The Festival
Four international bands and one portuguese band will perform in various spaces in the village of Trafaria, making it a musical village, which will so welcome this international community. In addition, several side activities will take place, with the purpose of showing Bluegrass music and the village of Trafaria known to its visitors.
You will be able to meet, socialize and enjoy great moments with masterclasses, music and dance workshops, tours, guided tours of the village, street entertainment, gastronomy and spontaneous musical moments between local musicians and guest artists.
The Festival will make this different style of music known, not forgetting the exchange of experiences between visitors and the local population.
Book the date on your agenda and stay tuned to our website, newsletter or social media to find out more!
Program
Bands
Rawhide
Belgium
Bluegrass is that hot acoustic music genre that made a hit out of movies such as ”Oh Brother Where Art Thou”.
The Belgian Bluegrass band Rawhide has built a solid reputation in the European bluegrass scene since 1977! Every time again they astonish their audiences with their groundbreaking arrangements in which they combine pop, classic, swing, barbershop and other styles in their bluegrass repertoire. With typical instruments such as banjo, mandolin, fiddle, dobro, guitar and bass and vocal harmonies they will charm all from 7 till 77. An optimal combination of tasteful instrumental and vocal virtuosity with a thick layer of humour on top, both during and between the music.
With Rawhide you can expect the unexpected. So now fasten your seatbelts. Here comes Rawhide!
The Often Herd
United Kingdom
The Often Herd reach beyond what is expected of a bluegrass band, marrying the wistful sunshine harmonies of Southern California with the striking industrial allure of their home in the North East of England.
An engaging and dynamic live act, the band are able to pull off their intricately arranged material alongside moments of exciting, spontaneous improvisation.
Rupert Hughes (guitar) and Evan Davies (mandolin) are responsible for penning the band’s vibrant and catchy original music. American fiddler Niles Krieger and jazz bassist Sam Quintana contribute deft and dynamic instrumental skills that lift the songs to new heights.
The Original Five
Sweden
The Original Five was formed in Malmö in 2010 and has during the years grown to be one of Scandinavia’s most skilled and experienced bluegrass bands.
During the past twelve years, the Swedish quartet has recorded five albums. The band has traditional bluegrass instrumentation with guitar, banjo, dobro and upright bass. The basis of the music is classic bluegrass but they are not a retro band.
Inside the traditional framework, you can hear lots of different influences spanning from early jazz, Swedish folk and classic and contemporary country not least in the band’s own songwriting. Aside from the band’s own songwriting, you can always expect to catch a healthy dose of classic bluegrass repertoire and country songs at their shows.
Buster Sledge
Norway
Oslo-based American-Norwegian trio Buster Sledge signed with the record label Heilo and released its first studio album, Call Home in May 2022, following up on their self-recorded and self-released debut, Spirit (2020).
Fiddle, banjo, guitar and three voices are the vehicle for lyrical storytelling against an orchestral backdrop anchored in the acoustic music traditions of the United States. Hailing from northern California, lead vocalist and songwriter Michael Barrett Donovan mixes themes from personal experience with folk and country music archetypes to breathe new life into time-tested song structures.
Banjoist Mikael Jonassen and guitarist Jakob Folke Ossum both share a thorough appreciation for the fundamentals of bluegrass music, clear melodies and harmony-singing through the lens of being trained jazz musicians.
Stonebones
& Bad Spaghetti
Portugal
Most likely the only Portuguese bluegrass band. They are distinguished by the incredible energy of their music and the enthusiastic performance on stage.
At their shows, they present a large collection of traditional songs and some original Portuguese bluegrass tunes and have performed in bluegrass festivals all over Europe in countries like the Netherlands, France, Norway, Spain, Switzerland and Scotland.
Activities
Jams
Bluegrass music is for everyone and all of you are invited to be a part of this wonderful way of life that bluegrass music is! Besides the concerts by the bands, Jams are an important part of a bluegrass festival that happens anywhere and anytime.
Bring your own instrument and join the musicians. Or just listen if you like the music. Jamming is a must at a bluegrass festival.
Workshops with the musicians
The workshops will be unmissable moments to get to know bluegrass music better and get in touch with the musicians.
At the meeting point, Casino Stage:
- September 10, at 11:00 am – Guitar Workshop with Rupert Hughes
- September 10, at 11:30 am – Fiddle Workshop with Michael Barrett Donovan
- September 10, at 12:00 pm – Mandolin Workshop with Jeff Cardey
- September 11 at 12:00 pm – Dobro Workshop with Daniel Olssom
- September 11, at 12:30 pm – Banjo Workshop with Thierry Schoysman
Free of charge for everyone. Bring an instrument or not. No reservation needed!
Blue Waves
Stories with Sounds
Session with Anabela Libânio and Henique Rosário
Dive into this storytelling session for the whole family. You will learn a bit more about Trafaria and Bluegrass.
- September 9, at 4:30 pm by Trafaria’s Presídio
- September 11, at 10:30 pm at Largo da República
Trafaria tour
With Francisco Silva from Almada's Archeology Center (CAA)
Do you want to know this precious village where the river Tagus meets the ocean?
Francisco and Almada’s Archeology Center have been studying its history, its origins, and will lead this group with several local residents too. Join us and discover many of Trafaria’s charms!
Duration 1 hour, easy.
- September 9 at 6:00 pm, beginning at Trafaria’s Casino and finishing by Trafaria’s Presídio.
