Baía das Gatas festival

Every August, a wide ocean bay an hour's walk east of Mindelo becomes Cape Verde's most famous music venue. The Festival de Baía das Gatas has run for four decades — it is the one every other Cape Verdean festival gets compared with. Expect national headliners, visiting international acts, and a crowd that camps, dances and swims through the whole weekend.

What it is

• Three or four nights of music on a stage set right on the sand, with the bay as the backdrop.
• Traditionally the August full moon, though the exact days are set by the organization each year — the 2026 edition ran 6–9 August.
• A mix of free and ticketed history: access and vehicle fees are published by the municipality before each edition; expect per-day tickets for the front-of-stage area.

Going there

The bay is a short taxi or aluguer (shared minibus) ride from Mindelo along the coastal road. Locals bring coolers and stay all day; the swimming is sheltered and family- friendly until the crowd thickens at night. Sleep options inside the bay go fast — most visitors base themselves in Mindelo and taxi back in the small hours (negotiate the return fare before you set out).

The festival pairs naturally with a day on the coast — the places directory covers Laginha and the other bays along that same road, and the live music scene keeps going in the city year-round.

The next edition

Dates for the next edition are announced on the festival's official Facebook and Instagram pages, usually well ahead of August — and we post them to our events calendar as soon as they are confirmed.

Sources

• Festival de Baía das Gatas — official Facebook — 2026 edition dates (6–9 August)
• Festival de Baía das Gatas — official Instagram
• Cape Verde festivals guide — full-moon tradition, format