This island is very cosmopolitan and is famous for its cape verdean nights. It has spawned some of the greatest artists of the Cape Verdean music scene which has led to a bohemian type of community with many artists and musicians populating the island.

São Vicente is home to the Country's second largest city (officially called Mindelo, but usually referred to as São Vicente). São Vicente is a city of nostalgia, with a mixture of romance and harsh beauty. The glory and cosmopolitanism of the past is still noticable in the colonial centre. The city is well known for its poets and artists and Mindelo is famous and acknowledged for the rhythm of its warm nights and streets that burst with dinners accompanied by mornas played by magical guitars and warm voices that invite the visiters to enjoy and experience the many African flavoured nightclubs. The city has grown steadily not least due to the inflow of people from neigbouring Santo Antão who usually settle in the barren hillsides that are devoid of the centre's charm.

Food and drink is a big part of islands culture and offers a variety of many local specialities, of which are often shellfish. "Arroz de cabidela de marisco à dadal", which is a special shellfish dish made with rice, "guisado de percebes" or grilled lobster. International foods are also available.