The organisation states in a press release that Artimanha, the festival that “brings art to the mountains,” returns in 2026 to the Alvão mountain range with a program that reinforces the commitment “between culture, territory and sustainability” and whose first confirmed band is Galandum Galundaina.

The stage is the lagoon in the Alvão mountain range, in the municipality of Vila Pouca de Aguiar, district of Vila Real, an area “marked by natural richness,” but also ravaged by wildfires.

The theme chosen for the 2026 edition is “Culture and Forest.”

Therefore, the festival aims to propose a “reflection on the role of culture in the valorisation and protection of natural ecosystems.”

“The festival aims to contribute to greater environmental awareness and to the appreciation of the landscape as a collective heritage. Through music, visual arts, community creation and activities in nature, Artimanha seeks to bring people closer to the forest and encourage a more conscious relationship with it,” the statement emphasises.

An approach that, according to the organisation, also reinforces “the festival’s mission as a platform for the encounter between art, community and sustainability, promoting new ways of living and experiencing the interior of the country.”

The first confirmed name for this year’s lineup is Galandum Galundaina, who, according to the statement, are “one of the most recognized references in contemporary Portuguese traditional music” and who throughout their career have contributed “to the study, preservation and dissemination of the cultural identity of the Miranda region, Northeast Trás-os-Montes,” and have “developed work to value Mirandese culture.”

The group’s presence reinforces the festival’s connection “to the cultural roots of the territory, in an encounter between tradition and contemporary creation.”

The statement also mentions that the Artimanha Arts Festival aims to increasingly establish itself as “a benchmark cultural event in the interior of the country,” capable of attracting audiences not only from Vila Pouca de Aguiar, but also from other regions of Portugal and foreign visitors interested in cultural experiences linked to nature and Trás-os-Montes.

This year’s edition presents a new visual identity inspired by the landscape and the festival’s mission.

The festival is promoted by Animódia (Organisation, Production and Artistic Direction) in partnership with the Vila Pouca de Aguiar City Council.