“From the Escape of the Royal Family to the Victory of Praia” is the theme, alluding to the 195th anniversary of the battle of August 11, chosen to set the tone for the Praia Festivities 2024. Praia da Vitória is one of the two municipalities on the island of Terceira, Azores.
The theme and poster were presented yesterday, March 11, at the Town Hall.
The festivities are scheduled to take place from August 2 to 11.
According to Paula Sousa, the municipality’s cultural director, August is ripe for vacations, tourism, and immigrants visiting the island.
“This year marks the 195th anniversary of the Battle of Praia da Vitória, which took place in our bay and resulted in the first great victory for the liberal forces led by Pedro, who encouraged his troops to conquer the national territory. It was in this sequence that Queen Maria II, in 1837, by decree and royal charter, awarded the then town of Praia da Vitória the designation of Praia da Vitória, the title of Very Notable and a new coat of arms,” said the Mayor of Praia da Vitória, Vânia Ferreira.
From an economic and social point of view, Vânia Ferreira says that the festivities “have a very big impact on our municipality” and that’s why the municipality organizes itself “so that the level doesn’t drop at all”.

City Council Member Paula Sousa said that they want to “respond to those who come to us and that they will leave here with a record of what is ours and what we can offer, both traditionally and in terms of some innovation, which we also want to make clear will happen.”
On that occasion, he admitted that the festive program would be similar to previous years, with street entertainment, an opening parade, a children’s parade, a gastronomic fair, DreamZone, sports, and popular culture, namely folklore, philharmonics, and marches.
This year, the overall budget for the Praia Festivities is 450,000 euros, of which 280,000 is a direct investment by the City Council, with the rest coming from income generated from rentals, sponsorships, and advertising.
The general coordination of the 2024 Praia Festivities is the responsibility of businessman Joseph Michel Menezes.
The coordinator says this is an “opportunity to continue to value and defend this municipality and this city.”

in Diário Insular-José Lourenço-director

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Cultures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance)  at California State University, Fresno–PBBI thanks the sponsorship of the Luso-American Development Foundation from Lisbon, Portugal (FLAD)