The Veranos de la Villa festival, organised by the Department of Culture, Tourism and Sport and one of our city’s most eagerly awaited summer events, is back! From 5 July to 27 August, different venues will put on a comprehensive programme featuring national and international artists and creators who will delight audiences with their most attractive offerings.

The acting Mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, today unveiled the 39th edition of the festival in the Pavilion of the Cecilio Rodríguez Gardens: “an opportunity to enjoy a programme that will provide the good citizens of Madrid with the oxygen we need”, he said, while highlighting the capacity of this festival to provide great “moments of relaxation through culture” in a “city that is wonderful all year round but even more so in the summer”. The ceremony was attended by numerous creators whose work we will be able to enjoy over the next two months in any one of the 29 venues at which the festival will be held. The event featured a performance by the dancer Eduardo Guerrero, accompanied by Benito Bernal on guitar and Cristina Soler on vocals.

Spanning 53 days during the months of July and August, more than 75 artistic performances ranging from circus, theatre, dance, music, flamenco and exhibitions will allow the public to enjoy more than 200 programmed activities of which more than 50% will be free. The festival will be held in 12 districts of the city, which shows “how the City Council and the Department of Culture are determined to bring culture to each and every one of the districts and neighbourhoods of the city of Madrid”, said Almeida.

From the sky to the earth

The festival kicks off on Wednesday 5 July with Sylphes, a show by Aerial Strada, a company from Alicante which, based on Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, adapted by the German-British composer Max Ritcher, combines aerial ballet at a height of 35 metres with acrobatics and live music performed by the Verum Symphony Orchestra. On the night of 6 July, the stage of the Veranos de la Villa festival will once again be in the skies of Madrid as the members of this company repeat their mid-air movements that will remind the audience of the group choreographies of synchronised swimming and classical ballet.

And from the sky of the opening performance to the earth of the grande finale. The Auditorium of the Enrique Tierno Galván Park will be the venue on Sunday 27 August for 100 Cellos, an innovative event dreamed up by Giovanni Sollima and Enrico Melozzi in which 100 cellists from all countries, generations, backgrounds and genres will unite to form an ephemeral orchestra, for one night only. This activity enjoys the collaboration of the Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Madrid and the Italian Embassy in Madrid. Giovanni Sollima is a prestigious and creative Italian cellist known for fusing jazz, rock and minimalism with traditional Mediterranean and oriental music. Enrico Melozzi is a cellist, composer and conductor. His fellow composer Luis Miguel Cobo will also join in the fun by providing some entertainment before the concert.

Art for the summer months

The first of two exhibitions held under the auspices of the Veranos de la Villa festival will be inaugurated on 6 July at the Serrería Belga (The Belgian Sawmill) Cultural Space. In your Face: Chicano Art after C.A.R.A., organised in collaboration with the Embassy of Mexico in Spain and AltaMed, is an enthralling exhibition of Chicano culture and the worthy continuation of Chicano Art: Resistance and Affirmation (C.A.R.A.), the milestone exhibition organised in Los Angeles in 1990 that featured the most important Mexican-American artists and art collectives of the period from 1965 to 1985.

Curated by Susana Smith Bautista, visitors to the exhibition will be able to admire works from the AltaMed private collection – on show for the first time in Spain - featuring different disciplines ranging from sculpture to photography, engravings, paintings and mixed media. The exhibition will run until 27 August.

In addition, from Tuesday 11 July, the Serrería Belga (The Belgian Sawmill) Cultural Space will host the first of this edition's programmed activities featuring China as the guest country, within the framework of the celebration of 50 years of diplomatic relations between that country and Spain. Until 6 August, visitors will be able to enjoy the exhibition Seasonal Proximities, by Chinese artist Cao Yuxi, who will be presenting one of his favourite themes at the Veranos de la Villa festival: how technology and the digital era influence our perception of reality. Using interactive screens and moving images, this work depicts vivid natural landscapes in an immersive 360-degree cinematic experience, transporting visitors to the great outdoors. In collaboration with the China Cultural Centre in Madrid, the Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism and Sport, and Casa Asia, and with the sponsorship of Lottusse.

Together with the grande finale referred to earlier, these two exhibitions are just some of the activities that reflect the strong international nature of a programme which, in this edition, includes creators from Germany, Colombia, Cuba, the United States, Japan, Mali, Mexico, Italy, Portugal, China and Switzerland.

