From Eastern Europe to North Africa, via Portugal and Brazil, the MED Festival continues to showcase a wide range of artists from diverse backgrounds. Dima Libre – Labess Trio, Ëda Diaz, Ganna Gryniva and Tó Trips & The Fake Latinos are just some of the names the festival has just announced for performances taking place in Loulé between 25th and 28th June.

From the memorable Tiny Desk performance by the group led by Nedjim Bouizzoul – the Labess Trio – we can appreciate the blend of traditional North African music (chaâbi), gypsy rumba and flamenco, always featuring a linguistic fusion of Arabic, French and Spanish.

In a musical genre that is diametrically opposed, yet deeply shaped by a blend of influences, the Franco-Colombian Ëda Diaz stands out for incorporating Afro-Colombian roots, jazz and electronic music.

Also with one foot in jazz, the Ukrainian singer-songwriter Ganna Grynivia brings a distinctive musical style from Berlin (the city that has adopted her).

Koza Mostra arrive in Loulé from Greece. In their luggage they bring a fusion of punk, ska and traditional Greek music, featuring instruments such as the bouzouki and violin.

“Accordian fighter" is how the Belarusian Yegor Zabelov describes himself, and he too has a date with the MED audience in June.

The country folk of Daniel Kemish & Friends knows no boundaries between the United Kingdom and the United States of America. The Atlantic connection is also evident in the performance by the duo Manuel de Oliveira (guitar) and Bianca Gismonti (piano). Spanning fado and jazz, Brazil and Zeca Afonso, the show is often described as a “musical conversation”.

Portugal is also represented by the trio of drummers who make up the group Sangue Suor. Comprising Ricardo Martins, Susie Filipe and Rui Rodrigues, the group showcases the diverse rhythmic possibilities created by a trio.

And finally, one of Portugal’s most talented artists of recent times: Tó Trips presents his latest project (Tó Trips & The Fake Latinos). A profound musical journey on the electric guitar, led by an artist who is unique on the national scene.

The 22nd edition of the MED Festival continues to add names to a line-up that has already featured Sérgio Godinho, Salif Keita, Tiken Jah Fakoly, Groundation, Arnaldo Antunes and Mario Lucio   & The Pan African Band, amongst many other artists from various parts of the globe, totalling more than 30 countries.

Also announced for this year is the CIDADE MED concept, aimed at fully integrating the city with the objective of promoting and boosting the local economy. Other new features include the expansion of the venue, a new space with the MED Lounge, the full integration of Loulé Municipal Market, an expansion of the food and street food area, and a new entrance to the venue (next to Largo de S. Francisco), in addition to the two existing ones (between the Municipal Market and the Town Hall / on the access road to the Castle of Loulé, next to Café Calcinha), ensuring greater convenience for visitors.

The MED Festival stands out for its diverse programme, featuring over 50 concerts, hundreds of artists representing 30 countries and 5 main stages (Matriz, Cerca, Chafariz, Castelo and Hammam). The event runs from June 25th to 27th, with a free admission day on June 28th.

The 2026 edition of the MED Festival has announced further line-up additions. True to its DNA, the event brings together diverse musical styles, with music from all over the world set to be performed in the city of Loulé. Groundation, Arnaldo Antunes, Mário Lúcio & The Pan African Band, Dikanda and Lala Tamar are just some of the names appearing at MED, which takes place between 25th and 28th June.

There are plenty of new and varied acts on the line-up. From Groundation, a Californian band blending reggae, funk and dub, to icons such as the Brazilian Arnaldo Antunes and the Cape Verdean Mário Lúcio – with The Pan African Band – MED has just added further quality to the 2026 line-up.

With a career spanning three decades, the Polish band Dikanda are also confirmed, as is the psychedelic rock of Lalalar, who travel between Germany and Turkey. In the same rock vein, but with a strong connection to Arabic music and mixed with jazz, comes the France-based collective SarãbAlso from France is Cyrille Brotto (accordion), accompanied by Ablaye Cissoko (Kora, Senegal).

Based in South Korea but drawing on diverse influences from North Africa, dub and Afro-beat, the collective Omar and the Eastern Power are set to perform in Loulé. North African influences form the cornerstone of Lala Tamar's artistic expression, which combines the guembri instrument with poetry, dance, song and a unique feminine style.

The festival has plenty more acts to add to the line-up already announced, which includes names such as Goran Bregovic, Sérgio Godinho, Salif Keita, Tiken Jah Fakoly, Expresso Transatlântico, Fidju Kitxora, amongst many other artists from all over the world, with a total of over 30 countries already represented at the 2026 edition of MED.

Also announced for this year is the CIDADE MEDconcept, aimed at fully integrating the city to promote and boost the local economy, as well as expanding the venue with a new space such as the MED Lounge, the full integration of Loulé Municipal Market, an expansion of the food and street food area, and a new entrance to the venue (next to Largo de S. Francisco, in addition to the two existing ones – between the Municipal Market and the Town Hall, and on the access road to Loulé Castle, next to Café Calcinha), ensuring greater convenience for visitors.

The MED Festival stands out for its diverse programme, featuring over 50 concerts, hundreds of artists representing 30 countries and 5 main stages (Matriz, Cerca, Chafariz, Castelo and Hammam). The event runs from June 25th to 27th, with a free admission day on June 28th.

The MED Festival, a World Music event organised by Loulé City Council, has reinforced its international reputation by winning two awards at the 10th Iberian Festival Awards, the ceremony for which took place this Saturday, 14th March, at the Coliseu Micaelense in Ponta Delgada, the Azores.

The festival, which takes place at the end of June in the Historic Centre of Loulé, was once again honoured at these Iberian awards, triumphing in two categories: ‘Best Cultural Programme’ (Iberian winner) and ‘Safe Event Award’ (Portuguese winner).

