The 52nd edition of the International Cervantino Festival (FIC) — set to take place from Oct. 11 to 27 — will once again transform the city of Guanajuato into a global hub of art and culture.
The largest festival of its kind in Latin America — drawing an estimated 400,000 attendees over two weeks last year, according to Viva Con Todo — has built this year’s themes around tradition, avant-garde and inclusion as it promises a rich program of performances and activities from around the world.
The FIC will feature 133 performances across 116 shows, involving 117 groups from 24 countries.
Named after Miguel de Cervantes, the Spanish writer who penned the novel “Don Quixote” in the early 1600s, the festival focuses on Spanish-language artistic creations.
With more than 3,000 artists performing in 18 venues, the event will showcase a diverse mix of music, dance, theater, visual arts, cinema and academic discussions, with a special focus on two guest honorees: the state of Oaxaca and the country of Brazil.
Among the many notable events planned, the festival will commemorate several important milestones, including the 175th anniversary of composer Frédéric Chopin’s death, the 100th anniversary of Mexican revolutionary leader Felipe Carrillo Puerto’s assassination, and the 190th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Mexico and Brazil.
The festival is known for bridging traditional and contemporary arts, with performances ranging from classical music and ballet to modern theatrical interpretations.
Oaxaca, the guest of honor from Mexico, will open the festival with a 2.5-hour version of its iconic Guelaguetza, a colorful and lively celebration of music and dance traditions from the state’s eight regions.
The performance will be held on the festival’s main stage, outside the historically significant Alhóndiga de Granaditas building.
A former grain market and fortress-like building, the Alhóndiga de Granaditas was taken by Mexican forces from the Spanish in 1810 in one of the first battles of the Mexican War of Independence. However, the Spanish later hung the decapitated heads of insurgents Miguel Hidalgo, Ignacio Allende, Juan Aldama and others inside the building for nearly a decade, until Mexico achieved independence in 1821.
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Oaxaca will be headlining 63 activities during the festival, including 26 concerts, five theater performances, three acrobatic shows and five film presentations.
“The guests of honor, Oaxaca and Brazil, have made great efforts to bring us the most representative samples of their cultures and arts for everyone to enjoy,” said Mariana Aymerich Ordóñez, FIC’s general director.
Brazil will present 18 productions — including a closing concert by six-time Latin Grammy-winning ska-Afro-Latin band Francisco, el Hombre — that reflect its dynamic cultural scene.
Other highlights from Brazil include the Deborah Colker Dance Company’s “Perro sin plumas” and a concert by soprano Rosana Lamosa. Brazilian theater will also be represented, and as for music, there will be seven Brazilian concerts, ranging from samba to contemporary fusion.
There will also be tributes to Mexican and international artists. For instance, Eugenia León will perform a binational show celebrating the designation of bolero as an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.
Mexican singer Silvana Estrada, a Latin Grammy winner for best new artist in 2022, is also slated to perform.
Aymerich recently noted that ticket sales are up 40% over the same time last year, adding that “50% of the festival’s activities are completely free, and there are events for all audiences and for all ages.”
For more information, visit the FIC website or its Facebook page. A summary on what visitors can expect is at Vamos Guanajuato.
With reports from Periódico Correo and Milenio
