Purchase Street

NB Roots and Branches is excited to welcome Pepe Bana to the Symphony Music Shop Stages on Purchase St. for our 2026 Festival! Pepe is a multi-instrumentalist equally skilled on violin, guitar, and cavaquinho as well as a singer, and composer. Born with the surname Martins, his deep and sonorous voice earned him the name "Bana," an allusion and homage to the late great Cape Verdean singer that came before him. Pepe brings deep roots from Cape Verde where he was born, new songs of his own to add to the tradition, and a beat that's guaranteed to get the crowd moving. NB Roots and Branches is a two-day acoustic music and art festival “by and for the people” taking place annually on the 3rd week of July. The festival is 100% free to all and devoted to ensuring the various diverse communities of Greater New Bedford are represented on both the performance schedule and in the audience. It aims to have a positive impact on downtown New Bedford’s social, cultural, and business communities.