MED surpassed the Murmura Festival, the Spanish winner, and became the music festival in the Iberian Peninsula with the best cultural programmein 2025. This distinction is partly due to the fact that MED featured Cape Verde as its ‘Guest Country’, bringing to Loulé a multidisciplinary programme encompassing cinema, visual arts, crafts and gastronomy, with a focus on Cape Verdean culture.

90 hours of music, 54 concerts, over 300 musicians and 28 nationalities, spread across 12 stages. Music was once again the focus of the event, featuring artists who are true icons of world music, alongside the sounds of Cape Verde showcased in the collaboration between Dino D’Santiago & Os Tubarões, in the concerts by the legendary Ferro Gaita, the Cesária Évora Orchestra, and a rising star of the country’s new musical wave, Ceuzany.

In the ‘Safe Event Award’category, MED won the Portuguese prize, whilst at the Iberian level the award went to Spain’s Festival Gigante. Safety is one of the factors cited by visitors to the MED Festival as highly relevant to their participation in this great musical and cultural experience. The careful attention the organisers have paid to this area, combined with the work of a highly committed team, means that a system has been able to be put in place to ensure the safety and rescue of people and property, as well as support for any emergencies occurring on the premises.

In 2025, the Municipal Civil Protection Commission approved, once again, a Coordination Plan for the MED Festival, demonstrating that an emergency response structure is in place, built on partnerships. Public safety and civil protection agencies participating in this event included the National Republican Guard, Loulé Fire Brigade, Portuguese Red Cross, and Loulé Municipal Civil Protection Service, assisted by INEM (National Institute of Medical Emergencies).

With these two awards, the MED Festival now has a total of 12 Iberian Festival Awards.

Telmo Pinto, Mayor of Loulé, states: ‘These victories reflect the dedication of the council’s teams and all the staff who make this major event happen, but they also recognise the city’s strategy to establish itself culturally on the Iberian scene’.

In turn, Paulo Silva, MED’s director and programmer, highlights the festival’s reaffirmation on the international stage. ‘These awards are the culmination of yet another year in which we have managed to stage a festival of the highest quality, earning the recognition of the public, the jury, the specialist press and industry professionals alike. These distinctions place Loulé on the map of major international events linked to world music, highlighting not only the musical aspect but the entire cultural programme’.

Alongside the MED Festival, it should be noted that the Loulé Carnival, the Algarve White Night – Loulé and Som Riscado – Loulé Music and Image Festival were also on the list of finalists for the 10th edition of the Iberian Festival Awards.

Portuguese-Cape Verdean Carmen Souza took to the stage at Cineteatro Louletano last Saturday for a concert integrated into the final presentation of the MED’25 Festival, and is the first confirmation for the 2026 Edition.

In front of a full house and with the presence of the large Cape Verdean community living in Loulé, the artist brought mornas, funanás, more jazzy sounds, blues and even Zeca Afonso.

In this show, Souza performed several themes from “Port’ Inglês”, her most recent work, born from her master’s thesis, and which tells the forgotten stories of the marks left on Cape Verdean culture by the British presence in the country. Songs in Portuguese, Creole and English that personify this historical period. The album, nominated for the German Record Critics Awards in the Best World Music Album category, investigates themes of cultural identity, resistance, colonialism and decolonization, highlighting the connection between Cape Verde and the United Kingdom.

In the year in which Cape Verde is the ‘Guest Country’ of the MED Festival, Carmen Souza had the honor of being the first artist to bring music from this archipelago in the Atlantic. And she did it in the best way possible, with an enthusiastic audience, dancing at times, or singing. In the last song, a reinterpretation of “Venham mais Cinco”, by Zeca Afonso, a choir of voices joined Carmen Souza, without a doubt a strong name in Cape Verde and World Music.

‘See you in 2026!’, she said at the end of the show. A ‘see you soon’ to the public of Loulé who will be able to see her again, in June 2026, in the Historic Area of ​​Loulé.

The full musical and cultural line-up for the 21st MED Festival, taking place from the 26th to the 29th of June in Loulé's historic quarter, was announced this Saturday at the Cineteatro Louletano.

The 13 names that will be joining the 25 already confirmed and that will be performing on the Matriz, Cerca, Castelo, Chafariz and Hamman stages were announced at the same time. Mitsune (Japan), El Sonidero Insurgente (Argentina), Adam Ben Ezra (Israel/Portugal), Cesária Évora Orchestra (Cape Verde), The Congos & The Gladiators (Jamaica), Lá no Xepangara (Mozambique, Brazil, Guinea Bissau and Portugal), Grèn Sémé (Reunion Island) and Nomad, Virgem Suta, A Cantadeira, Homem em Catarse, Cristina Clara and Filipe Sambado (Portugal) will be in Loulé to celebrate the musical diversity of one of Europe's biggest World Music World Music Festivals.

On the 27th of June, one of the greatest musical, performance and sensory experiences of this edition is expected. Mitsune, a Japanese band based in Berlin, promises to surprise. The group is recognised for mixing traditional Japanese folk music with psychedelic, cinematic and ritualistic sounds, while infusing their performances with a punk spirit. The band's core lies in the Tsugaru shamisen, a three-stringed lute that was once made famous by blind, itinerant musicians in ancient Japan. Mitsune reveres and reinvents the tradition of the shamisen, telling their own stories through the evocative tones of this ancient instrument. Mitsune's live shows are a vibrant mix of raw energy, stunning visuals and a touch of humour, creating an unforgettable experience.

Filipe Sambado is one of the Portuguese names on the MED'25 programme and takes to the stage on the 28th of June. He is one of the most striking, challenging and original figures in contemporary Portuguese music.Constantly reinventing himself, Sambado has taken to the road to perform'Gémea Analógica', a series of acoustic concerts born from his latest studio album.In this more raw and direct format, he reveals not only the intimate and vulnerable side of the songs, but also their purest essence.

