Music Festival 2025 brings global sounds to the Dominican Republic

Santo Domingo.- The 2025 edition of the Music Festival will take place on June 21 at the historic Fortaleza Museum in the Colonial City of Santo Domingo. This free, open-air event is organized by the Alliance Française of Santo Domingo and the French Embassy in the Dominican Republic and will bring together local and international artists in a vibrant celebration of musical diversity. The lineup includes Dominican singer-songwriter Riccie Oriach, known for fusing Caribbean rhythms with modern sounds; the genre-blending group Concón Quemao; and a unique collaboration between Afro-descendant artists Xiomara Fortuna (Dominican Republic) and Nélida Karr (Equatorial Guinea). Also performing are French Guianese Afro-house DJ Wakanda ETNI, French group Fusion Tempo Paris with a mix of manouche jazz and Latin rhythms, and Issade, an emerging Dominican artist and winner of the Isla Sonora 2025 talent showcase.

The Music Festival is expanding its reach this year with parallel events in various provinces: a Children’s Music Festival on June 7 at the Trampolín Museum in Santo Domingo; concerts on June 21 in Punta Cana featuring Papi Naranja, LTD, and Los Hijos de Machepa; on June 22 in Las Terrenas; and on June 26 and 27 at ISA University and Centro León in Santiago, respectively. This extended programming reinforces the festival’s commitment to accessibility and nationwide cultural promotion.

Isla Sonora, the platform that spotlighted Issade, was developed by the Alliance Française with support from RFI, Le Petit Bistrot, and the French Embassy to elevate new Dominican musical talent. The initiative included nine free concerts across Santo Domingo, Santiago, and Las Terrenas, culminating in a final award ceremony on May 28. Issade will perform in three cities as part of the Music Festival’s main lineup.