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Vodafone Paredes de Coura 2026

VODAFONE PAREDES DE COURA 2026
_ 12 a 15 de Agosto
_ © Hugo Lima | instagram.com/hugolimaphoto | hugolima.com

As your mortal coil pushes 40 it certainly gets harder to go up and downhill for four days straight. You’ll start giving up on the idea of partying until closing time. You’ll curse the dubious choices of headliners and how late some of your must-sees are playing. You’ll also curse how early some of your must-sees are playing because it’s 30+ every single day. You’ll decide you don’t have to watch every single show of the festival even if you should because you’re working. You’ll slap your head in disbelief when you notice your gel insoles are too worn out and it’s too late to order new ones, you’ll search for keywords like “metatarsal pads”, you’ll bring your own pillow and fan to your accommodation (yes, you last pitched a tent in 2007). You’ll still end up with a neck strain. And as soon as you leave you’ll start making plans to come back the next year because no matter the lineup, the amount of kids smoking cigarettes like this isn’t the year 2026, the diminishing amount of friends making the trip as they get even older than you, the weather, or the amount of dust in your lungs, there is no place like home.

Trying to reduce four days (actually, seven) of a festival with upwards of 70 shows to a top 10 is always a tough endeavour. Shoutout to several acts that didn’t quite make the cut below but deserve a mention: Terraplana, Kurt Vile, Horsegirl, Wet Leg, CMAT, Show Me the Body, Hetta, Patrick Watson, Aldous Harding, or Hermanos Gutiérrez (saying their 11pm slot was some unfortunate scheduling is an understatement). But here’s our top ten:

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Vodafone Paredes de Coura 2026: the preview

A picture of the main stage of the Paredes de Coura festival at night, with confetti being thrown over the crowd under a purple-ish light
© Hugo Lima | instagram.com/hugolimaphoto | hugolima.com

For our 13th consecutive edition: it’s that time of year again! Vodafone Paredes de Coura 2026 takes place from August 12 to 15, at the usual spot: the Taboão river beach, right off the village of Paredes de Coura. Daily tickets (€60) and full festival passes (€130, plus fees) are still available, and unlikely to sell out; the festival pass includes access to the camping area. Good luck finding a flat at this time of the year, but there are options, even if outside the village. As always, we’re there early, since part of the charm of the festival is spending some quiet times at the Coura town centre. Or not so quiet if you’re there at night. There’s a whole slew of shows and DJ sets before the main part of the festival starts, Sobe à Vila. Plus a couple of unofficial all-nighters by friends of bolachas, hosted by local heroes MostraCoura at the legendary Xapas, who are also curating the Sunday Sobe à Vila shows.

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Vodafone Paredes de Coura 2025

VODAFONE PAREDES DE COURA 2025 © Hugo Lima | instagram.com/hugolimaphoto | hugolima.com

The curtain does not come down at Paredes de Coura. Instead, as Saturday’s headliner Franz Ferdinand plays their last couple of songs — unlike in their national debut back in 2006, they do not shy away from performing crowd pleaser “This Fire”, even though, one more time, forest fires wreck havoc across the country — an arsenal of colorful balls is being pulled from the very top of the natural amphitheater. They’re launched at the audience as the festival’s aftermovie is shown to a sold-out crowd immediately after the end of the show, to the tune of the unofficial anthem of the festival. And we can’t help but feel nostalgic already.

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Vodafone Paredes de Coura 2025: the preview

For our 12th consecutive edition: it’s that time of the year again! Vodafone Paredes de Coura 2025 takes place from August 13 to 16, at the usual spot: the Taboão river beach, right off the village of Paredes de Coura. Daily tickets (€60) and full festival passes (€130) are still available; between August 10-12 there are free shows at the town centre, too.

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Vodafone Paredes de Coura 2024

VODAFONE PAREDES DE COURA 2024
_ © Hugo Lima | instagram.com/hugolimaphoto | hugolima.com

Perfect weather? On my festival? You gotta be kidding me. This lineup, on these green, masterfully crafted festival grounds, with a large but respectful (and mostly silent during shows) crowd, with zero rain and mild night temperatures is an automatic 10/10. And that wasn’t even the main change for the 2024 edition of the Vodafone Paredes de Coura festival: for the first time since the introduction of a second stage in 2011 – previously, the smaller stage only worked before and after the main stage shows – there were no overlaps between bands. This meant everyone could see every single show of the festival if they really wanted. It also meant there was barely a moment where there wasn’t any music playing. It also meant that every day of the festival, not including the side programme, went on for 12 hours, with some very late shows in the mix. Obviously, there were still choices to be made: do I miss an entire show to go home and pick up the earplugs I left there? Should I eat anything at all tonight, or regret it tomorrow? Do we get any sleep at all tonight?