Alentejo’s calm is disquieted throughout four days by thousands of festival-goers from several nationalities who invade Zambujeira do Mar to attend the biggest summer festival. On the 7th, began one of the most awaited August events, Southwest Festival’s 12th edition: twelve years of music, of renowned home and international artists, of thousand of festival-goers who get together, of unique entertainment and experiences, in an irreverent and at the same time relaxed environment. TMN’s Festival is back and promises to heat even more the environment of the Casa Branca Farm.

Just like in previous years, TMN associates itself once again to young volunteer work and through a partnership between TMN and the Youth Foundation (Fundação da Juventude), 55 young volunteers represent the mobile operator. These young people collaborate with the organization by orienting people, in information divulgation, in gift distribution, by participating in animation activities, by supporting pastimes, among others initiatives.
Three days before the official start of the event, 7,500 wrist-bands with camping access had already been distributed. On 7 August, the camping site was packed with thousands of tents leaving little room for those yet to come.

Bathing in the sun or in the water

Before the opening of the festival doors at 3 PM, festival-goers either go for a walk, or for a dive in the famed irrigation channel or rest from the previous night’s activities. Moments that are useful to regain strength and that precede another full day, until very late at night. 

Festival-goers who opt for the beautiful beaches of the region have Bus t available, running between the festival and the beaches, between 10 AM and 7 PM. There is also a two-storey bus that apart from providing a sight over some of the most beautiful landscapes in the region, offers music where it passes.

Between 12 AM and 8 PM, people who bathe in the sun and in the water of the irrigation canal (or Southwest beach as it is known among festival-goers) remain connected to music. TMN has prepared the Music Box space: an entertainment zone where national and international DJs (Vasco Torres, Tiago Santos, Tozé Diogo, DJ Vahgan, Señor Pelota, Marko Roca, Patrice Baumel, Mary B and Kaspar) entertain festival-goers. But the public also has a word to say. From a ‘music box tmn' play-list, festival-goers can choose their favourite music and make a request via mobile phone - a sort of `You choose your song'.

At the end of Thursday afternoon, facing the entrance doors to the SWtmn world, cars were already gathering and dust, one of the already known characteristics of this festival, started to accumulate on the cars. A situation that will be used to advantage by the TMN Dust In Action on the last festival day. A team of 50 artists will invade the parking lot and leave their works of art on the car glasses: a souvenir to take home with.

And festival-goers who had already marked their place on the camping site, started to return from the beaches with bags packed with goods. After supper, the official party was about to start throughout four days promising to last forever.

Manuela Azevedo during Clã performance

SWtmn’s programming is considered by many festival-goers as one of the strongest this summer. From electronic music, reggae, pop to melancholic music, the Southwest Festival aims to cover various musical styles and provide music to the most diversified public. On the TMN, Southwest Planet, Positive Vibes and Samsung Experience Design by Kubikalco stages, the public awaits several national and international renowned names as well as less known and more alternative sounds. In 2008, Southwest Festival’s musical menu fulfils the expectations of all festival-goers once again.

For Björk fans, the festival start day was quite special. After Portuguese group Clan having contaminated the public with their energy and launched balloons and paper airplanes, it was nearly 10:30 PM when one of

the most awaited artists of this event climbed onto the stage. Björk fans waited anxiously for this artist’s return whose last time in Portugal goes back to 2003. Known world-wide for her eccentricity, the 42 year-old Icelandic singer, conquered the flood of people standing at the front of the stage. Her unconfoundable voice hypnotised the public with some of the most well known songs of her career. Confetti and the lights on the public marked the end of the artist’s performance.

7 August was also marked by the performances of Balkan Beat Box, Tinariwen, Natiruts, Coldfinger, Souls of Fire, among many others. Until Sunday, many artists will to go up to Southwest Festival’s stages and provide unforgettable moments to thousands of people who have invaded the Casa Branca Farm in search of a memorable summer.

