals also canceled their 2020 events due to the coronavirus. The Folk Festival was scheduled to take place from July 31 to August 3. The Jazz Festival was set for August 7-9.

Governor Gina Raimondo announced last week during her daily COVID-19 press conference that it is not safe for concerts, parades and festivals to occur in Rhode Island this summer.