Iberian Awards

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.