A lot more than music

But as this festival is not made up of music only, it promotes several exclusive experiences

Worried about nature and the surrounding natural space where the festival is taking place,

TMN promotes green initiatives. The environment has been an essential issue on SWtm’s agenda, and this year, there are also environment-related activities. After the success of the previous years, `eco tmn' is back to honour festival-goers that contribute to the cleanness of the enclosed space. “And you, are you worried?” is the question asked in both ‘eco tmn' kiosks – one inside the enclosed space and another one at the entrance of the camping site - where plastic bags for collection of plastic tumblers and bottles can be fetched. A full garbage bag is equivalent to two `eco tmn' and festival-goers receive an ‘echo tmn' in exchange for a pile of 20 plastic tumblers, which can be later exchanged for TMN gifts, services and exclusive experiences. “What are ecos?” asked some festival-goers still unaware of this initiative but who quickly adhered to it and requested the indispensable bags. “Eco tmn” continues to register a large number of fans and reveals TMN’s persistence in environment protection-related initiatives.

For those who cannot live without the Internet, TMN provides a green mega wi-fi hotspot. Throughout those four days, it is possible to access this service cost-free, fed by an ecological energy solution (solar and aeolian).

The TMN spaces

To promote some of its products and services, TMN has some spaces available within the festival enclosure. In the Zlango space, festival-goers get to know a new form of communicating through SMS messaging. These are several icons and emoticons that replace words, thus creating more amusing messages.

And to enable festival-goers to keep talking and sending their photos, videos and messages related with emotions that they experiencing in this festival, the mobile phone battery must be always working. After last year’s success, when more than 18,000 batteries were loaded, TMN provides two tents containing machines to load mobile phone batteries. Each machine has 18 loading positions for every brand: a self-load service, thinking about the comfort of

The TMN Lounge

In the TMN Lounge, apart from a reserved space for journalists to register emotions lived in the festival, concerts, experiences and reactions of festival-goers, there is a shop with a varied range of products and services such as tmn Music Box, Meo Mobile and mobile Internet. There are other facilities such as the loading of batteries and of TMN cards.

Privileges, thinking about customers

As customers are special, TMN has prepared some customer-oriented initiatives. The ‘tmn village' has been created in the camping site: an exclusive space with 50 tents for two people where customers are treated as kings. This is an initiative within TMN’s ‘t Sensations’ whose objective is to provide customers with unique moments. To obtain a reserved corner in this space so special, customers only had to exchange TMN 2,500 points and became entitled to a tent mounted for two people, sleeping bags, two passes for the four days of the festival, among others privileges. Some customers already knew this initiative from last year and decided to repeat the experience. According to Sara Lourenço, from  ‘t Sensations’, this initiative has been a success and it allows TMN customers to have a special treatment such as for example the access to the ‘electric trio’, strategically placed next to the stage, that functions as a VIP tower to attend concerts with the best in the festival.

The camping zone is still marked by a spot painted blue. It is around 500 tents that have been mounted, thinking specifically about customers. The first customers who bought their tickets could win one of these tents in one of the best spaces reserved for this effect. To do so, it was only necessary to go to http://www.tmn.pt/ and reserve the tent through the code provided at the moment of the purchase.

Sapo on SWtmn 2008

SAPO was also present in the event and provided some of the coolest spaces in all Southwest Festival 2008. Notorious Wash Frog, closely resembling an automatic car wash, watches over visitors’ freshness and hygiene, and features this year a zone with poufs and shades for relaxing moments after a well deserved water bath. To lower Alentejo’s hot temperature that made itself felt throughout these four unforgettable days, the most gelid space frozen in all SWtmn was created: `Frog On Ice'. In this inflatable iceberg, the public is invited to go in and to record a 30-second video to send to friends and acquaintances.

Sapo Wash and ‘Sapo On Ice’ were SAPO’s most refreshing initiatives

For traditional stand lovers, Sapo has recreated some of the most typical games in the fairs: frog race, can shooting and house of mirrors entertain festival-goers who stay put aiming to

Sapo also promotes good vibrations on the Positive Vibes stage where the best reggae bands of the moment are received.

Until Sunday, SWtmn Festival 2008 provides four days, promising to last forever. TMN, in its constant support for music, associates itself this year once again to this event and provides unique moments to festival-goers who cannot lose a bit of this festival. Year after year, the SWtmn festival keeps proving why it is considered the best summer festival.