Sounds for everyone at the Veranos de la Villa festival

Once again this year, most of the musical events included in the festival’s programme will take place on the stage of the Condeduque Centre for Contemporary Culture. The first chords that will ring out on 21 and 22 July on the Central Courtyard will be courtesy of the RTVE Orchestra and Choir which will be performing a concert of one of the musical genres that always forms part and parcel of the festival, Zarzuela, with The Little Barber of Lavapiés (El barberillo de Lavapiés). 2023 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of maestro Barbieri, the main driving force behind this musical genre which is so closely associated with Madrid. Conducted by Miquel Ortega and with Diego Carvajal as stage director, Barbieri introduces us to the trials and tribulations of the barber Lamparilla, Paloma, the seamstress, the Marquesita and Don Luis.

On 23 July, the Central Courtyard of Condeduque will be the venue for 50 Years of Music and Friendship, a concert of symphonic music performed by the Guangzhou Symphony Youth Orchestra with the support of the China Cultural Centre in Madrid. Making its first appearance in the city, the Guangzhou Symphony Youth Orchestra (GSYO), under the direction of Jing Huan and with the celebrated Jian Wang as cello soloist, will perform Metropolis, by composer Zhour Tian; Zhuang Zhou’s Dream/Cello Concerto in D Minor ‘The Disillusioned Dream’, by Zhao Jiping; Spain, a rhapsody for orchestra by the French composer Alexis Emmanuel Chabrier, and Suites No. 1 and No. 2 from Three Top Hats (Tres sombreros de copa) by Manuel de Falla.

On 25 July, it will be the turn of the Municipal Symphonic Band of Madrid which, conducted by Jan Cober and with Antonio Serrano as guest artist, will perform George Gershwin's Cuban Overture, Eduardo Moreno’s Prelude for Harmonica and Band, a selection of tunes from Miss Saigon by A. Boubdil and C.M. Shonberg; George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, arranged by Antonio Serrano, and Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, by composer Leonard Bernstein.

On 26 July, this same stage will welcome Mali’s Oumou Sangaré, the singer who emerged from the shantytowns of Bamako to become a global superstar and a feminist icon. She will be bringing to Madrid her latest work, Timbuktu, which combines her distinctive sound and voice with elements taken from blues, folk and rock music.

Germany’s Ute Lemper will be here on 30 July with Rendezvous with Marlene, a show that combines theatre and concert and in which she pays tribute to the diva Marlene Dietrich, to whom she has often been compared by the public. After receiving the Molière Award for her role in Cabaret, Lemper wrote to Dietrich and then, much to her surprise, she received a call from her. For more than three hours, Dietrich told Lemper her entire life story, all about her work, her love for Rilke, her relationship with Germany, her grief and all the things that fascinated her. What we will see on stage is precisely the re-enactment of that dialogue.

On Sunday 6 August, Cuba’s Eliades Ochoa, one of the great singers of his country’s son cubano music, will present his latest album, Guajiro, which features collaborations by the likes of blues harmonica player Charlie Musselwhite, Fania All-Stars legend Rubén Blades and Joan Wasser, better known perhaps by her stage name, Joan As Police Woman. In this album he shows that he has a unique voice and very much his own style and sound, deeply rooted in traditional Cuban music and with an appeal as timeless as it is universal.

Also, on 8 and 9 August and with the collaboration of the Japan Foundation, the Madrid public will be able to enjoy Tenmei-Destiny, a performance by the YAMATO Drummers (The Drums of Japan), a group formed by dozens of musicians who have performed in more than 54 countries since it was first created in 1993. Their show is all about adding immense originality and innovation to the wadaiko (drum), creating a powerful rush of energy that will leave the audience overwhelmed by the rhythm of the music and make their bodies rise in sync with the sound.

On 10 August, the night will sound like Sole Giménez, who is celebrating her 40th anniversary in music with a concert in which she will review her long and fruitful career. Not only will this be a great opportunity to listen to one of our country’s most outstanding voices, but it will also be a journey through different styles ranging from pop to bossa nova and bolero.

13 August is a red-letter day for lovers of soul music! That’s the day Lee Fields will be in concert presenting his latest album, Sentimental Fool. The American vocalist, who started out in the sixties and has gone on to become one of the great classics of his musical genre, has worked with other artists such as B. B. King and Bobby Womack, as well as with bands such as Kool and the Gang, Sammy Gordon and the Hip-Huggers and Little Royal.

Another event that is returning to the Veranos de la Villa festival is Sounds in the Courtyard. On 16 August, up-and-coming new bands and artists will take the Central Courtyard of the Condeduque Centre by storm for more than three hours, providing a great opportunity to showcase the vitality of Madrid's music scene, with different musical styles for audiences of all ages. A celebration of new sounds - everyone’s welcome! - in which the music will be provided by Morreo, Vatocholo (Andrés Pardo), Monteperdido and Las Petunias.

On 17 August, it will be the turn of one of the must-see artists on the Spanish indie pop scene. With a career that is now well into its second decade, Carlos Sadness will be presenting his latest EP Nice Twerking (Perreo bonito), an album that currently features three songs although more are on the way. Opening the show will be Yoly Saa, a young singer-songwriter from Pontevedra.

