Med Festival kicks off in Loulé with 54 concerts by artists from 31 countries: Morocco is the guest country
The 20th anniversary of the MED Festival will be celebrated between today and Sunday in the historic center of Loulé, with a total of 90 hours of Portuguese and international music, 54 concerts and 378 musicians from 31 countries.
Anthony B (Jamaica), Dubioza Kolektiv (Bosnia), Kumbia Boruka (Mexico), Roberto Fonseca (Uruguay), Tito Paris (Cape Verde), Afrotronix (Chad), Idiotape (South Korea) and Puuluup (Estonia) alone These are some of the main names of the 20th edition of the event started in 2004 by that municipality in the district of Faro. The MED poster also includes the Portuguese artists Cara de Espelho, Kumpania Algazarra, Rita Vian, Mazgani and Cristina Branco, among others.
The main novelty of this year, which will be repeated in future editions, is the designation of a guest country, which in 2024 will be Morocco, with its own space in the venue and a program specific, in musical terms and other cultural aspects.
In addition to the performances by Oum, Samifati and the duo Widad Mjama and Khalid Epi, artists from that North African country, visitors will be able to see artisans, listen to traditional Moroccan music and taste some of its cuisine, There is also a conference planned, the presentation of a book and two exhibitions on Morocco.
The 90 hours of music from the 20th edition of the MED Festival will be distributed across the venue’s 12 stages from Thursday, featuring Kumbia Boruka, Dubioza Kolektiv, Puuluup, Cara de Espelho, 47Soul, Kin’ Gongolo Kiniata, Albaluna with Ahmed Hamdi Moussa, Mouvman Alé and João Frade Trio with Miron Rafajlovic.
On Friday, the program includes concerts by Roberto Fonseca, Tito Paris, Antti Paalanen, Ko Shin Moon, Hip Horns Brass Collective, Acácia Maior, Al-Qasar and Kumpania Algazarra.
Tabanka Djaz, Anthony B, Mazgani, Cristina Branco, Rita Vian, Bixiga 70, Afrotronix, Lina, Eneida Marta & Huca and Idiotape are some of the artists who liven up Saturday night in Loulé.
The event, which expands beyond music to areas such as cinema, literature, fine arts or gastronomy, and which on Sunday will have an open day, with free entry, will also feature 100 exhibitors of crafts, two art exhibitions and 12 groups of street artists. In the 19 previous editions, more than 355 thousand visitors and 665 bands attended the Loulé festival, representing 75 countries, according to the organization.
