Following the 2026 Carnival parades, an awards ceremony will be held on Wednesday afternoon. Before that, we will have time for a short walk through Mindelo.
On Avenida 12 de Setembro, we see the soccer stadium of the Cape Verdean champions, CS Mindelense. Presumably, members of this club, such as Vozinha (Josimar José Évora Dias), also participated in the 2026 World Cup and were celebrated worldwide for their outstanding performance against the reigning world champions, Argentina.
Having witnessed the stamina of the Cape Verdean people during the carnival parades, this achievement came as no surprise to us, even though we would have loved to see Cape Verde win that match.
At the end of Avenida 12 de Setembro, there is a fantastic graffiti wall. Mindelo is known as the cultural capital of Cape Verde, and it has also become famous for its music scene, thanks to Cesária Évora.
Back on Rua de Liberdade d’Africa, the final preparations for the awards ceremony are underway. This year, only two main groups performed: Cruzeiros do Norte took first place ahead of Flores do Mindelo.
Cruzeiros do Norte won this title for the second time since 2025, presenting the theme “Golden History with Black Stones.”
They also received several individual awards, including best drummers, best carnival designer, and best parade float. “Flores do Mindelo” received the award for best music with “Mata Sodade.”
After the awards ceremony, we treated ourselves to a caipirinha at the Marina Mindelo Floating Bar.
Afterward, we returned to our hotel. The next day, we began our journey home to Germany.
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