A true spiritual experience is what Jamaicans The Congos & The Gladiatorsare bringing us on the evening of 27th June, a special concert that brings together two mythical reggae bands from the 60s/70s. Decades later, the Congos and the Gladiators are crossing paths for a joint tour that promises not only to celebrate the legacy of classical reggae, but also to reaffirm its relevance and vitality.

After a year, after having been to the concert presentation of the MED’24 Festival, in this very Cineteatro, the project Lá no Xepangara will be part of the alignment of the 21st edition. On the 28th June, Mozambique, Brazil, Guinea-Bissau and Portugal gather on stage for a show that celebrates the work and thought of José Afonso, from an African and Portuguese-speaking perspective, gathering on stage artists from various Portuguese-speaking countries. This tribute revisits Zeca Afonso's legacy by stressing his deep bond to African culture and the struggle against colonialism. Through contemporary arrangements, crossing African sounds with the musical heritage of José Afonso, Lá no Xepangara not only pays tribute to the artist but reflects on the values of April and the actuality of his thoughts.

With roots in Reunion Island and ears turned to the world, and making their national debut, Grèn Sémé will be the third representative of this country in the history of the MED. This Franco-Reunion project fuses traditional maloya — an ancestral rhythm from Reunion Island — with electronics, dub, rock and poetry sung in Creole, creating a deeply unique sound language. They have distinguished themselves through their inventive approach to the music of the Creole diaspora, and have a cult reputation among diverse audiences.

One of the highlights when it comes to music will also be the show on Sunday, “Open Day”, the 29th of June, in which a tribute will be paid to Cape Verdean singer and composer Sara Tavares..

It is worth remembering that these names join those announced in March: Ferro Gaita, Dino D´Santiago & Os Tubarões (Cape Verde), Ceuzany (Cape Verde/Senegal), Carminho, a garota não, Valter Lobo, Stereossauro convida Ana Lua Caiano e Pedro Jóia, O Gajo and Milhanas (Portugal), Sílvia Pérez Cruz and Salvador Sobral (Spain/Portugal), Systema Solar (Colombia), Vieux Farka Touré (Mali), Barrut (France), Balqeis (Egypt) Fulu Miziki (Democratic Republic of Congo), iLe (Puerto Rico), Sofian Saidi (Algeria), Justin Adams & Mauro Durante (United Kingdom/Italy), Cerys Hafana (Wales), Shkoon (Syria/Germany), Alain Pérez y la Orquesta (Cuba), Paulo Flores (Angola), Tarwa N-Tiniri (Morocco) and Queen Omega (Trinidad and Tobago).

 

OTHER STAGES

The music at the MED Festival is not only performed on the main stages, but also in other less conventional and more intimate spaces. This is the case of Café Calcinha, Arco (behind the Igreja Matriz) and the area adjacent to the Market. Musicians Nanook, Daniel Kemish and Eduardo Ramoswill perform on these stages. Three “one man shows” that will bring sounds from different geographies to the Festival.

On the other hand, classical music invades the Igreja Matriz (church) to bring a line-up of more erudite sounds to the MED Festival. MED Classic presents four concerts curated by Sérgio Leite, director of the Loulé Music Conservatory. From Belgium, the Flanders Recorder Duojoins this lineup on the 26th. For the 27th, Gil Fesch and Nuno Pinto join forces for a Guitar Duo. On the 28th, the Spanish Protus Marimba Quartet will be present. And as is tradition, students from the Loulé Music Conservatory will perform on the evening of “Open Day”, 29th June. This time they will be accompanied by the Francisco Guerrero Professional Music Conservatory of Seville..

 

CAPE VERDE, GUEST COUNTRY

Cape Verde is the ‘Guest Country’ of this 21st Edition, bringing to the MED Festival a multidisciplinary program that includes Cinema, Plastic Arts, Handicrafts and Gastronomy. In 2025, the year that marks 50 years of independence, Cape Verde will be the guest country of the Festival and the presence of mornas, cachupa, tabanca, pano di terra, grogue and funaná will be felt in Loulé, especially in the “Pátio” (Cloister of the Espírito Santo Convent).

Ceuzany, Dino D`Santiago with Os Tubarões, Ferro Gaita, Carmen Souza (in this presentation) and Cesária Évora Orchestra constitute the musical highlights of a program that contains much of this Atlantic archipelago.

The weekend before the Festival will be entirely dedicated to Cape Verdean culture.

In literature, at the Casa da Cultura de Loulé – Edifício Atlético, on the 21st of June, starting at 17h30, Cape Verdean writers José Luiz Tavares and Dina Salústio are the guests for a conference that will cover the country's literature.

As part of 'Falas Afrikanas', an editorial project of African works and authors, on this day, Raja Litwinoff will present a catalogue of the country’s literary production.

The ‘Transatlantic Cartographies’by artists Fidel Évora, Jacira da Conceição, Amadeu Carvalho and Carlos Noronha Feio, curated by João Serrão and Ricardo Vicente, will be open as of 20th June.

‘Transatlantic Cartographies’ brings together, at the Espírito Santo Gallery in Loulé, four artists whose connection to Cape Verde is both intimate and displaced. They live outside the archipelago, but build a continuous dialogue with it - sometimes silent, but always present. Their works do not seek to represent the territory, but to map its traces, reverberations and reunions through image, sound, body and matter.

The film 'Sodade', directed by Cape Verdean Sarah Grace, will be presented on the 22nd of June, at Solar da Música Nova. The film, which won international acclaim, explores profound themes such as love, betrayal and hate, through the story of characters who experience the challenges and dilemmas of the diaspora. Filmed in the beautiful and striking volcanic landscapes of Fogo Island, ‘Sodade’ stands out for its stunning cinematography and for capturing the essence of Cape Verdean culture and spirit. It is the first Cape Verdean film to be commercially distributed in cinemas in Portugal and other international territories.

