The Carlos Vieira Foundation will host the fourth annual San Joaquin Valley Portuguese Festival April 22-23 at the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds.

The event, sponsored by the Portuguese Fraternal Society of America, will run from 9 a.m. to midnight on April 22 and from 2 to 8 p.m. on April 23.

“We’re expecting about 10,000 attendees over the two days,” said Desiree Ybarra, director of programs for the Carlos Vieira Foundation, pointing out that the festival serves as a fundraiser for foundation’s Race for Autism campaign. “The event keeps growing each year.”

According to U.S. Census Bureau figures, approximately 50,000 people of Portuguese descent live in Stanislaus and Merced counties.

The first day of the event will feature the bulk of the attractions.

A parade and opening ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. on April 22, followed by an Azores-style bullfight by rope at 11. Also on tap are a philharmonic band, folklore dancing, wine and cheese tasting, and performances from Jorge Ferreira, Alex Ferrari, the Portuguese Kids, Luis Silva, and DJs Brown Sugar and Marcos Shalom.

The highlight of Day 2 will be the bloodless bullfight, slated to get under way at 4 p.m.

After the bullfight will be a raffle — tickets can be purchased for $20. First prize is a car worth up to $30,000, providing that at least 2,500 tickets are sold. If not, it reverts to being a 50-50 raffle prize.

Second prize is two round-trip tickets to the Azores (departing from either Oakland or Boston). 

Admission is free on Saturday, while admission to the bloodless bullfight is $15.

The Carlos Vieira Foundation was founded by local businessman and race car driver Carlos Vieira.