The story
Festival de Musica de Maio in Vila do Maio
Held each May in Vila do Maio, this festival functions specifically as a tool for integrating one of Cabo Verde's smaller, more historically isolated islands into the country's wider tourist and cultural circuit. It pairs local and international performers, runs a dedicated new-artist contest rewarding winners with a spot on the festival poster, and includes family-oriented side programming such as children's games and activities.
Maio is one of Cabo Verde's smaller and historically more isolated islands, and the Festival de Musica Capverdiana held each May in Vila do Maio functions specifically as a tool for opening the island up, both integrating it into the country's wider tourist and cultural circuit and giving Maio's own musical talent a platform it would otherwise lack given the island's relative remoteness from the archipelago's larger cultural centres in Praia, Mindelo and Sal.