MANTA is an open-air music festival that takes place in the gardens of the Vila Flor Cultural Centre (CCVF) in Guimarães, next to the Ducal Palace. The festival was born in 2006, following the inauguration of the CCVF in 2005, having received the "MANTA" designation only in 2007. Over almost two decades, the format was tested and adjusted, with the stage changing location several times, until in 2013 it settled next to the grassy area that forms a natural amphitheatre. Through the MANTA stage have passed international artists like Liars, The National, Angel Olsen and Thurston Moore, alongside Portuguese artists like Sérgio Godinho.
From 2020, the festival redirected its programming to bring artists from different geographies than usual, moving away from the centrality of Anglo-American music. In 2026, no artist on the lineup sings in English. Programmer Paulo Dumas highlights that the four main names present new albums, recently released or to be released shortly: Mar Pujol (Catalonia), Bongeziwe Mabandla (South Africa, who sings in a language from the interior of the country), Leo Middea (Brazil, temporarily based in Europe) and Milhanas (Portugal, with a career that crosses fado with mainstream popular music).
MANTA is described by Dumas as "a meeting point for the city", coinciding with the return of many people home after the vacation period. Originally held in July, it now takes place in September, marking the opening of the CCVF programming season. Dumas highlights the atmosphere of the preparation afternoons, with blankets spread across the lawn and children playing, described as "very relaxed, very family-friendly". The family program includes a Saturday morning workshop and a concert next to the camellias in the garden, with Catarina Moura and Luís Pedro Madeira, inspired by the traditional singing associated with the grape harvest.
