Samba de Verão

We received some positive news last week, that we have been awarded a small grant under the 2026 Small Scale Local Festivals and Summer Schools Funding Scheme, which is an initiative of the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport.

Our basic idea is to attempt to build a replacement for the long-defunct Drogheda Samba Festival, which took place towards the end of June each year. The Drogheda Festivak is sadly missed amongst the community of drummers that remember it, but there is now a whole new community of drummers out there who have never had the experience of meeting with and playing with samba drummers from around the country and abroad in a festival setting. Clearly, as we only received news of the funding at the end of July, the plans will need to be delayed and scaled back, but we still have some plans between now and the end of August.

First up, is the annual Masamba barbecue, which is a celebration for band members, supporters and our colleagues in the samba scene. This year, we will have the added excitement of a workshop and set from Trio Forrosteiros, a three piece forró group based here in Dublin https://www.instagram.com/trioforrosteiros/ . This will be a brand new experience for many of us, but knowing the guys, it will be an educational, entertaining and most of all fun experience.

Later in the month, we are planning further workshops in dance and maracatu drumming, but more on that as we have a better idea of the exact details. Watch this space!