The 105th Portuguese Festa do Divino Espirito Santo (Feast of the Holy Spirit), said to be San Diego’s oldest ethnic celebration, will be held through Sunday, May 24 on the grounds of UPSES Portuguese Hall, 2818 Avenida de Portugal, and St. Agnes Catholic Church, 1140 Evergreen St.
The Festa Parade, the event’s signature installment, will commence at 10 a.m. May 24 and follow a route from the UPSES hall to St. Agnes. The celebration of High Mass and the coronations of the festival king and queen will take place at St. Agnes at 11 a.m., with singing by the church choir. The Portuguese people have been celebrating the feast for the last 700 years amid the lore of Queen St. Isabel, who was said to have rescued her countrymen from starvation. The festival has been mounted in San Diego since the city’s first Portuguese families settled here in 1884; it was formally organized in 1910.
The festival will commence at 7 p.m. May 17 through 23 with the recitation of the Holy Rosary at the church and accompaniment by the St. Agnes Portuguese Choir. Featured performances include music by Filarmonica União Portuguesa de San Diego on May 17; and the Festa Bazaar and raising of the flags on May 22.
Pedro and Therese Garces serve as this year’s Festa presidents. For more information on the event, see upsesfest.com or call (619) 223-5880.