The Festival do Crato kicked off in Portugal's Alentejo region on Tuesday, with organisers offering an extra day of completely free entry to open five days of music.
Tuesday night's bill was aimed at a broad audience, featuring the Gipsy Kings for older festivalgoers alongside the show A Batalha do K-Pop and the sibling duo Elyas and Pears for younger fans.
The festival's biggest names take the stage from Wednesday, including Slow J, Bispo, Papillon, Sara Correia, Calema and Calum Scott.
Director expects another record edition
Joaquim Diogo, the festival's director, told Correio da Manha that this year's edition was expected to be a great success, broadly in line with last year's turnout. The 2025 edition set a record of 100,000 attendees.
Diogo said the Crato festival was more than just an event, describing it as a very special way of being and something different. He said that in 40 years the festival had created a brand that made not just the town but an entire region proud.
Diogo, who comes from the area, took over as festival director in 2018. He still remembers the earliest editions, recalling when the shows were staged next to the town's bandstand and when people used to climb trees to watch the concerts.
Investment and public backing
As the festival has grown, so has investment in it, though Diogo did not disclose specific figures. He said that for every euro invested, the festival saw a return of five to ten euros, calling that outcome very positive and adding that projects like this one were badly needed in the Alentejo.
Diogo also credited the local municipality's support, saying that unless public authorities bring culture to inland regions, no private company does so the way they do in big cities.
The Festival do Crato takes place in the town of Crato, in the Alentejo region of southern Portugal, and has run for four decades.
