The city welcomed this symbolic silver anniversary edition with an opening day filled with aerial theater, musical parades, and various artistic proposals. Hundreds of residents and visitors enjoyed performances that turned the historic heart into a true scenic celebration, blurring the lines between audience and stage.
The inauguration featured six companies showcasing the festival's artistic diversity. The public experienced aerial theater performances, visual interventions, giant dancers, suspended gardens, and itinerant acts. The Plaza de Cervantes and its surroundings buzzed with a festive atmosphere, as families, young people, and seniors shared an inclusive cultural experience.
Notable performances included aerial theater by Grupo Puja!, the Big Dancers from El Carromato, the aerial garden by Pablo Méndez Espectáculos and Espectáculos Arlequina, baroque music by the Banda Sinfónica Complutense, generacionARTes's Alcarabía de los Clásicos, and the itinerant photo booth The Bike Clickbox.
The Mayor of Alcalá de Henares, Judith Piquet, alongside the festival director, Clara Pérez, and the Culture Councilor, Santiago Alonso, invited citizens to participate in the program. Piquet emphasized the festival's role in promoting the city's image as a World Heritage site and solidifying its status as a leading cultural event.
This edition, running until July 5th, will feature 75 performances by 58 national and international companies. The international dimension will be a key attraction, with artists from 16 countries, including Mexico, the United States, Argentina, and Portugal, among others.
The program boasts over twenty premieres and a wide array of artistic disciplines such as music, dance, circus, improvisation, puppetry, poetry, and street shows. The festival aims to reinterpret the Golden Age legacy through contemporary languages, making classical works accessible to new audiences.
The opening weekend includes the premiere of Los locos de Valencia by Lope de Vega, a co-production by the Comunidad de Madrid and Teatro San Martín de Buenos Aires, and Amor es más laberinto, a co-production by Teatro de la Abadía with Mexican institutions. Also featured are Quijotescas by Teatro Yeses, Dos pasos entre lo que fuimos y lo que somos by Maru-Jasp, the family workshop Pinta los Clásicos, the parade Viva México!!!, and La doncella guerrera by Tropos, Teatro de Títeres.
