January 24 to 26 Folk and Cuadrillas festival in the Caravaca village of Barranda
A feast of music coinciding with the local Fiestas de la Candelaria in Barranda
Over the weekend of 24th to 26th January 2025 the village of Barranda in the municipality of Caravaca de la Cruz will be welcoming thousands of people to the 45th edition of its annual Festival de Cuadrillas and folk festival.
This is the largest and most important gathering of traditional “cuadrillas” in the region, sharing and enjoying traditional folk music which has been passed down verbally for generations. In addition to the music and dancing, the village hosts a market of countryside traditions which celebrates not only the crafts and skills passed down from one generation to another, but also the gastronomic traditions of Murcia, with workshops, crafts, demonstrations and plenty to eat.
The dates of the festival coincide with the Fiestas de la Candelaria, the patron saint of Barranda, and it was given the status of “National Tourist Interest” in January of 2011.
It should be noted that Barranda has a strong musical tradition and is home to the Ethnic Instruments Museum, one of the network of 6 establishments funded by the regional government of Murcia.
The program for the Folk and Cuadrillas festival in 2025 includes the following:
Friday January 24
21.00: Official opening and presentation of the festival in the Centro Cultural Pepe Salcedo.
21.30: The Barranda folk festival begins with a concert by El Pantorrillas in the Centro Cultural Pepe Salcedo. Admission free of charge.
Saturday January 25
19.30: The Barranda folk festival continues with a double bill featuring Karmento and Zas!! Candil Folk at the Centro Cultural Pepe Salcedo. Tickets 20 euros.
Sunday January 26, the LA FIESTA DE LAS CUADRILLAS
9.30: Choral Mass with the Animeros of Cehegín.
10.30: Official reception of participating groups outside the church of Barranda.
11.30 to 14.00: Traditional music and dancing with the groups performing in the streets of Barranda.
16.30: More music in the Calle Mayor.
18.00: The dancing continues in the Centro Cultural Pepe Salcedo
For more local events, news and visiting information go to the home page of Caravaca Today.
Address
Calle De Las Monjas, 19, 30400 CARAVACA DE LA CRUZTel: 968 702424 / 968 701003
Oficina de Turismo de Caravaca de la Cruz
More information about the places of interest which can be visited in the municipality of Caravaca de la Cruz, along with what's on and local news can be found in the Caravaca Today.
Caravaca de la Cruz, in the north-west of the Region of Murcia, is one of only 5 Holy Cities in the Roman Catholic world, a centre of pilgrimage, along with Rome, Jerusalem, Santiago de Compostela and Santo Toribio de Liebana, and is home to the Cross of Caravaca, the Vera Cruz.
The status of Holy City was bestowed by Pope John Paul II in 1998, granting the City a Permanent Jubilee year every 7 years for perpetuity, the first one held in 2003 and the next in 2024.
The strategic and natural advantages of Caravaca de la Cruz have attracted the attention of settlers for more than 800,000 years, the Cueva Negra yielding remains of Homo Heidelbergensis, forbears of the Neanderthals and the municipality also houses important archaeological remains from the Argaric, Iberian and Roman cultures. many of these can be seen in the Municipal Archaeological Museum.
As a border town caught between the Catholic forces of Castille and the last remaining Moorish stronghold in Spain, Granada, Caravaca had a turbulent medieval history, but it was during this period that the legend of the Cross of Caravaca was born, bringing the religious orders which shaped the structure of Caravaca today, with its impressive hilltop castle and eclectic collection of churches and monasteries, religious tourism today being a backbone of the town´s economy.
Caravaca de la Cruz is a municipality with important natural resources, including extensive forests, part of which have protected status due to their wealth of flora and fauna, and due to the abundant water supplies is also a major area for canned fruit production, apricots in particular being an important crop.
Caravaca is renown for its important May Fiestas, held in honour of the Vera Cruz, which also incorporate the Moors and Christians celebrations and the Running of the Wine Horses.
Caravaca de la Cruz is also the home of Europe´s largest collection of ethnic instruments at Barranda, the Museo de Música Étnica Barranda and is the location of the Barranda festival de Cuadrillas, which celebrates the Region's ethnic music traditions.
The municipality is home to around 26,000 inhabitants and sahres boundaries with Moratalla, Cehegín, Lorca, Puebla de Don Fadrique in the province of Granada and Vélez-Blanco in the province of Almería.
Opening times:
Weekdays: 10.00 to 14.00 and 16.30 to 19.30
Saturdays: 10.30 to 14.00 and 16.30 to 19.30
Sundays and public holidays: 10.30 to 14.00
Click for map, Caravaca de la Cruz Tourist Office
