October 23 to 27 Flamenco Festival in Caravaca
A new event celebrates the deep roots of flamenco culture in the Region of Murcia
A new event is being introduced to the annual social calendar in Caravaca de la Cruz during the week of 23rd to 27th October, when the 1st Festival Flamenco de Caravaca is taking place, and it is hoped that this will become a permanent fixture in years to come.
Hosting the concerts are historic venues such as the magnificent church of El Salvador, the Teatro Thuillier, the church of San Sebastián and the church of San José, and after the grand presentation of the event in early September details of the full program have now been released and are as follows:
Wednesday October 23
20.30: Cecilia Romero presents Rompiendo Silencios at the church of San Sebastián.
Thursday October 24
20.30: José Antonio Chacón presents Desde Dentro at the Teatro Thuillier.
Friday October 25
20.30: Almadena Roca presents Pasión Andaluza with guest artist José Manuel Cuenco at the Teatro Thuillier.
Saturday October 26
20.30: Juan Habichuela presents Sentimientos De Mi Ser at the church of San José.
Sunday October 27
20.30: The festival ends with guitarist Carlos Piñana and the Region of Murcia Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Víctor Cano, presenting “Rubato”, a concerto for flamenco guitar.
Admission to all of the events is free of charge.
This may not be Andalucía, but the roots of flamenco culture in the Region of Murcia run deep, as is shown by the international prestige of the annual Festival del Cante de las Minas in La Unión, and flamenco music was awarded cultural heritage status by the UNESCO as long ago as 2010 in a declaration which included not only Andalucía but also Extremadura and Murcia.
For more local information, including the Holy Jubilee Year as well as local news and what’s on, 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
