Sudoeste By The Sea

Choosing festivals as a holiday destination has become increasingly popular throughout Europe but old hat in Portugal, as Sudoeste has been providing that sort of break for 15 years.

During those years, an ever-growing number of fans have traveled to Zambujeira do Mar, a small fishing village on the southern Portuguese coast. For many, it is an annual holiday.

Jwana Godinho of Musica No Coracao, who books the festival, says she expects to see the crowd starting to arrive on the weekend before if starts.

They spend the next four days relaxing on the beaches around the estuary before turning up at the festival the day before it officially opens.

On that day, the festival runs one stage of smaller acts for the campers, although there were 20,000 of them at this year’s Sudoeste.

The four-day festival with the international headliners averaged daily crowds of about 40,000, with David Guetta breaking the event’s Saturday crowd record by doing 45,000.

The other acts helping to create an enjoyable holiday on the Portuguese coast Aug. 3-7 included Snoop Dogg, Kanye West, The National and Asian Dub Foundation.