Walk around Trafaria
With Francisco Silva from Almada's Archeology Center (CAA)
Trafaria is even more precious when you also know its surroundings, the forests, slopes and forts. On this walk, more suited to those with some endurance, you will uncover the most well-hidden secrets and most beautiful views around Trafaria.
Duration 2 hours, medium.
- September 10 at 9.30am, beginning and finishing at Trafaria’s Casino
Guided Tour
With Fernanda
Fernanda is a new local, in love with this small and quiet village. She is part of the Recreios Desportivos da Trafaria team, the Trafaria Bluegrass’ organizer.
Fernanda will guide you through the most significant sites of the village.
Duration 1 hour, easy.
- September 11 at 10:00 am, beginning at Trafaria’s Casion and finishing by Poço Novo Stage
Space Grandparents & Grandchildren
Promoting active aging and intergenerational interaction.
Be YourSelf and its group of young volunteers collaborate with Almada’s Santa Casa da Misericórdia to participate in our Festival.
Some of Trafaria’s grandparents, representing the area, will bring their good energy and value in multiple fronts…
The Sea’s Grandmothers’ Snack bar – taste the sweets, savories or the famous “Nanna’s” coffee.
We will also have two fun zones, traditional games and another with facial painting, always in the great company of our local elders.
Age is only a number and the will to celebrate knows no age. For all ages, fun is guaranteed!
At Largo da República:
- September 10 from 10:00 am to 12:00pm and from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm
- September 11 from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm
Metaphor
With Teresa Morais from the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests (ICNF)
Interdisciplinary photographic work to raise awareness of the natural heritage of the Protected Landscape of Costa da Caparica’s Fossil Cliff (PPAFCC).
This exhibition features successive metaphors/relations/analogies of images (photos) of PPAFCC’s natural heritage and images (photos) of cultural and built heritage, with the support of emblematic communications.
- September 10 at 6:00pm in Trafaria’s Casino
Trafaria
Sílvia Luz, also known as “acarteirista, is a 50-year-old multidisciplinary artist who has lived in Trafaria for 40 years. Born in Faial, Azores, to an Azorean father and continental mother, her experiences observing people whose life revolved around the ocean, as well as her happy and free childhood, have shaped her own artistic expression.
A lover of the surrealist and Dadaist movement, Sílvia likes, nevertheless, to create “simple” images with hints of subversive messages of humor, human duality and nonconformity. She considers herself progressive.
In this small large sample of photos and montages created absent mindlessly, the artist calls on each of us to pay more attention to what may not be obvious to our eyes. Enjoy.
“For me, my art is a game that I take very seriously… (sometimes)!”
Zero Recycling Workshop
Suzete will have a stand right in the center of the village with various daily use items (napkins, make-up remover pads, coffee filters, bags, suitcases, brooches, among others) made from surplus textiles/dead stock transformed by you. These objects allow us to reduce the production of waste in our daily lives. In this workshop you will transform old clothes into a rug.
Bring an old piece of clothing and participate in this workshop to give it a second life.
Seats are limited, contact the organization for more information.
- September 10 at 4:00 pm in Largo da República
Stages
Trafaria Stage will be the main stage of Trafaria Bluegrass – Festival by the River and where you’ll be able to see the main concerts of the five bands, on friday and saturday night. Seeking to bring the audience closer to Bluegrass music, bringing the main concerts to the center of the village was a priority. Largo da República is the main square of the village of Trafaria, where the Municipal Market, the Church, the Parish Council Library, various shops, restaurants and cafes are based. Chairs will be available for rest if you feel too tired with so much music.
Presidio Stage welcomes Bluegrass music at the festival as the first stage of the weekend.The first band to take the stage will be the Belgian band Rawhide for a small presentation.Historically this is the place of arrival par excellence. People once came by sea and stayed in this space to quarantine before being able to stay in the capital. Now you can come to stay for a weekend where you will get to know even more about the history of this place and this small village!
In the heart of the village you can watch with all comfort an unforgettable concert of the english band The Often Herd.The Trafariense Musical Recreational Society is a club founded on May 8, 1900, and houses a Conservatory of Music and a Philharmonic Band.
Casino Stage, a wonderfull hall with unforgettable acoustics. During saturday afternoon you will be able to gather in this space where you will get to know closely the only bluegrass band in Portugal, Stonebones & Bad Spaghetti. Recreios Desportivos da Trafaria, RDT Casino, is a local collective with 82 years of history, based in a building from 1906. All its architecture is emblematic of the time, built to be a pleasure and cultural house with its hall for holidayers between the 40s and 60s. Big names have walked on this stage and we will continue to make history!
The Church stage will be an acoustic concert, with an unforgettable surroundings and acoustics. On Saturday, 7 pm, after mass, the band The Original Five, a swedish band with gospel influences, goes up the high altar.The Church of St. Peter of Trafaria is the main church of the village of Trafaria, located in the main square.
The Poço Novo stage is a small and familiar square in the village of Trafaria.The last day of the festival, will begin with a concert by the Norwegian band Buster Sledge. A cosy concert in a cosy space.Once there was a fountain that made this place a space of conviviality, we want you to know another pearl of the village of Trafaria.
The Trafaria bandstand will be the stage of some side activities, a space where you can get to know more about Bluegrass music and the village of Trafaria.Get to know more closely the musicians doing the workshops, and dance workshops, come to know the crafts and some local merchants, comes to meet the “Os Avós do Mar” and come to play with your children in various activities.Trafaria's Map
