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, and 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