Categories: Report

Dinner and dancing fun at the 2015 Portuguese Mariners Food, Wine & Family Festival “Shipwreck Party”

Enjoy a traditional Portuguese feast while partying in your best “shipwreck” attire at the opening party of the 2015 Portuguese Mariners Food, Wine & Family Festival on 24 July.

For more than a decade, Port Edward residents have commemorated the lives of the passengers of Portuguese ship, Sao Joao. The ship was wrecked on rocks outside Port Edward in 1552 on its return journey from India when it got caught in the fatal storm, killing 126 passengers, including Princess Leonora de Sousa.

This annual weekend celebration traditionally starts with the “Beach Shipwreck” opening dinner and dance which will be held on Friday, 24 July at TO Strand.

“This Sao Joao shipwreck is the first recorded time Europeans landed in South Africa so it has amazing historial significance for both the Portuguese and South Africans,” explained Gillian Habib, chairman of the Portuguese Mariners Food, Wine & Family Festival committee. “The Beach Shipwreck dinner is a fun way to celebrate the lives of the survivors and victims in a fun, relaxed environment.”

Party guests are invited to wear what they would have been wearing “when the ship went down”. This means that anything from ballgowns and tuxedos to pyjamas and overalls are welcome so get creative and raid your wardrobe for a fun outfit.

The R150 ticket entitles party-goers to a fantastic meal which includes a starter of peri-peri chicken liver on toasted rye followed by a delicious Portuguese roasted chicken cooked on an open flame. This is accompanied by roasted seasonal vegetables, Portuguese-style sauteed potatoes with rosemary and thyme, salada de Aba cate com Tomotes and freshly baked bread rolls, garlic loaves with kalamata olive tapenade. Dinner will be finished off with a delicious Mariner’s pudding.

When not eating, guests can relax on hay bales around beachside fires, sipping on sangria, gluhwein or katembas while enjoying the melodic sound of accoustic guitar in the background.

Children are also welcome to attend at a special price of R35 which includes a burger, chips and softdrink.

Justin Mackrory, Chief Executive Officer of UGU Tourism South Coast, said the Shipwreck Party, and festival overall, was hugely significant for the area.

“It’s a really great chance for people to experience the Portuguese culture mixed with the warm hospitality of the South Coast,” said Mackrory. “It’s an important historical celebration and a really fun family event.”

Make sure you get to The Portuguese Mariners Food, Wine & Family Festival’s Shipwreck Party on 24 July which will kick-start an action-packed weekend of family fun.