Paredes de Coura

Paredes de Coura is the rock festival in the valley of the river Coura, at the Praia Fluvial do Taboão, in Paredes de Coura, in the Alto Minho. The company Ritmos runs it. The director is João Carvalho. The first night was 20 August 1993, free, put together in nine days. The card was Portuguese: Ecos da Cave, Gangrena, Cosmic City Blues, Boucabaca and Purple Lips. The council put in 160 contos, about 800 euros. João spent those days in a phone box, with a two-conto card, calling the bands. The first three editions were free. From the fourth, you paid. The long name then was Festival de Música Moderna Portuguesa de Paredes de Coura. Vítor Paulo Pereira played bass in Boucabaca in those first three and left the company in 2009.

It is four days in August. The big stage is the Palco Vodafone. The second is the Palco BacanaPlay. In the afternoon there is a shorter session at the Parque das Portas de Corno de Bico, looking over the town. You camp by the river. You eat at the campsite, in the town or at the bars by the gate. In 2025 the weekend pass went on sale at 130 euros and a day at 60. The lawn climbs a hill. In August there is dust and heat.

From 13 to 16 August 2025 more than 120,000 people came through. On the 13th Cass McCombs sang County Line among the trees. Samuel Úria, on the Palco Vodafone, went through A Contenção and É Preciso Que Eu Diminua, called Carol up for Daqui pra trás and held a moment with Lenço Enxuto. Unsafe Space Garden shouted "bem-vindos à empresa de demolições". Nilüfer Yanya sang Call it love and midnight luv. Zaho de Sagazan said "je t'aime Coura", closed La symphonie des éclairs and, as she left, said it had been the best concert of her summer. Capicua sang Medusa, Chiaroscuro, Medo do Medo and Brava, and the crowd chanted Free Free Palestine. Vampire Weekend closed with A-Punk, Oxford Comma and New Dorp, New York, Ezra Koenig's voice, from the album Only God Was Above Us.

On the 14th Linda Martini marked twenty years since their first time at this festival. They went through Boca de Sal, Putos Bons and Gravidade, and closed with Cem Metros Sereia. Lola Young sang Messy and said she wanted to move to Portugal and that this was her favourite show. Perfume Genius, Mike Hadreas, sang Slip Away and Queen. Maruja did not play: Travo, from Braga, took the slot. On the 15th Dino D'Santiago came out in a black suit, the band in white, played the Cape Verde ferrinho and shouted that Coura is love. Lambrini Girls filled the crowd early. The singer came down and set up the mosh. King Krule was back from 2017, with five musicians, more rock than the time before.

On the 16th the site was full. Hinds, by then only Ana Perrote and Carlotta Cosials, sang Boom Boom Back, Riding Solo and a version of Girl, So Confusing, and shouted that Coura is the best festival in the world. Sharon Van Etten went through Live Forever, Afterlife, Every Time the Sun Comes Up and Seventeen. AIR played through Moon Safari at night: La Femme d'Argent, Sexy Boy, All I Need and Kelly Watch the Stars. It rained and people stayed to dance. Franz Ferdinand, with Alex Kapranos, closed with Take Me Out. There was crowdsurfing, a mosh and dust in the air. From 12 to 15 August 2026 about 115,000 people came back, fewer than the year before. During First Breath After Coma and Salvador Sobral the sun was almost covered, close to 98 percent. Around 16:00, Meute, eleven musicians, set up on one bank of the Coura. People got into the water. Sérgio Godinho sang that edition. João Carvalho is still in charge.