Status Active Frequency Biennial | Genre Festival / Exhibition Venue Festa da Uva Pavilions | |
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Date(s) 18 days in February and March in even-numbered years Location(s) Caxias do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul Similar Yamurikuma, Califórnia da Canção Nativa, Bumba Meu Boi | ||
Festa da Uva is a celebration of Italian heritage and culture held bienally in Caxias do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, in southern Brazil. The Festa da Uva is held in February of every even-numbered year. During the Festa da Uva, the Caxias do Sul pavilions host attractions mainly from South America, but also from other regions of the world. Visitors taste cheese, grapes and various Brazilian wines. The large crowds also draw independent vendors that rent out booths to promote local-themed products from the southern gaúcho state.
The Festa also hosts parades that go through the city nightly. The Festa da Uva is also presided over by one Rainha (Queen) and two Princesas (Princesses) that must compete in a beauty pageant to be voted as such. A queen was first selected for the Festa da Uva in 1933.
History
The Festa da Uva first started in 1931 as a harvest festival. The harvest in Brazil falls in February/March since the country is in the Southern Hemisphere. The Mayor of Caxias do Sul in 1931, Colonel Miguel Muratore gave organizers the necessary support to get the Festa off and running. The Festa went on hiatus from 1938–1949 because of economic instability in the city and surrounding Italian region, due in part to the effects of World War II and the festival's prominence as a promoter of Italian culture.