Rabat is set to become a meeting point between Morocco and Portugal’s cultural traditions as the Fado Festival returns to the capital on September 10 and 11, 2026.
Held at the Mohammed V National Theatre, the ninth edition of the festival will focus on the intimate connection between fado and some of Lisbon’s most emblematic neighbourhoods, including Alfama, Mouraria, Bairro Alto and Madragoa. These historic districts have played a central role in shaping the musical identity of fado and preserving its transmission across generations.
The Rabat programme will open on September 10 with a conference led by Rodrigo Costa Félix, examining how Lisbon’s neighbourhoods, popular traditions and collective memories have influenced the development of fado. The session will offer audiences a cultural perspective on a musical genre closely associated with the Portuguese capital.
Music will take centre stage later that day with a performance by Teresinha Landeiro, one of the emerging voices of a new generation of fado artists. Her appearance reflects the festival’s effort to connect the genre’s traditional roots with contemporary performers.
The second day, September 11, will broaden the programme through cinema and live music. Diogo Varela Silva’s documentary *Do Bairro* will take audiences into Alfama and Mouraria, two neighbourhoods deeply embedded in Lisbon’s fado heritage. The day will conclude with a concert featuring Rodrigo Costa Félix and Ana Margarida Prado, centred on Lisbon’s musical heritage.
The Rabat stop forms part of a much wider international presence for the Fado Festival. Dedicated to promoting fado and Portuguese culture, the festival’s 16th worldwide edition is scheduled to travel to 21 major cities across Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia.
For Rabat, the event offers more than a sequence of concerts. By placing Lisbon’s neighbourhoods, memories and artistic traditions at the heart of the programme, the festival creates a cultural bridge between the Moroccan capital and one of Portugal’s most distinctive musical traditions.
