The Holy Ghost Festa, scheduled for Holy Ghost Field on July 21, is Plymouth tradition that dates back over 100 years. The festival is a central part of Azorean culture and is celebrated wherever Portuguese people have settled.
The festa is not as much a religious ceremony as it is a celebration of the Portuguese community spirit. A large population of Portuguese immigrants settled in North Plymouth and worked at the Plymouth Cordage Company. St. Mary’s was their church – some services there are still said in Portuguese.
The festa takes place at 12 South Cherry St., on land that was donated to the Holy Ghost Society of Plymouth. (There aren’t many organizations that own the venue where their event takes place.)
The day will start with a 9 a.m. parade from the Young American Club on Ocean View Avenue to St. Mary’s Church on Court Street. After a 10 a.m. Mass, a festa queen will be crowned tribute to Queen Isabel, dating to the 13th century, honoring her kindness to the poor. (This year, two children will also be crowned.)
After Mass, participants will march to the field where the festival fun begins. It will feature Portuguese food, music, an auction, and entertainment.
Organizers are working toward a return to normal for the festa, a process that was derailed by the pandemic.
“The event attracts upwards of 400 people, and we were really ramping up before COVID kind of put a halt to things,” said Jamie Shores, president of the Holy Ghost Society’s board. “We’re trying to build it back up again. Back in the day, it was attended by thousands.”
The Holy Ghost Society of Plymouth is a nonprofit organization. Proceeds from the festa go to support to St. Mary’s Church, as well as scholarships to students at Plymouth’s two high schools.
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July 16
The Community Land and Water Coalition is holding its second open forum, Protecting Our Land and Waters. Topics for discussion in this session include sand mining, the Plymouth Airport runway extension, Wastewater Treatment Plant expansion, and overdevelopment. The event will be held at the public library at 132 South St., starting at 6 p.m. It is free and open to the public. For more information, go here.
July 17
Trinity, a Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young tribute band, will headline this week’s Project Arts free concert at Pilgrim Memorial Park on the waterfront. Abby Vail will open. The concert begins at 6:15 p.m.
July 18
Plimoth Patuxet Museums presents Lone Wolf and The Spaghetti Corner Band. Guitarist DJ White, bassist Bobby Jacobs, and drummer Will Jacobs are from the Akwesane Mohawk reservation on the border of Canada and New York. They will play original music as well as covers of folk, blues, and rock songs. Starting at 6 p.m., at a stage along the Eel River, at 137 Warren Ave. Tickets are free and you can reserve them here.
July 20
Alex Eaves and his Reuse Box Truck Tiny House will be at the Stay Vocal booth at Crafts on The Green. Eaves embraces a reuse lifestyle, advocating for more recycling and reversing the negative effects of a throwaway culture. Go see the 17-foot box truck he transformed into a 98-square-foot tiny house and mobile reuse education center. The crafts event is from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. at 26 Court St., in front of Town hall, and it’s free. For more information about Alex, go here.
New World Tavern presents Leandro and Steve Duo. They’ll play acoustic versions of bossa nova, country and jazz hits. The show is from 6 to 9 p.m. at 56 Main St., and it’s free.
July 21
The Holy Ghost Festa is an all-day event that includes a parade in the morning, a mass at St. Mary’s Church and followed by an afternoon-long Festa. (See the lead item in this column for more information.)
July 23
Plymouth G Pub presents Craft Creations & Cider, a weekly event in theHigh Limb Cider taproom. Try cookie decorating or pint glass making, and the age-old artist tradition of critiquing while drinking. The event takes place from 6 to 9 p.m. at 101A Carver Road. and is free. For more information, go here.
July 24
The Pilgrim Hall Museum presents a talk by Dr. Patrick Browne of the Plymouth Antiquarian Society. He’ll discuss Plymouth’s involvement in the Civil War. By highlighting the individual wartime experiences of Plymouth men and women, Brown will illuminate the stories of lives that were altered by the most consequential conflict of their time. The event is at 75 Court St. starting at 6 p.m. Tickets are $10 and you can get them here.
July 25
L. Knife & Son continues to host the Free Thursday Concert Series at the Pilgrim Memorial Park Amphitheater on Plymouth’s waterfront. From 7 to 9 p.m. at 79 Water St.
July 26
The Spire Center presents Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary fame. Still touring in his 80s, this American troubadour connects with contemporary audiences through music that resonates today as it did in the 1960s. His passion and belief that music can change the world is still as strong as it was when he sang at the Washington, D.C., Mall in 1963 in a seminal performance during the civil rights march on that city. The show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $45 and you can get them here.