The festival director, João Carvalho, praised the festival’s “unique environment” and revealed that he already has two practically closed bands for next year.
This year’s edition of It has not even ended, but is already looking at 2026: the music returns to the natural habitat of Alto Minho between August 12 and 15 next year, with a cosmic detail promising a memorable start.
At a balance sheet conference, João Carvalho, director of the festival, revealed that he already has “two practically closed bands” for the next edition, and was visibly pleased with the uniqueness that distinguishes the festival.
“Lola Young arrived with an anxiety crisis and left here saying that this was the best therapy. Zaho de Sagazan participated in the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games and suddenly says that the best moment of the career was here. Paredes de Coura is this. I say with immodesty: this is the best festival in the country,” said João Carvalho.
The maximum guardian of Vodafone Paredes de Coura praised the lived atmosphere over the four days of the festival, announcing that more than 120,000 people passed through the enclosure, an average of 30,000 per day.
“We have an absolutely fantastic audience, with tenderness, values and principles. In daily briefings, the authorities tell me that there are no incidents or theft. There is a lot of solidarity,” he added proud.
“The sky of walls of Coura is equal to the sky of Berlin”
The first day of the 2026 edition promises to be even more special. An almost total solar eclipse is foreseen, visible from Coura walls, which can turn the festival start into a truly unforgettable time.
Vítor Paulo Pereira, mayor of Paredes de Coura, took the moment to exalt the region and its creative potential, tracing an unlikely comparison between the skies of Coura and those of the German capital.
“The heaven of Coura walls is equal to the sky of Berlin. Land development does not depend on geography, but on the ability to create,” he said.
The mayor stressed that the growth of the festival, whose first edition took place in 1993, is mainly based on community spirit and mutual respect, even sharing a curious family history:
“The festival does not continue to grow by being perfect. We are already fed up with perfection. It continues to grow because there is respect for people, there is hospitality. Just yesterday I went to my house and my brother had two strangers at home. He offered them a hot water bath.”