During the Festival, the seventh art continues to have the colors of Cape Verde. At the Cinema MED space, next to the Art Gallery 'Cesária Évora', released in 2022, by director Ana Sofia Fonseca, will be shown on the evening of the 26th of June. This is an intimate documentary about the life and career of Cape Verde's greatest voice, with never-before-seen footage. This is followed by a DJ Set with Pedro Ramos and Bordel Pinheiro. The DJs from Futura – Rádio Autor promise an intense party with music from the four corners of the world.

Still on the Cinema MED’25 programme, once more curated by Rui Tendinha, another documentary, 'Kmêdeus' (‘Eat God’), by Nuno Boaventura Miranda. It portrays the intriguing story of an eccentric homeless man from São Vicente Island, known by many as crazy and by others as a great artist. It will be shown on the 27th. That night, ‘Terra Longe’ will be released, a documentary by Bernardo Lopes about the musician Mindelo Jon Luz, who was Sara Tavares’ guitarist. The musician will then do a show-case. show-case.

Finally, on the 28th, and outside the ‘Guest Country’ programme, an ‘outside the box’ documentary will be shown. 'Happier Happier Happier', by Telmo Soares with Noiserv. This is a short film about Noiserv and his surprising invitation to perform on China's national television channel CCTV1.

The night ends with the concert film 'Ressaca Bailada', by Expresso Transatlântico and Sebastião Varela, with the band playing in the old Armazéns Abel Pereira da Fonseca. It has actors like Rita Blanco, Vicente Wallenstein or Lara Dutra playing fictional characters. There will also be space for a DJ set with Expresso Transatlântico.

The 'Poesias do Mundo'initiative, coordinated by ‘Tapé’ is back and this time the focus will be Cape Verde. In the Cinema MED space, poems and prose by Cape Verdean authors will be recited, whether in Portuguese or Creole, as well as from other nationalities.

This country also stands out in terms of gastronomy. Cape Verdean chefs Milocas and Fátima Moreno will show how to prepare some typical dishes, in a show-cookingshow-cooking, on the ‘Open Day’ (with free admission), on the 29th of June, Sunday, at Alcaidaria do Castelo.

In street arts, there will be tabanca, kola san jon, batuque and txabeta. And, in addition to Cape Verdean rhythms, there will be Alentejo singing, Latin American dances, folk groups and much more.

At MED Kids, a space next to Largo da Matriz dedicated to the youngest, the story teller Adriano Reis brings the initiative “Stera – Na Boka Noti”, in which he will share Cape Verdean children's stories and games with the younger audience.

Potters Isabel Sanches and Edna Sanches Cabral will be at the Cabo Verde ‘Pátio’ every day to bring unique pieces to life and show a little of this ancestral art. The pieces will also be created during children's pottery workshops, allowing for connections with traditions and new audiences.

‘There are 90 hours of music, 54 concerts, more than 300 musicians and nearly 30 nationalities spread across 12 stages. Adding up the art exhibition, handicrafts and street artists and we have one of the strongest editions of MED ever. We are also very happy and confident because the ‘Guest Country’, Cape Verde, is the perfect match for Loulé, where there is a strong Cape Verdean community and the relationship between the city and the archipelago could not be more consistent’, says director Carlos Carmo.

Mayor Vítor Aleixo believes that the turnout for the event and the city during these days will be huge. ‘Everything is ready for another edition that will attract many visitors to Loulé, and will certainly boost the local economy. These days, Loulé, a vibrant city in cultural terms, is a meeting point for many nationalities, people who come from various parts of the world, and this makes us very happy’, he emphasizes.

At a time when renovation work is underway in the Historic Area of ​​Loulé, the mayor stated that ‘the work has been carried out in such a way as to interfere as little as possible with the days of the Festival’.

On behalf of Cape Verde, the manager of the Cape Verde Cultural Center in Lisbon, Ângela Barbosa, highlighted the importance of this participation: ‘Being part of the MED Festival as a ‘Guest Country’ in the year in which we celebrate 50 years of our independence is fantastic! It is an honor to be part of this great celebration. If there is something that truly sustains the soul of Cape Verdeans, it is their culture.’

The MED Festival has once more RTP and RDP as media partners. ..

Tickets are on sale at Cineteatro and BOL.pt, at a reduced price, until the 22nd of June: Daily Ticket 10 euros, Festival Ticket 30 euros and Daily Family Ticket 35 euros.

Mornas, cachupa, tabanca, pano di terra, grogue, funaná’ and much more: the sounds, colours and flavours of the Cape Verde Archipelago will be making their mark in Loulé's Historic Zone from 26th to 29th June at the 21st Edition of the MED Festival.

Cape Verde will be the next ‘Guest Country’, a MED initiative that took place for the first time in 2024, with a celebration of Moroccan culture. This year, it's Cape Verde's turn to showcase its musical, cultural and gastronomic diversity, and how it also relates to the diaspora, and in particular to the community living in Portugal.

This Tuesday, 6th May, the programme was presented at the Cape Verde Cultural Centre in Lisbon, before representatives of the Embassy, artists and the Cape Verdean community. The event's director and City Councillor, Carlos Carmo, announced the planned initiatives.

‘We are delighted to have Cape Verde as the ‘Guest Country’ for the 2025 edition of the MED Festival. Cape Verde presents its musical, cultural and gastronomic diversity at MED, through various events throughout the days of the festival. This initiative allows us to create an even more diverse and global programme, bringing the excellence and richness of this country's culture to Loulé’, he explained.

It is in the ‘Patio’, to be housed in the Cloister of the Espírito Santo Convent in the heart of Loulé at the end of June, that all the artistic events will converge. This space will be the epicentre of an immersive experience that will transport visitors to the essence of Cape Verde, celebrating the culture, traditions, contemporary vitality of the archipelago, its daily experiences and the landscape itself. This area will integrate art, sound, movement, gastronomy and the direct participation of the community, thus creating a sensory narrative for visitors.

