Newark’s Portuguese-American restaurants, bakeries, and shops are popular all year round, but the Ironbound neighborhood’s June weekend celebration of Portugal’s national holiday draws tens of thousands of revelers each year to celebrate Newark’s vibrant Portuguese culture, history, and cuisine. Read on to learn about Newark’s wildly popular Portugal Day festival taking place June 6th-8th, 2025 and about the rich history of Newark’s Little Portugal.

Photo Credit: Newark Portugal Day Festival

A Poet’s Party

June 10th is officially Portugal Day. In Newark, however, the party that celebrates the day lasts a weekend. This year, the festivities will begin on Friday, June 6th and go on through Sunday June 8th. The festival takes place in Peter Francisco Park in Newark’s Ironbound District and culminates with a massive parade along Ferry Street on June 8th.

Read More: Juneteenth Events Happening in Montclair + Northern New Jersey for 2025

Portugal Day is held on June 10th to commemorate the death, in 1580, of the great Portuguese poet, Luís Vas de Camões. Holding a poet as its ultimate national hero is a point of pride for Portuguese cultural descendants the world over. Camões’ epic poem Os Lusiadas is a fantastic sea tale about the explorations of Vasco da Gama with appearances made by Jupiter, or Zeus, and ending on the Island of Love where Bacchus shares his fear that the Portuguese will one day become gods.

Music, Dance, + SO Much Food

Photo Credit: Newark Portugal Day Festival

Portuguese traditional culture is at the heart of the Portugal Day festival. The Rancho Camponeses do Minho perform traditional dances and songs, adorned in the colorful clothing of Portugal’s past. Kids and grown-ups who fall in love with what they see can join classes to learn the songs and dances and join in upcoming performances. The lineup of professional performers includes fado fan faves like the female duo Bombocas and Moda Nova.

Food is a defining feature of all cultures, and the Portuguese are no exception. Ask any of the Portugal Day partiers what they are there for, and, guaranteed, every one of them will mention “the food!” Sausages like linguiça and chouriço are fundamental to Portuguese cuisine. Meat is definitely the main dish. Kale and potato soup is a staple. The sea plays as big a role in Portuguese cooking as it does in their poetry — expect to see grilled sardines, salted cod, eel, and octopus. Pastel de nata custard tarts and bolo de Bolacha cakes, made from coffee-soaked biscuits, are happiness on a plate.

Part of the fun in participating in a cultural festival is learning about someone else’s traditions. Dancing through the festival crowd with a full belly, the patterns of colorful ceramic tiles called azulejos will become familiar. Expect to see a lot of Portugal’s national colors of green and red and, of course, soccer/futbol fans in their Ronaldo jerseys. Attendees should feel proud to be part of this party, too, as coverage of it airs each year on Portuguese television.

Celebrating Little Portugal’s Past

Photo Credit: Newark Portugal Day Festival

The original Newark Portugal Day Festival took place in 1979. The extensive Portuguese community in Newark, particularly in the Ironbound district, has a history that began before the United States even existed. The first Portuguese to land in New Jersey are identified as arriving in 1725. But the waves of immigrants who came through Ellis Island seeking Newark’s factory and industrial jobs or work in the Port of Newark began to arrive in the early 20th century. The influx of immigrants peaked in the period between the 1960s and the 1980s, with most Portuguese immigrants to Newark settling within the Ironbound neighborhood, named for the train rails that outline the area and known to locals as Little Portugal. They often faced challenges but ultimately acquired a stake in the larger community as their commercial hub of bakeries, shops, coffeehouses, and restaurants grew.

See More: Location Change for Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks 2025

Planning for the Future

While immigration between Portugal and the United States has shifted somewhat toward the other direction, the Portuguese-speaking population of Newark continues to grow. That population includes newcomers from Brazil and Portuguese-speaking Africa — the Portuguese-speaking world, also known as Lusophonia. That linguistic connection ties  disparate people from all over the globe to Portugal, and the Newark Portugal Day. Festival organizers wish to welcome all of them to join in the celebration. Spokesman Ricky Durães sees nothing but growth in the future for the annual event. He’s already excited to be part of the planning for the 50th anniversary of Newark’s Portugal Day Festival in 2029.

Follow @themontclairgirl on Instagram and TikTok, sign up for our newsletter that shares the top stories in your inbox here, and check out our events calendar.