CALAFONAS: Disco, Diaspora, Memory is a lecture-performance that departs from the research behind the compilation Calafonas – Music From The Azores And Portuguese Diaspora. Edited by Discos Milhafre, the LP brings to light the stories of nine musicians of Portuguese-Azorean descent active in North America during the 1970s and 80s, whose music embraced the aesthetics of pop and disco. This overlooked cultural heritage challenges stereotypes that tend to associate Azorean communities exclusively with folk traditions and religious practices.

In this performance, Henrique Ferreira and Diogo Lima expand the scope of their documentary research into a live format that combines archival materials, storytelling, and sound. By weaving together music, moving image, and commentary, they construct a portrait of migration that resonates with broader questions of identity, belonging, and cultural preservation. The project reflects on how roots are transformed through displacement, how popular music can become a space of celebration and affirmation, and how these narratives can help us rethink migration beyond reductive or polarized debates.

More than revisiting a musical era, CALAFONAS: Disco, Diaspora, Memory becomes an occasion to speculate on the present and future of diasporic identities, using sound and memory as starting points for collective reflection.

The presentation will be followed by an open Q&A with the audience. Space is limited, please arrive early.

Artist Bhen Alan invites guests into a space of collective care and transformation through Kamayan—an intimate feast rooted in a longstanding precolonial Filipino tradition. Diners gather around a communal table where food is laid out on banana leaves, inviting conversation, sharing, and the tactile act of eating with one’s hands.
Drawing from queer rituals, diasporic memory, and embodied gestures, the evening unfolds as a living score—where movement, food, drink, and presence intersect. Developed in collaboration with local immigrant mothers and Courtland Club’s bar team, the experience blurs the line between performance, meal, and gathering.
For this occasion, Bhen weaves Portuguese flavors and ingredients into the dishes, creating a dialogue between cultures that reflects migration, memory, and community. Each element—food, drink, performance—becomes a sensorial and relational thread in an unfolding tapestry of care, ritual, and transformation.
Drinks are included in your ticket price. Upon arrival, guests will be welcomed with a cocktail tasting by Laura Ganci of Courtland Club. There will be another cocktail/mocktail after the dinner commences, along with Portuguese wine and SuperBock.
Notes for Allergies: Due to the nature of the dinner, we will not be able to accommodate allergies. However, there are plenty of dairy free, gluten free, nut free, shellfish free and vegetarian options for the evening! There will be printed menus with the most common allergens. We cannot guarantee cross contamination. Thank you in advance for your understanding!

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In this dinner-performance, Project Calafonas invites the audience to listen, taste, and remember. The event expands on their ongoing research into the soundscapes of the Portuguese-Azorean diaspora in North America, specifically the disco and pop aesthetics of the 1970s and 80s. DJ Milhafre (Henrique Ferreira) will guide a listening party blending archival tracks with contemporary interpretations. The menu, created by Azorean chef Hugo Ferreira (O Calheta, Ponta Delgada), will be executed in collaboration with Mitch Mauricio, a local chef and recurrent partner of the festival. Together, they evoke culinary memories of nights gone by—a festive and reflective gathering where food, sound, and memory become tools to reimagine cultural heritage.

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Stay Silent in collaboration with Fabric Festival presents LATCHKEY: Branko live in Providence. A night of music, dance, and celebration at CRIB, a venue dedicated to global sounds and local communities. Headlining the night is Branko, one of Portugal’s most influential producers and the founder of Enchufada. His DJ sets fuse electronic music with rhythms from across the Portuguese-speaking world, channeling the energy of Lisbon’s club scene while drawing connections to diasporic sounds around the globe.

This transatlantic gathering builds on FABRIC’s ongoing dialogue between Fall River, Providence, and Lisbon, bringing together artists and audiences across geographies.

Doors open at 9:30 PM.

Alicia “Truthseeker” Mitchell will lead a reflective walk through Copicut Woods—a landscape shaped by memory, care, and ancestral presence. Together, we will move through gestures of grounding, listening, and quiet relation with the land and one another.

Along the way, Alicia will share knowledge of native plant medicines found in Copicut, inviting participants to connect with their healing properties. At the close of the walk, guests will be offered seeds to bring home—carrying the medicines, stories, and teachings forward.

This walk offers a space to pause, reconnect, and reflect, while honoring both land and lineage.

What to bring:
Please wear comfortable clothing and shoes suitable for walking outdoors. We recommend bringing water, sun protection, and anything else you may need to feel grounded and at ease.

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