Weaving, baking, pottery and basketry will be produced in real time, enriching this craft experience and strengthening the link with the islands' ancestral knowledge.

In the field of gastronomy, it will be possible to savour typical Cape Verdean food and drink, creating a direct connection between tradition, art and taste experience. The Cape Verdean community living in the Algarve is expected to make a community cachupa.

There will also be live musicians playing ‘batuque’ and/or ‘cavaquinho’, bringing the vibrant energy and melodic richness of Cape Verde to the heart of the Pátio.

It should be highlighted that 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of Cape Verde's independence (5 July 1975), which is yet another reason to celebrate the country's culture and history. The MED Festival is honouring this anniversary.

 

MUSIC

The warm sounds of the archipelago will be present in Loulé, through artists who crossed the borders of Cape Verde many years ago, but also through the new wave of musicians.

Next Saturday, 10th May, at 21h00, Carmen Souza Carmen Souza will take to the stage of the Cineteatro Louletano for a concert during the final presentation session of the 21st MED Festival. The Luso-Caboverdian singer, baptised by the international press as the ‘Ella Fitzgerald of Cape Verde’ or the ‘new Cesária Évora’, combines a virtuoso jazz vocal technique with a series of Lusophone influences, ranging from fado to samba, from morna to bossa nova, including bittersweet ballads or the ‘Cape Verdean blues’. Today she is a strong world music personality and one of the most successful jazz singers. ‘Port Inglês’, released in 2024, is nominated for the German Record Critics Awardsin the Best World Music Album.

On the evening of 25th June, on the Castelo Stage, Ceuzany will perform the event's inaugural concert, even before the festival officially opens its doors. Born in Senegal to Cape Verdean parents, she moved to Mindelo at the age of two. She was the lead singer of Cordas do Sol, a group she left in 2013 to start her solo career. Her success has earned her numerous nominations at the Cabo Verde Music Awards and she won the prizes for best traditional song and best female performer in 2017.

Os Ferro Gaita are returning to MED this year for a performance on the 26th June. Ambassadors of funaná, they are one of Cape Verde's greatest musical institutions. They carry their land in their souls and rhythm in their hearts and, once more, they are bringing all the festivity and musical richness of Africa to Loulé's Historic Centre.

For the 27th June, the proposal is Cesária Évora Orquestrathe project that celebrates and keeps alive the work of the legendary ‘Barefoot Diva’. It brings together talented musicians and performers who take to the stage the repertoire that marked Cesária Évora's career, bringing her music to new audiences and reinforcing her cultural legacy.

On the 28th, in a special concert, musician Dino D´Santiago joins the iconic Os Tubarõesundoubtedly one of Cape Verde's greatest musical emblems and one of the most representative groups in the country's music during the transition to independence and democracy. Authentic legends, they have spread some of the most important pieces in the songbook of a country that continues to inspire the world with its ‘mornas, coladeiras’ and ‘funaná’. Dino, a son of the municipality of Loulé, needs no introduction for what he is today, not only in musical terms, but also as an activist for social causes, being involved in various projects linked to social equity and equality.

On the 29th ‘Open Day’, there will be a concert in honour of Cape Verdean singer Sara Tavares..

 

CINEMA

Cinema MED will include three films with a connection to this country. The highlight is 'Sodade'directed by Cape Verdean Sarah Grace, presented on the 22nd June, days before the official opening of MED'25, at 6pm, at the Solar da Música Nova. The internationally acclaimed film explores profound themes such as love, betrayal and hatred through the story of characters who experience the challenges and dilemmas of the diaspora. Filmed in the beautiful and striking volcanic landscapes of Fogo Island, ‘Sodade’ stands out for its impressive cinematography and for capturing the essence of Cape Verdean culture and spirit. It is the first Cape Verdean film to be commercially distributed in cinemas in Portugal and other international territories.

Released in 2022 by director Ana Sofia Fonseca, 'Cesária Évora' is an intimate documentary about the life and career of Cape Verde's greatest voice, with never-before-seen footage. A work that already has a cult aura. It can be seen at Cinema MED on the evening of 26th June.

Completing the Cinema MED‘25 programme, again curated by Rui Tendinha, is another documentary, 'Kmêdeus' (’Eat God'), by Nuno Boaventura Miranda. It portrays the intriguing story of an eccentric homeless man from the island of São Vicente, known by many as a madman and by others as a great artist. It will be screened on the 27th June. Also on this evening, the first images from ‘Terra Longe’, a documentary by Bernardo Lopes about Mindelo musician Jon Luz, will be launched.

 

ART

In the visual arts, ‘Transatlantic Cartographies’by the artists Fidel Évora, Jacira da Conceição, Amadeu Carvalho and Carlos Noronha Feio will be open to the public during the Festival.

‘Transatlantic Cartographies’ brings together, at the Espírito Santo Gallery in Loulé, four artists whose connection to Cape Verde is both intimate and displaced. They live outside the archipelago, but build a continuous dialogue with it - sometimes silent, but always present. Their works do not seek to represent the territory, but to map its traces, reverberations and reunions through image, sound, body and matter.

Each artistic gesture traces an Atlantic line of return and re-imagination. An emotional and political map drawn from mobile margins, where belonging is made up of fragments, eavesdropping and survival. In this exhibition, the ‘outside’ is not an absence, but an extension - a space where senses of origin, community and future continue to be constructed.

Fidel Évora With the series ‘Fake Self-Portraits’, Fidel Évora proposes a game between identity and fiction, presence and construction. The faces that question us do not seek to define the self, but rather to question the mechanisms by which it becomes visible. The practice affirms multiplicity as a natural condition of those who inhabit the in-between place - where origin is memory, but also choice.

