WILLEMSTAD – The 54th edition of Festival di Tumba opened last night at the Festival Center in Brievengat, but the first evening was marked by delays and a relatively subdued atmosphere. Of the fifteen tumba songs originally scheduled, only twelve were ultimately presented, with three entries withdrawn.
The program started significantly later than planned. The opening act, Jeon, was scheduled to begin at 8:00 p.m. but did not take the stage until around 10:00 p.m. The first tumba was not performed until after 11:00 p.m. The evening concluded around 1:30 a.m., without a clear crowd favorite or standout “winning tumba” emerging.
One of the more notable performances of the night came from rapper Mosta Man, who participated in the festival for the first time with the group Catipa. The band performed without a brass section, departing from the traditional tumba orchestra format. Their entry, Kandela den Pipa, stood out musically for falling outside the festival’s usual stylistic framework.
According to the organizers, a total of eight bands and nineteen tumba songs will be presented over the course of the festival. Attendance on the opening night was described as relatively strong for a Monday evening.
The second preliminary round is scheduled for tonight and will feature, among others, the bands ERA and Queenz. The third and final preliminary round will take place tomorrow, followed by the grand final on Friday.