We spent all day in Tomar to attend a festival that only takes place every four years. Now that I’ve witnessed it (including watching the parade go by twice) and attempted to photograph the spectacle of handmade displays, I understand why Festa dos Tabuleiros (Festival of the Trays) only happens every four years. Everything you see in the festival is handmade by the people of Tomar!

The celebrations have been modernized to some extent but the main elements (the carrying of the trays in the final procession, decorating the streets) have continued since medieval times — when Portugal became a country. It is nothing short of impressive.

For an overview of the festival, read Sandra Silva’s article in Pocket Cultures.

Paulo shot four video clips of the main procession and looked after Ice the Dog while I moved around with the camera — as much as I could move in an estimated crowd of 400,000 people. It was a crush, but that is to be expected for an event of this size that only comes around periodically. I’ve got hundreds of images to wade through, as you can imagine. In the meantime, some video:

In the street:

The main square:

The main procession:

July 12, 2015
Album: Festa dos Tabuleiros 2015