Jacira da Conceição Through ceramics, iron, fabric and video, Jacira da Conceição invokes the strength of the African female lineage. Her pieces - such as Oráculo dos Búzios, Aruanda and Abraço II - turn the exhibition space into ritual territory. The material is memory that resists oblivion, a gesture that crosses time. Ancestry is here a living force, current, in continuous transmutation.

Amadeu Carvalho Amadeu Carvalho presents ‘50 Incognito Faces - Portraits of Absence’, a series of nameless portraits marking the 50th anniversary of Cape Verde's independence. Created with pigments from the Fogo volcano, the faces inhabit the border between presence and disappearance. It is in their anonymity that the power of a plural history is inscribed, made up of silences, absences and untold lives.

Carlos Noronha Feio Carlos Noronha Feio closes this tour with a sound and visual installation in which Cape Verde and the Atlantic listen to each other. ‘A building is made of more than memories of ancestors...’ proposes an immersive experience through sound and image. The sea, the echoes, the noises become the subject of sensitive listening - between islands, journeys and imagined returns.

‘Transatlantic Cartographies’ reveals how the archipelago extends beyond its physical borders, expanding in the voices and practices of those who, from the outside, continue to inhabit it affectively. These artists draw alternative maps, where the territory is experienced as a pulse, language and gesture - in a geography where distance does not diminish belonging, but expands it.

It can be visited from 20th June to 19th July. It is curated by Ricardo Barbosa Vicente (technical and cultural advisor at the Embassy of Cape Verde in Portugal) and João Serrão (director and programmer of the Loulé City Council Municipal Art Galleries).

 

LITERATURE

Cape Verdean writers José Luiz Tavares and Dina Salústio are the guests at this event and will present a conference about the country's literature. This initiative will take place at Loulé's Casa da Cultura - Edifício Atlético, on the 21st of June, starting at 17h30, as part of the programme that precedes the days of the Festival.

José Luiz Tavares was born on 10th June, 1967, in Tarrafal, Santiago Island. He studied literature and philosophy, and has collaborated with newspapers and magazines in Cape Verde, Portugal and Brazil.

Among the various awards he has received, the most notable is the Mário António Poetry Prize 2004, awarded by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation to the best work by an African author in Portuguese and from East Timor published in the three-year period 2001-2003, for his first published book, ‘Paraíso Apagado por um Trovão’.

Poet and writer Dina Salústio was born on the island of Santo Antão (1941). A founding partner of the Association of Cape Verdean Writers, the Cape Verdean Society of Authors, a founding member of the Cape Verdean Academy of Letters and the Cape Verde PEN Club, she is also a member of the Sergipana Academy of Letters (Brazil) and Vice-President of the Brazilian Society of Latin Culture for Cape Verde. Among others, she was awarded the 1st Prize for Children's Literature in Cape Verde (1994), the Prize for Children's Literature in Portuguese-speaking African Countries (2000), the Rosalia de Castro Prize for Literature in Portuguese - PEN Galicia, Spain (2016), and the RDP Africa Prize for Literature for Lusophony (2021). The PEN Award England (2018) was awarded for the translation of her novel ‘A Louca de Serrano’.

As part of ‘Falas Afrikanas’, a publishing project for African works and authors, a catalogue of the country's literary production will be presented.

The ‘Poetry of the World’ initiative, coordinated by João Pedro Caliço ‘Tapé’, is back and this time the focus will be on Cape Verde. In the MED Cinema space, poems and prose by Cape Verdean authors will be recited, both in Portuguese and in Creole, as well as from other nationalities.

 

STREET ARTS, CRAFTS, GASTRONOMY

The streets and alleys of Loulé's Historic Centre will be lined with entertainment groups performing traditional artistic expressions and rhythms such as tabanca, são djon, batuque and txabeta, mixing dances and drums. The performers will interact with the public, inviting them to take part in their own choreographies

At MED Kids, the space next to Largo da Matriz dedicated to the youngest, storyteller Adriano Reis will present the initiative ‘Stera - Na Boka Noti’, in which he will share Cape Verdean children's stories and games with the junior audience.

Potters Isabel Sanches and Edna Sanches Cabral will be at the Cabo Verde ‘Pátio’ every day to bring unique pieces to life and show a little of this ancestral art. The pieces will also be created during children's pottery workshops, allowing for connections with traditions and new audiences.

As far as gastronomy is concerned, on the ‘Open Day’ (free admission), Sunday 29th June, the Alcaidaria do Castelo will host a show-cooking event with show-cookingCape Verdean chefs Milocas and Fátima Moreno , who will show how to cook some typical dishes.

Some of the city's restaurants, including the historic Café Calcinha, will include dishes with Cape Verdean flavours on their menus.

 

During the presentation, the Mayor of Loulé, Vítor Aleixo, emphasised the involvement of the Cape Verdean community that has lived in the municipality for around 50 years. ‘We are fortunate to have in Loulé a community that came here, that fought, that helped the prosperity of the municipality of Loulé, that integrated marvellously. The fact that we are dedicating this edition of MED to Cape Verdean culture, in which the citizens of Cape Verde are also honoured, is something very beautiful,’he said.

Ana Pires, the Embassy's Foreign Affairs Officer, spoke about the importance of this initiative, which was welcomed from the very beginning by the former ambassador, now minister, Eurico Monteiro: ‘ ‘MED is a festival without borders and Cape Verde couldn't be left out. A team was set up at the Embassy, formed by Ricardo Barbosa and Zaida Sanches, who believed in this project. We found this event to be a ‘stage’ for us to promote Cape Verde in different cultural areas, because we don't just have well-known singers like Cesária Évora, but also other artists from other areas who should be known for their practice and the role they play in our society.’.

