Imidiwan Festival Groningen

Name: Imidiwan Festival Groningen
Start: 2026-10-11
End: 2026-10-11
Location: Imidiwan Festival Groningen

took place · 11 Oct 2026

Imidiwan Festival Groningen, Groningen

festival culture outdoor

Foto: Spotify

Similar events still on

Description was written before the event

On Sunday, 11 October 2026, SPOT Groningen and TivoliVredenburg present a new two-day music festival celebrating North African desert blues: the Imidiwan Festival.

Artists from the deserts of Algeria, Mauritania and Mali travel to the Netherlands to perform and share the stories behind their music and culture. The Groningen line-up features Imarhan, Samba Touré and Noura Mint Seymali.

Line-up

About: Imarhan

Two decades after forming in the Algerian Sahara, Tuareg quintet Imarhan take their fourth album 'Essam' ('lightning' in Tamasheq) on the road - a record that for the first time pairs electronic textures with their signature desert grooves.

studio albums released (2016-2026)

announced concerts on the current world tour

What's new

jan 2026
Imarhan released their fourth album 'Essam' on January 16, 2026 via City Slang, featuring electronic elements in their sound for the first time.
jan 2026
For 'Essam' they collaborated for the first time with producer Maxime Kosinetz and electronic musician Emile Papandreou, who sampled live instruments via a modular synthesizer.
mrt 2026
Imarhan appeared as a guest musician on 'Hoggar', the tenth album by Tinariwen, which was released in March 2026.

Tour

ManchesterLeedsLondonCardiffMontpellierMarseilleGroningen

Tracks

Tahabortsingle from 2015, one of their earliest known songs

Azzamansingle (2017), from the album 'Temet'

Ehad Wa Daghfrom the album 'Temet' (2018)

Derhan N'Oulhinelead single from 'Essam' (2026)

Essamfourth studio album (Jan 2026), featuring electronic influences for the first time

Recent shows

Sep 23, 2026 Plaça de Catalunya, Barcelona (ES)
Sep 21, 2026 Dabadaba, San Sebastian (ES)
Sep 20, 2026 Sala Villanos, Madrid (ES)

About: Samba Touré

Guitarist and singer Samba Touré grew up in the Tombouctou region and has spent over three decades shaping his own take on West African desert blues - schooled by Ali Farka Touré, yet long since grown into a voice with its own sharp social edge.

highest position on the World Music Charts Europe (album Gandadiko, 2015)

Best Artist of the Year, Songlines Music Awards 2021 (album Binga)

What's new

jan 2025
Samba Touré released his new album Baarakelaw (The Workers) on January 24, 2025 via Glitterbeat Records, recorded in Bamako during an energy crisis with frequent power outages.
apr 2025
Songlines gave Baarakelaw four out of five stars and praised Touré's social commentary and his distinctive guitar playing, supported by ngoni, calabash and bass.
sep-okt 2025
Samba Touré toured through the United Kingdom, Netherlands and Belgium in September and October 2025, with performances in, among others, The Hague (Paard) and Nijmegen (Doornroosje).

Tour

BristolManchesterLondonUtrechtGroningen

Tracks

Crocodile Bluesinternational breakthrough album from 2011, awarded the Tamani d'or for Best International Album

Gandadikoalbum from 2015, reached #2 in the World Music Charts Europe

Bingaalbum from 2021, earned Touré the Songlines Award for Best Artist of the Year

Baarakelawnewest album (Jan 2025), tribute to the workers of Bamako

Songhaï Blues: Homage to Ali Farka Touréfirst international release (2009), compilation of his early Malian albums

About: Noura Mint Seymali

Raised in a griot family that helped shape Mauritanian musical history, Noura Mint Seymali plays the ardin and sings classical Hassaniya poetry - driven by her husband Jeiche Ould Chighaly's psychedelic guitar lines and a tight rhythm section. Her album Yenbett (2025) and the WOMEX Artist Award she received that same year confirm her standing as one of the most significant voices in contemporary world music.

7.4K

monthly listeners on Spotify

tracks on album Yenbett (2025)

What's new

2026-07
Noura Mint Seymali performed in July 2026 at the WOMAD festival and at the Jazz Café in London, as part of a British tour.
2026-07
On 4 July 2026 she performed at the Openluchttheater Hertme in the Netherlands.
2025-11
On 7 November 2025 Yenbett was released via Glitterbeat Records, her first studio album in nine years, recorded in her hometown Nouakchott.

Tour

HertmeFalmouthLondonBrusselsNijmegenHamburgGothenburgStockholmTampereBreitenbach am Herzberg

Tracks

YenbettAlbum from 2025, first studio album in nine years, recorded in Nouakchott

GuérehFirst single from Yenbett (2025), a traditional wedding dance song

TzenniInternational debut album (2014) via Glitterbeat Records

ArbinaAlbum from 2016, praised for fiery vocals and unconventional instrumentation

Imidiwan Festival Groningen

Festivals · Groningen 8 in the next 30 days →

🎙️ Line-up

🎬 Trailer

Line-up

Trailer