Ponte de Lima hosts, between August 3 and 5, the first edition of a music festival where 15 thousand people are expected at the concerts of Wolfmother, Moullinex, David Bruno, Capitão Fausto, Linda Martini, among others.
The Ponte d’Lima Festival, publicly presented today next to the Lima River, is organized by the local company Sons Observados and has a budget of 300 thousand euros, with the Ponte de Lima City Council being “the main partner”.
Speaking to the Lusa agency, on the sidelines of the press conference presenting the event, producer Jorge Dias indicated that, since the beginning of April and until today, “more than three thousand tickets” have been sold.
“It’s a ‘super interesting’ figure, considering the value [of the tickets]. We have a general pass for €50 and a day ticket for €30. It gives us strength and robustness to believe that we will reach the goal of five thousand people a day,” he said.
During the presentation of the festival, Jorge Dias, highlighted that “57% of the tickets” sold were bought by people “from outside Minho”, and “33% from outside Portugal, positioning the festival in a place of internationalization”.
The event will take place at Expolima, “a venue that is prepared to receive up to 10,000 people per day”.
The campsite created to support festival-goers, with a capacity for 1,000 people, “had to be expanded” due to demand and “is already practically full, also exceeding the expectations” of the organization.
On August 3, the festival starts at 19:30 with concerts by Big Dipper Downer, Máquina, New Error, Quadra and Zebra Libra.
On the 04th and 05th, Wolfmother, Moullinex, David Bruno, Capitão Fausto, José Pinhal Post Mortem Experience, Jepards, Caio, Gin Party Soundsystem, Aron, Linda Martini, Throes + The Shine, Bęãtfóøt, The Legendary Tigerman and Cassete Pirata perform on the two stages of the festival.
In 2022, the “embryo” of the Ponte d’Lima Festival began to take shape with the zero edition, “planned in one month and which brought together 1,500 people”.
A “successful” test, said Rodrigo Pinto, from Sons Observados, reflecting the “need” felt in the village with almost 900 years of history for events that “attract young people from the country and abroad”.
“The fact that it is a festival that will take place in Ponte de Lima already makes it different (…). Being Ponte de Lima the oldest village in Portugal, this type of event more directed to young people was missing. It is the right time [to go ahead with the festival], which has everything to work out”.
For the vice-president of the Ponte de Lima City Council and councillor for Culture, Paulo Sousa, it is “the laying of the first stone” of an event with “enormous potential to activate a cultural and tourist product” that will become “an asset” by attracting “new audiences and promoting the territory across borders”.
In addition to “developing a set of service chains associated with the organization of events and involving several companies in the municipality”, Paulo Sousa said it was “a huge challenge, competing, at national level, with major festivals”.
“It is a festival with an identity and a brand, linked to our heritage and culture,” he said.
“Different types of art and local artists, catering, endogenous products, handicrafts and local associations” will also be represented at the event.