Singer Carmen Souza was also at the event. The Cape Verdean singer will be at the Cineteatro Louletano next Saturday for a concert as part of the final presentation of the MED programme. ‘As a Cape Verdean artist and as a woman who carries a mestizo and global heritage in her voice and body, I feel deeply honoured to be part of this moment. Seeing Cape Verde as a guest country at a festival like MED - which values diversity, authenticity and the encounter between worlds - is a beautiful recognition of the cultural richness of our islands,’she said.

The 25 de Abril Multipurpose Pavilion in Almancil hosted the gala for the 9th edition of the Iberian Festival Awards on Saturday, 15th March. Once again, Loulé was honoured at the event, this year with two awards, one for the MED Festival and the other for Som Riscado - Loulé Music and Image Festival.

MED stood out one more time for its ‘Contribution to Sustainability’, being the best festival in this category, not only at a national level, but also in the Iberian context, beating big names such as Rock in Rio or Meo Kalorama, and Spain's winner, the Mallorca Live Festival.

It's worth remembering that in 2019, MED was the festival on the Iberian Peninsula that contributed the most to sustainability issues, namely by including initiatives such as the Ecological Cup, renewable energy through photovoltaic cells in the venue's catering spaces, the provision of free and efficient water points, the placement of various dispensers for cigarette butts, chewing gum and smart bins, the reuse and recycling of materials for decorating spaces or the association with the Reefood project, which appeals for sustainable consumption.

‘Sustainability has been a guiding principle for the Municipality of Loulé for many years. We endeavour to be sustainable in all the activities we carry out. In the future, we're going to deserve this award even more,’ said Vítor Aleixo, Mayor of Loulé.

In turn, Som Riscado - Loulé Music and Image Festival received an award at the Iberian for the first time. DJ Branko's performance at the last edition (the concert took place on the 22nd November) earned João Barbosa, the musician, DJ and producer known in the arts as Branko, the award for Best Electronic Performance. The show took place in a sold-out Cineteatro, with an enthusiastic audience watching a moment in which the artist took risks, not only in the mix of sounds, but also in the visual impact and a strong multimedia component.

‘This is a festival that surprises because it's unconventional and has a very strong emphasis on creativity,’ said the Mayor of Loulé, Vítor Aleixo.

It's worth noting that the Loulé Carnival was also a finalist in the ‘𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆’ category, but was dethroned by its Torres Vedras counterpart.

The Iberian Festival Awards gala brought together hundreds of entertainment agents from Portugal and Spain and honoured various festivals, promoters, artists, brands and services linked to this industry. Rock in Rio and Last Tour, the organisation behind events such as MEO Kalorama, were the night's big winners. The personality honoured was Terry Costa.

Carlos Carmo, the City Councillor for Events, emphasised how important it was for the Municipality of Loulé to host this gala organised by APORFEST. ‘The Loulé Municipality was proud to be associated with this event. Today we were able to test the capacity of the 25 de Abril Multipurpose Pavilion for major events, whether with a sporting or cultural nature. Almancil and the Municipality of Loulé are now part of the events route, as it has all the requirements, not only for the space itself but also for the hotel and catering offer in its surroundings,’ he said.

MED announces the first names in an edition with Cape Verde as guest country

The MED Festival is back in Loulé's historic quarter from 26th to 29th June, with tons of good music, a multidisciplinary and multicultural programme and an atmosphere where you can breathe in the world's diverse experiences.

The event was once more present at BTL - Better Tourism Lisbon Travel Market Better Tourism Lisbon Travel Market for a presentation to the public, partners and potential tourist markets. The first names to be included in the line-up have now been announced, as well as the country that will be in the spotlight this year.

After Morocco started a new chapter of the festival in 2024 - the ‘Guest Country’ - Cape Verde will be in the spotlight in this 21st Edition of MED.

Thus, in order to highlight the most genuine aspects that this country has to offer, a Patio will be recreated, a symbol of the culture of Cape Verde and part of the islands' traditional architecture. A meeting place for family and neighbours, this is where parties, meetings and day-to-day activities take place, one of the main features of being an outdoor kitchen. It is this community spirit that MED intends to bring to the Cloister of the Espírito Santo Convent, where gastronomy and handicrafts will mix with the warm sounds of Cape Verde.

The music of this country will therefore be in the spotlight at MED, starting with the presence of Carmen Souza, who will perform a show-case at the Cineteatro Louletano on the 10th of May, during the final presentation of the MED Festival. The Luso-Caboverdian singer, baptised by the international press as the ‘Ella Fitzgerald of Cape Verde’ or the ‘new Cesária Évora’, combines a virtuoso jazz vocal technique with a series of Lusophone influences, ranging from fado to samba, from morna to bossa nova, including bittersweet ballads and Cape Verdean blues. Today she is a strong world music personality and one of the most successful jazz singers.

Ceuzany is the artist who will perform the inaugural concert, even before the festival officially opens its doors, on the evening of 25th of June, on the Castelo Stage. Born in Senegal to Cape Verdean parents, she moved to Mindelo at the age of two. She was the lead singer of Cordas do Sol, a group she left in 2013 to start her solo career. Her success has earned her numerous nominations at the Cabo Verde Music Awards and she won the prizes for best traditional song and best female performer in 2017.

Os Ferro Gaita is back at MED. Ambassadors of funaná, they are one of Cape Verde's greatest musical institutions. They carry their land in their souls and the rhythm in their hearts and, once more, they are bringing all the festivity and musical richness of Africa to Loulé's Historic Centre.

In a special concert, the musician Dino D´Santiago joins the iconic Os Tubarões, which are without a shadow of a doubt one of Cape Verde's greatest musical emblems and one of the most representative groups in the country's music during the transition to independence and democracy. Authentic legends, they have spread some of the most important pieces in the songbook of a country that continues to inspire the world with its mornas, coladeiras and funaná. Dino, a son of the Municipality of Loulé, needs no introduction for what he is today, not only in musical terms, but also as an activist for social causes, being involved in various projects linked to social equity and equality. This challenge launched by the MED organisation to the musician from Quarteira is already generating interest for further concerts.

