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8 A 11 ABRIL
Westway 2026
The 13th edition of Westway – LAB, LIVE, MEETING takes place from 8 to 11 April 2026 in Guimarães.
A living organism within the music ecosystem, a laboratory and stage for emerging talent as well as the affirmation of many others, and simultaneously a forum for knowledge and reflection on music and the creative industries, Westway is Portugal’s first showcase festival & conference, continuing to stand out for its spirit of discovery and its international reach since the very beginning.
In 2026, a year in which the city of Guimarães simultaneously holds the title of European Green Capital, Westway expands to four days (8–11 April) with multiple strands of activity: LAB (artists-in-residence), LIVE (showcase festival), and MEETING (conferences & networking).
Westway LIVE features names such as MXGPU (PT), PVA (UK), Smag På Dig Selv (DK), TRAVO (PT), xauxau dodô (PT), Carlos Maria Trindade (PT), GANS (UK), DITTER (FR), Scúru Fitchádu (PT), Gaia Banfi (IT), and XEXA (PT), who will perform across several stages at Centro Cultural Vila Flor and Teatro Jordão.
Hate Moss (IT), Hause Plants (PT), Hofe (ES), Humana Taranja (PT), MonchMonch (BR/PT), and Tiago Sampaio & Cody XV (PT) will perform in the City Showcases at several venues across Guimarães, including Ramada 1930, Convívio Associação Cultural (Salão Nobre), and CAAA – Centro para os Assuntos da Arte e da Arquitectura. Also noteworthy is one of the new features of this edition: the first-ever presentation in Portugal of The Portuguese Discovery, an initiative dedicated to the international representation of new Portuguese music, through which Ana de Llor, Summer of Hate and Sunflowers will perform in Guimarães.
Within the MEETING strand of Westway, and in collaboration with WHY Portugal, several (inter)national guests will visit Guimarães during these inspiring four spring days. Jess Partridge (European Music Managers Alliance), Hélio Morais (Primavera Tours), Paulo Silva (MED), João Rufino (Bons Sons), Terry Costa (Festival Cordas), Nadine Saize (Freelance), João Lemos (Sonus), Gabriel Nery (Pointlist), Mariana Lois (Festival A Porta), Paola Wescher (Last Tour), Stefan Schurter (Music Managers Forum), Yves Tattevin (Persona Grata), Yvan Soyouz (Soyouz Music), Jorge Dias (GIG Rocks), Miguel Augusto Silva (Armoniz), Carlos Maria Trindade (artist), Jorge Bizarro (WHY Portugal), Dalse Yoonyoung Kong (Zandari Festa, South Korea), Robin Werner (Reeperbahn, Germany), Jordi Fosas (Fira Mediterrània Manresa, ES), Jordi Casadesús (Mercat de Música Viva de Vic, ES), Joyce Jenny Loir (Ancienne Belgique, BE), Eugenio González (La Mar de Músicas, ES), Ísleifur Thorhallsson (Sena Live / Iceland Airwaves, IS), and Cíntia Marques (ARCUPS, the organisation behind the Ti Milha festival, PT) will share knowledge and reflect on the present together with Westway participants in Guimarães.
Westway MEETING also features the participation of moderators Gordon Masson, Isilda Sanches and Vítor Belanciano.
