---
title: São Vicente Day
teaser: The island's municipal holiday every 22 January — the discovery it marks, the mass and procession, and how Mindelo spends the day.
seo:
  title: São Vicente Day (22 January) — Mindelo's municipal holiday
  description: The island's discovery in 1462 and the feast of its patron saint, marked with mass, procession and civic events in Mindelo. What to expect as a visitor.
tags: sao vicente day, dia do municipio, festivals, history
draft: false
---

**São Vicente Day** (Dia do Município) falls on 22 January — the day the
island was discovered by the Portuguese navigator Diogo Afonso in 1462.
The
date doubles as the feast day of the island's patron saint, Saint Vincent —
which is where the island's name comes from. The navigator named it for the
saint on whose day he landed.

## What happens

- **A solemn mass and procession** honouring São Vicente, the municipality's
  patron.
- **Civic commemorations** by the Câmara Municipal — protocol, music and
  cultural activities around the city.
- It is a public holiday on the island: offices close, families gather, and
  the day has a calmer, more local rhythm than the street parties later in
  the year.

## Visiting around the date

January is a quiet, bright month to see Mindelo as itself — before carnival
season ramps up. The civic centre around the Palácio do Povo and the
municipal buildings is where the commemorations concentrate. The next
municipal festa on the
calendar is [Kolá San Jon](/guides/sao-joao-kola-san-jon) in June; the big
set pieces — [Carnival](/guides/carnival-in-mindelo) and
[New Year's Eve](/guides/new-years-eve-mindelo) — bookend the year.

Edition details go up on the municipality's channels as the date approaches;
we add the current edition to [the events calendar](/events) once announced.

## Sources

- [Câmara Municipal de São Vicente — island settlement history](https://cmsv.cv/povoamento-de-sao-vicente/) — discovery date and navigator
- [Turismo de Cabo Verde — São Vicente](https://www.turismo.cv/pt_PT/page/details-sao-vicente) — discovery and naming