On top of the above program, there will also be a book presentation, a conference and two art exhibitions with Cape Verdean artists. In April, MED will be at the Cape Verde Cultural Centre in Lisbon to present this entire programme.

The Mayor of Loulé highlighted the presence of this country with which Loulé has a very close relationship, as a result of the twinning arrangement with the Municipality of Boavista signed in 2000, and the strong resident community in the municipality. ‘Cape Verde has accustomed us to showing the world its vigorous culture, its musical creativity, and I'm sure this edition will turn out very well! I'd go as far as to say that it's going to be the most popular and interesting edition ever,’ said Vítor Aleixo.

 

First 25 confirmed names

In 2025, MED will feature 90 hours of music, 54 concerts, 338 musicians, 27 nationalities, 2 of them new (Puerto Rico and Wales), 12 stages, 100 craft exhibitors, 2 art exhibitions, 12 groups of street artists and 1 guest country, Cape Verde.

In addition to the artists of Cape Verde, there are other shows that are expected to bring about a lot of interest from the public. In another special concert, Spain and Portugal will be joined on stage by the voices of Sílvia Pérez Cruz and Salvador Sobral. Silvia will be in Loulé for the third time to share the stage with Sobral nuestros hermanos , Portugal's first Eurovision winner, in 2017, with ‘Amar pelos Dois’, a singer and songwriter who, with his very own style, already has a career full of awards.

Fado could not be missing from MED's musical line-up and this year it will have a ‘heavyweight’: Carminho! An incomparable artist, known for her remarkable voice, talent, composition and unwavering artistic dedication, she has taken fado to the four corners of the world and one example of this was her participation in the film ‘Poor Things’, with the song ‘O Quarto’, which won the Oscar for Best Original Soundtrack in 2024.

This edition also features two commissions with national artists: O Gajo & As Sanfonas da Ponte Velhawhich brings together Portuguese musician João Morais, who has given a new guise to the ‘viola campaniça’, and a group of accordions from Santo Tirso who bring us traditional music from Portugal and Galicia; and música tradicional de Portugal e da Galiza; e Stereossauro invites Ana Lua Caiano and Pedro Jóiaa meeting between the Portuguese DJ, the sweetness of one of the female voices of the new generation of Portuguese music and the virtuoso guitarist.

The son of the mythical Ali Farka Touré, Vieux Farka Touré quickly won his place in the artistic world and is today considered by critics to be one of the great figures of Malian music. Vieux Farka Touré, virtuoso guitarist, composer and lyricist, known as the ‘Hendrix of the Sahara’ takes to the MED stage for this 21st edition.

One of the festival's female voices hails from Trinidad and Tobago. Jeneile Osborne, better known as Queen Omega, began her musical career singing in calypso and soca bands, but it was in the reggae world that she made her name. She gained popularity in 2023 after her song ‘No Love Dubplate’ with Swiss DJ/music producer Little Lion Sound had more than 38 million views on YouTube.

Of special consideration, in 2025, two countries will be represented at the MED Festival for the first time: Puerto Rico, with singer-songwriter iLe, and Wales, with Cerys Hafana, an harpist who transforms her country’s traditional music into something innovative.

During the presentation at BTL, one of the names confirmed for this edition was the Portuguese singer-songwriter Milhanas. ‘I've been pestering my agency to take part in this festival for a long time. It's a really special festival, which focuses on diversity, so I'm going to give you the most special concert possible. I'm very grateful and honoured to be part of this year's line-up,’ said the artist who expresses ‘a lot of love for Portugal, without denying her Anglo-Saxon influences’.

The first names already confirmed for the MED'25 Festival are: Ferro Gaita, Dino D´Santiago & Os Tubarões (Cape Verde), Ceuzany (Cape Verde/Senegal), Carminho, a garota não, Valter Lobo, Stereossauro invites Ana Lua Caiano and Pedro Jóia, O Gajo & As Sanfonas da Ponte Velha and Milhanas (Portugal), Sílvia Pérez Cruz and Salvador Sobral (Spain/Portugal), Systema Solar (Colombia), Vieux Farka Touré (Mali), Barrut (France), Balqeis (Egypt) Fulu Miziki (Democratic Republic of Congo), Ile (Puerto Rico), Sofiane Saidi (Algeria), Justin Adams & Mauro Durante (United Kingdom/Italy), Cerys Hafana (Wales), Shkoon (Syria/Germany), Alain Pérez y la Orquesta (Cuba), Paulo Flores (Angola), Tarwa-N-Tiniri (Morocco) and Queen Omega (Trinidad and Tobago).

IN ITS 20 EDITIONS, MORE THAN 380,000 VISITORS AND 710 BANDS REPRESENTING 77 COUNTRIES HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THE MED

Festival MED continues to enjoy the support of RTP, through public television and radio. At the event, the directors, Gonçalo Madaíl and Nuno Galopim, reaffirmed their partnership, stating that in 2025, the two teams will be in Loulé, utilizing additional resources and advanced technologies to promote the MED worldwide.The involvement of RTP Africa and RDP Africa is also assured.

Tickets are already on pre-sale until 22nd June, with reduced prices: Daily Ticket 10 euros, Festival Ticket 30 euros and Daily Family Ticket 35 euros

O vereador dos Eventos, Carlos Carmo, referiu ainda alguns dados sobre um estudo realizado pela Universidade do Algarve sobre o impacto socioeconómico do Festival MED. “O impacto do MED na nossa comunidade multiplica-se por 3,5 vezes aquilo que é o investimento. São 4,5 milhões de euros de retorno para a nossa economia, que nos dá a certeza que estamos no caminho certo!”, adiantou.