globalFEST Announces 2026 Touring Fund Recipients
Today, globalFEST announces the recipients of their recently revived Touring Fund, which reimburses artists directly to offset touring budget shortfalls. As touring is an expensive, necessary investment, this year’s $20,000 fund supports financially viable tours to strengthen career paths in the United States, continuing its mission to move international and regional American music to the center of the performing arts field.
Awarded to globalFEST alumni artists, this year’s recipients are Elida Almeida, El Laberinto del Coco, Insun Park & Generals, Maria Mazzotta, Saami Brothers, and Sally Baby’s Silver Dollars. Collectively, these bands will present more than 50 performances in 18 states nationwide from July to December 2026. Read more about each artist below.
From 2011 to 2019, the globalFEST Touring Fund distributed $120,140 to 38 bands and 200+ individual artists. Those tours brought artists to over 140 new cities across the country, in front of tens of thousands of fans. The Touring Fund is aimed at helping to amplify extraordinary global and regional American music.
globalFEST Touring Fund Director Deirdre Valente elaborates: “The opportunities are abundant. The challenges are real. The globalFEST Touring Fund directly supports the ever-escalating costs that artists pay to share their music in the USA.
Artist mobility builds stronger communities, cross cultural solidarity, and celebrates the diversity and commonality of the human spirit across borders. Artists are the center of this ecosystem, but they are often the sole bearers of the financial risks to tour. The Fund responds by reimbursing artists to help cover necessary expenses to tour in the US — from travel and visas, to lodging and gear rentals.”
The relaunch of the globalFEST Touring Fund is made possible with a grant from The Mellon Foundation. Two more rounds of awards will be made to support tours taking place in 2027. To find out more about the globalFEST Touring Fund, visit the website here.
2026 globalFEST Touring Fund Recipients:
Elida Almeida
Santiago, Cabo Verde
Touring July 2 – 24, 2026, including Summer For The City at Lincoln Center 2026
The vivid singer and composer Elida Almeida and her 4-piece band share the stories of her native Santiago on every stage, pairing a silky voice with traditional Cabo Verde rhythms. “A seasoned, powerful performer,” Almeida is “a major player in a new generation of Cabo Verdean female singers.” – Afropop Worldwide
Tiny Desk Performance | Facebook | Instagram
El Laberinto del Coco
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Touring July 31 – October 11, 2026
El Laberinto del Coco is a 15-member Afro-Puerto Rican Bomba Fusion ensemble that blends ancestral rhythms with contemporary influences to create an electrifying, immersive live experience. “An astonishing mix of driving powerhouse drumming, daring horns and brass arrangements drawing from jazz and R&B, rock guitars, and strong vocals.” – Miami Herald
Website | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok
Insun Park & Generals
Seoul, South Korea
Touring July 16 – August 8, 2026
Insun Park & Generals merges South Korean ancestral mask dance and contemporary sound, driven by traditional rhythms, blessings, and sly satire. “A fun and enigmatic fusion of shamanic ritual folk songs and modern rock…culturally significant and deeply celebratory.” — Earmilk
Maria Mazzotta
Lecce, Apulia, Italy
Touring December 1 – 12, 2026
Profound and meticulous, Mazzotta’s intense vocal explorations in Onde (Waves) range from native Apulian landscapes to Balkan seacoast cadences. “A daring musical journey encapsulating love, turmoil, joy and anger, Mazzotta’s stirring and passionate vocal personality intertwines seamlessly with edgy psychedelic guitars and post-rock attitude. A remarkable release.” – Songlines
Website | Facebook | Instagram
The Saami Brothers
Karachi, Pakistan
Touring August 28 – September 28, 2026
Keepers and masters of an ancient lineage of Khayal and Qawwali tracing back 800 years to the Sufi poet, musician, and scholar Amir Khusrau, The Saami brothers create a living space for people to gather, exchange, reflect and heal, transforming listening into connection, ideas, and community. “A flowing dialogue of hypnotic rhythms, intricate vocals, and devotional themes. – IntoTunes
Sally Baby’s Silver Dollars
New Orleans, LA
Touring July 16 – October 3, 2026, including globalFEST at Celebrate Brooklyn 2026
Founded and fronted by singer-guitarist, composer, chronicler and tour guide Salvatore Geloso, Sally Baby’s Silver Dollars serves up original New Orleans R&B dance hall music and Creole Jazz. As NPR’s Tiny Desk confirms, “they don’t just lean on tradition,” the band “is inherently funky and timeless.” – NPR