It's a major revelation in Portugal's music festival circuit for the upcoming year. The first European edition of the Coala Festival – an event with Brazilian origins – will unfold at the Hipódromo Manuel Possolo in Cascais on June 1st and 2nd, 2024.
This Thursday, December 7th, the organizers unveiled three names joining the roster: Portuguese fado singer Carminho, who released the album "Portuguesa" this year; Cape Verdean singer Mayra Andrade, who has been based in Lisbon for several years; and the Brazilian group BaianaSystem.
They join the already confirmed Gilberto Gil, a legend in Brazilian popular music, who recently performed in Portugal. "We've become a reference in Brazil, and now we aim to bring this identity to Portugal, focusing not only on Brazilian music but on music in the Portuguese language as a whole, connecting the dots between Africa, Portugal, and Brazil," explains Gabriel Andrade, curator and co-founder of the Coala Festival, as cited in the official announcement.
Also contributing to the programming of the Coala Festival in Portugal is musician and writer Kalaf Epalanga, an Angolan artist who has been based here for many years. While known for his solo work, he is notably recognized as one of the members of Buraka Som Sistema.
"We're experiencing an extraordinary period in global music, where the notions of center and periphery are being redefined, and this reality is clearly perceived in Portuguese-speaking countries. This unique moment triggers an unprecedented creative potential, transforming popular music into something increasingly fluid and innovative. At the heart of this transformation, I see the Coala Festival as an exceptional space to explore these new sonic frontiers, where tradition and contemporaneity converge to give life to unforgettable musical experiences," adds Kalaf Epalanga.
Hipódromo Manuel Possolo. Avenida da República, 371, Cascais.