Tremor 2025: Can a music festival change the face of Portugal’s São Miguel island?

São Miguel , the largest of the Azores island archipelago, is one of the poorest areas of the European Union. Cue the transformative power of music…

Two hours from Portugal, five hours from New York, the Azores lie in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. The clouds here are so low you feel you have to duck to avoid them.

Small fishing boats hug the harbour wall while larger commercial vessels bob about in the perennial shadow of a cruise liner. Cargo ships dot the horizon and the occasional sight of a clipper evokes imaginings of the age of exploration.

Fitting, then, that this place between the New World and the Old World is home to a festival that links the history of music and culture with its future, and strives to make that future brighter.

São Miguel , the largest of the Azores island archipelago, is one of the poorest areas of the European Union. Cue the transformative power of music…

Two hours from Portugal, five hours from New York, the Azores lie in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. The clouds here are so low you feel you have to duck to avoid them.

Fitting, then, that this place between the New World and the Old World is home to a festival that links the history of music and culture with its future, and strives to make that future brighter.