The next World Music Festival (FMM) will take place between July 18 and 26, 2025, adding an extra day to its 25th edition, after this year’s sold-out Saturday and Friday.
The announcement was made by the mayor of Sines, Nuno Mascarenhas, who organizes the FMM every year.
In an interview with Lusa, Nuno Mascarenhas gave a “positive assessment” of the 24th edition of the FMM, acknowledging that on Wednesday and Thursday, the festival saw a “slightly lower” turnout than last year, due to the increase in ticket prices for the paid concerts at Sines Castle.
On the other hand, he stressed, the number of tickets sold for Friday and today was higher than in 2023 and tickets even “sold out earlier than usual”.
Underlining the importance of the festival for the local economy, Nuno Mascarenhas justified the rise in ticket prices with the increase in the cost of the services that the municipality has to hire to hold the festival.
“Inflation has played a major role in the increase of all services and basic goods and, for us, this obviously has to be reflected in the festival’s income,” he acknowledged.
“We’ve had a significant increase in costs with this festival, which obviously has consequences in terms of expenses, but we also have to remember that this is a festival that has around 70% of the concerts free of charge,” he recalled, referring to the concerts taking place in the Pátio das Artes and on the stage by the beach.
The “slight increase” was the option “so that the festival continues to be sustainable”, he stressed, acknowledging that visitors have to spend a lot on accommodation and food.
“It’s something we can’t control, but of course we understand and next year we won’t be increasing ticket costs,” he assured.
When also asked about the criticism of the campsite, which has once again been moved further away, the mayor recalled that this is “a festival that takes place within a city and, as such, has the limitations that public space naturally has”.
“We had to find alternative solutions to accommodate festival-goers and the park we created next to the multipurpose pavilion is big enough, it allows motorhomes, cars and tents,” he said, adding that transportation was available. But, he stressed, there is always something “to improve”.
When asked about the environmentalist demonstration that took place today near Sines beach, Nuno Mascarenhas said that he understood the protesters’ concerns about preserving the Alentejo coastline, but stressed that he didn’t share their decision to demonstrate in parallel with the FMM and even alluded to the possibility that these organizations might be moving “for interests that we sometimes don’t know about”.
“It’s an event that welcomes people from all over the world, it’s a festival of causes,” he conceded.
“But we don’t really have any concerns about preserving the coastline, because we’re still one of the best preserved areas in southern Europe,” he said, referring to the transformation resulting from the closure of the thermoelectric power station and new investments in renewable energy.
FMM is celebrating its 25th anniversary next year and the municipality is promising a “special edition”, adding that the festival will have an extra day (it will start on a Friday) in Porto Covo (where it began, before moving to Sines).
“We’re thinking about various solutions, various proposals. Obviously, I don’t want to reveal them yet, but it will be a landmark moment, since we’re talking about a festival that has brought thousands of artists from all over the world to this region over the course of these 24 editions,” he said.
FMM’s 25th anniversary will coincide with the last year of Nuno Mascarenhas’ (elected by the PS) mayoral term, as he will not be able to run again.
Recalling that the FMM was created by a previous executive (PCP), the mayor didn’t dismiss “concerns”, but believes that “whoever comes in will continue this work, which is important for Sines and the region”.
“It’s important to maintain the sustainability of the festival, and this has to be achieved by increasing income and reducing expenditure,” he recommended.
