A Heartfelt Reflection on Portugalo Fest 2024

The words “THANK YOU” are not big enough to express the immense gratitude I feel today. After seven months of maticulous planning for Portugalo Fest 2024, I never imagined the great success this year’s festival would achieve. Despite the unpredictable weather throughout the day, our guests, vendors, sponsors, and volunteers stayed, supported, and celebrated.

We owe an immeasurable thank you to our Grant providers, Monetary and In-Kind Sponsors, both returning and new. It is because of their belief in our vision that our festival soar to new heights this year. No matter the size of the contribution, our supporters are now part of the Portugalo Fest Family, and words cannot express how deeply we appreciate their support.

To all the Vendors, both Food and Non-Food, and the Event Services we hired, we couldn’t have done it without you. Your hard work and preparation helped bring the festival to life.

To our talented entertainers who lit up the Portugalo Fest Stage and or were part of the entertainment line up, thank you for giving your performance your all, because it showed and each one of you shone bright.

A special thank you to the City of Mississauga Staff and Peel Public Health for working closely with us to ensure everything went smoothly, making this year’s festival our best one yet.

And to our Volunteers, who gave up their Saturday to help us setup and ensure that all areas of the festival were taken care of, your selflessness resulted in the event running seamlessly, and for that, we are so thankful.

To our amazing Master of Ceremonies, Internal Stage Crew, and MCS Stage Crew, your expertise and commitment to the event were invaluable.

To our Dignitary Guests who made the time to attend the festival despite their busy schedules and prior commitments, we were honoured that you were able to join us.

To the Media from both the Portuguese community and other communities… we are so indebted to you for promoting our festival whether it be before and or after the event day.

And finally, to the heart of this celebration…our guests. Each year we host Portugalo Fest to showcase our Portuguese culture to all the diverse communities in Mississauga and the GTA. Thank you to all of you who came from near and far, enduring the day’s fluctuating weather, to enjoy and celebrate with us.

Lastly, to my amazing team, the Portugalo Fest Planning Committee, thank you for your dedication in making sure our vision was executed perfectly on September 7, 2024. Your hard work behind the scenes ensured that our guests had the best possible experience.

My heart is full. Words can never fully explain how I feel today. I am beyond grateful.

Obrigada do Coração,
Eddie Suliman
Chair of the Portugalo Fest Planning Committee