Westway LAB
WEDNESDAY 8 APRIL, 9:30PM
WEDNESDAY 8 APRIL, 10:30PM
WEDNESDAY 8 APRIL, 11:30PM
FENNE (NL) + Tomás & Francisco (PT)
Westway LIVE
WEDNESDAY, 8 APRIL, 7:00 PM
Carlos Maria Trindade (POR)
THURSDAY, 9 APRIL, 9:30 PM
The Portuguese Discovery – Ana de Llor
THURSDAY, 9 APRIL, 10:30 PM
The Portuguese Discovery – Summer of Hate
THURSDAY, 9 APRIL, 11:30 PM
The Portuguese Discovery – Sunflowers
FRIDAY, 10 APRIL, 9:00 PM
Gaia Banfi (IT)
FRIDAY, 10 APRIL, 10:00 PM
xauxau dodô (PT)
FRIDAY, 10 APRIL, 11:00 PM
Scúru Fitchádu (PT)
FRIDAY, 10 APRIL, 00:00 AM
Smag På Dig Selv (DK)
SATURDAY, 11 APRIL, 1:00 AM
MXGPU (PT)
SATURDAY, 11 APRIL, 3:00 PM
Tiago Sampaio and Cody XV (POR)
SATURDAY, 11 APRIL, 4:00 PM
Hate Moss (IT)
SATURDAY, 11 APRIL, 4:30 PM
Hause Plants (PT)
SATURDAY, 11 APRIL, 5:30 PM
Humana Taranja (PT)
SATURDAY, 11 APRIL, 6:00 PM
MonchMonch (BR/PT)
SATURDAY, 11 APRIL, 7:00 PM
HOFE (ES)
SATURDAY, 11 APRIL, 9:00 PM
Xexa (PT)
SATURDAY, 11 APRIL, 10:00 PM
Travo (PT)
SATURDAY, 11 APRIL, 11:00 PM
Ditter (FR)
SATURDAY, 11 APRIL, 00:00 AM
PVA (UK)
SATURDAY, 11 APRIL, 1:00 AM
GANS (UK)
Westway MEETING
THURSDAY 9 APRIL, 10:00AM
Westway Meeting - For a new echology
THURSDAY 9 APRIL, 10:00AM
Westway MEETING - Applications: access to funding
THURSDAY 9 APRIL, 10:30AM - 11:30AM
Westway MEETING - Speed meetings
THURSDAY 9 APRIL, 11:00AM
Westway MEETING - Lost and Found
THURSDAY 9 APRIL, 11:00AM
Showcases e trendsetters em Portugal
THURSDAY 9 APRIL, 11:30AM - 12:30PM
Westway MEETING - Pitch Sessions
THURSDAY 9 APRIL, 3:00PM
Westway MEETING - The Portuguese Discovery
THURSDAY 9 APRIL, 3:00PM
Westway MEETING - Gender Disparity
THURSDAY 9 APRIL, 4:00PM
Westway MEETING - The French Market's Interest in Portuguese Talent
THURSDAY 9 APRIL, 4:00PM
Westway MEETING - Iberian Exchange
THURSDAY 9 APRIL, 5:00PM
Westway MEETING - Keynote Speech
THURSDAY 9 APRIL, 6:30PM
Tasquinha do Tio Júlio
Talk with artists from the Artists in Residence programme
FRIDAY 10 ABRIL, 10:00AM
Westway MEETING - Workshop for managers
FRIDAY 10 APRIL, 10:00AM
Westway MEETING - On the road: talking about mental health
FRIDAY 10 APRIL, 10:00AM
Comunicar a música nas escolas
FRIDAY 10 APRIL, 11:00AM
Westway MEETING - Audiobranding
FRIDAY 10 APRIL, 11:00AM
Westway MEETING - Young Professionals
FRIDAY 10 APRIL, 11:30AM
Westway MEETING - AUDIOGEST Workshop
FRIDAY 10 APRIL, 12:00AM
Westway MEETING - Pitch Sessions
FRIDAY 10 APRIL, 3:00PM
Westway MEETING - Knowledge exchange and touring: the European perspective
FRIDAY 10 APRIL, 3:00PM
Westway MEETING - Portuguese Music Strengthening Communities
FRIDAY 10 APRIL, 3:30PM
Westway MEETING - Workshop for Managers
FRIDAY 10 APRIL, 4:00PM
Westway MEETING - Live Music Circuit: a sustainable business?
FRIDAY 10 APRIL, 4:00PM
Westway MEETING - South Korea: a market beyond borders
FRIDAY 10 APRIL, 5:00PM
SATURDAY 11 APRIL, 12:00PM