The Harvest Festival – XXXIV Regional Products Fair and Exhibition of Vila Verde was presented today by the Municipality of Vila Verde. The event, held from October 7-11, promises five days celebrating culture, tradition, agriculture, gastronomy, and the rural world.
Among this year's novelties are the Gastronomic Contest «Arroz Pica no Chão à Moda de Vila Verde», with eight participating restaurants, and the 1st Sheep Contest for the Bordaleira Entre Douro e Minho and Churra do Minho breeds. The Mayor of Vila Verde, Júlia Rodrigues Fernandes, described the event as the year's «most anticipated festival» and the «queen of the entire Harvest Route».
Júlia Rodrigues Fernandes highlighted the event's importance as a «catalyst for the rural world» and a «hymn to our tradition», emphasizing the valorization of local gastronomy and products. She also praised the work of the parishes in preserving traditions, noting that the communities help keep cultural practices alive that define Vila Verde's identity.
The program includes a day dedicated to schools and children, with educational initiatives to introduce the younger generation to traditions and the rural world, aiming to pass on knowledge. The Pica no Chão Contest could boost the certification of this traditional Vila Verde dish, a process that has seen ups and downs but is expected to resume with the support of the Associação Empresarial do Vale do Homem.
The agricultural aspect is strengthened with the Sheep Contest, which promotes native breeds. The program retains emblematic moments such as the 19th Gastronomic Festival, the Grape Stomping, the Minhota Corn Husking, the «Reviver o Passado» Traditional Fair, the «Caurdo» Festival, agricultural and livestock contests, the Desgarrada Night, the Municipal Folklore Festival, and the Concertina Players Meeting, which concludes the event on October 11.
