Boreal Festival Returns to Tenerife with Focus on Sustainability and Inclusivity

The Boreal Festival returns to Los Silos, Tenerife, for its 19th edition from September 16 to 20. The event continues to set a standard for cultural management by prioritizing sustainability and social inclusion over rapid growth. Festival director Javier Jiménez explains that the team intentionally limits capacity to protect the quality of the experience and respect the local rural environment, avoiding the pitfalls of mass tourism.

This year’s program features nearly 40 multidisciplinary activities, ranging from professional workshops to family-friendly events. The musical lineup is diverse, featuring international acts like Daddy G (Massive Attack), Colombian band Aterciopelados—who will launch their European tour in Los Silos—Tuareg group Imarhan, South African ensemble BCUC, and Quechua rapper Renata Flores. Local artists, including El Veneno Crew and the Jable project, will also perform. Additionally, the festival will present the Boreal Prize to writer Andrea Abreu.

The festival is also committed to accessibility. Organizers have implemented specific technical protocols, such as adjusting concert lighting to be safe for people with epilepsy or autism spectrum conditions. This focus on inclusivity is central to the festival’s operations, which emphasize gender parity and equal pay—a commitment recognized by the Association of Women in the Music Industry in 2017.

By hosting the event outside of major urban and tourist hubs, the festival highlights a growing shift toward environmental responsibility in the arts. While director Javier Jiménez warns against "greenwashing" in the industry, Boreal remains a benchmark for genuine ecological action, using culture as a platform to raise awareness about the environment and the climate crisis.