while the official festival does not always take place, the day is commemorated with in-prompt small musical performances by travelling and occasional singers. 

as the summer picks up, in october, the festival do mexillhăo is a celebration for seafood lovers - the event celebrates the culinary delight of mussels as well as other sea foods such as oysters or the coquille st. jacques - ilha grande is the largest producer of the mollusk in brazil.

along with being a major tourist attraction, the festival helps promote the project implementation of marine farms on the island, which creates and sustains jobs in the fishing industry of the area.

when not enjoying delicious seafood dishes, attendees can enjoy sports and musical concerts playing - a contest is held for local cooks to see who can create the tastiest, most unique dish using the namesake mussel.