On the next day, 18 August, the Central Courtyard will be putting its glad rags on to welcome Sequins and Castanets (Lentejuelas y castañuelas), a transvestite tribute to the divas of Spanish folklore. Samantha Ballentines, Venedita Von Däsh, Juriji Der Klee, Estrella Xtravaganza, Jota Carajota and Onyx will bring to the stage all-time hits by Isabel Pantoja, Raffaella Carrà and Sara Montiel, among others.

19 August is when the capital’s underground scene takes centre stage with Rusowsky in a ‘cute acoustic set’ format. With more than a million monthly listeners on Spotify, the musician will put on an intimate show accompanied by his piano and his gadgets, featuring acoustic versions of his most popular songs.

On Sunday 20 August, as is now the tradition, Something Unexpected (Algo inesperado)  returns to the Veranos de la Villa festival, a concert by an artist whose name will only be revealed when they walk out onto the stage. Previous editions have featured Vetusta Morla, Morgan, María José Llergo, Carolina Durante and Kiko Veneno.

But as music knows no boundaries, the Condeduque Centre isn’t the festival’s only venue for concerts, there’s also the stage of the Claustro del Pozo at the San Isidro Secondary School which will welcome Brainsnatchers on 16 August, the creative alias of the duo formed by the musician, composer and music producer Wolfrank Zannou and the multidisciplinary artist Fibonachiman. With a show entitled Ciclos & Cycles, the Claustro del Pozo will be transformed by their multi-instrumentalist skills and a selection of dystopian images.

On the very same stage, on 24 August, Ruiseñora and Antía Muíño will make sure the public goes away knowing a lot more about their new style of folk music that embraces tradition through electronic and rock music. Ruiseñora will be presenting Palm Tree, Palm Tree (Palmerita, Palmerita), the duo’s new album in which they will bring us closer to the cultural roots of Extremadura and the Canary Islands. Meanwhile, Antía Muíño, one of the revelations of traditional Galician music, will be performing songs from her Open Letter (Carta Aberta) album. There’ll be more music at this venue on the 25th when Lucas Vidal presents Karma, his first solo album. The composer from Madrid - who has penned several soundtracks that have won numerous awards, including two Goyas and an Emmy - abandons his comfort zone to embark on an introspective journey into the world of the emotions, combining orchestral sounds with pulsating electronic rhythms.

Two Spanish musicians, Marina Herlop and Angélica Salvi, will bring the programme at the San Isidro Secondary School to a close on 26 August. Herlop has ventured into electronic music with excellent results, as evidenced by her third album, Pripyat. Meanwhile, Salvi, a harpist based in Oporto, invites the audience to immerse themselves in her emotional and spiritual experiences, which she uses to write the script of a dream.

There’s always room for dance in the Veranos de la Villa festival

The commitment of the Veranos de la Villa festival to dance continues for yet another year with major national and international names. On 18 and 19 July, to mark the 50th anniversary of the première of Blood Wedding (Bodas de sangre), the Antonio Gades Company, stylistic and choreographic heir to the legendary creator, opens the festival programme in the Central Courtyard of the Condeduque Centre for Contemporary Culture and indeed the celebrations to commemorate this anniversary with two unique performances of this choreography, which will also include the well-known Flamenco Suite. On the two days before these performances, the Antonio Gades Foundation and the Antonio Gades Company will offer a practical introduction to this ballet in the form of two master classes given by Stella Arauzo, the Artistic Director of the company, in which the participants will be able to explore this ballet, its style, composition and dramaturgy in greater depth and to gain an understanding of this universal repertoire.

In this same space, on 28 and 29 July and under the artistic direction of Carlos Prado, the National Dance Company of Portugal (Companhia Nacional de Bailado) returns to Madrid for the first time in almost twenty years, to present two of its most recent contemporary dance pieces. While Symphony of Sorrows unfolds in a dense and sombre atmosphere, in which the collective proves to be the force with which to overcome the oft times tortuous paths of humanity, Cantata reflects Italian musical and popular traditions, a kind of Italian community festival in which music inspires and infects both the dancers and the audience.

From 2 to 5 August, the Veranos de la Villa festival proudly presents the National Ballet of Spain (BNE)/INAEM with the collaboration of the Orchestra and Choir Foundation of the Community of Madrid, in a double programme intended to tie in with the celebrations to mark the Year of Picasso. For Flamenco Scenes, the current Artistic Director of the BNE, Rubén Olmo, and Miguel Ángel Corbacho have created four pieces that take their inspiration from the style, aesthetics and character of Antonio Ruiz Soler. The second part of the programme is dedicated to The Three-cornered Hat, one of the most emblematic works in the company’s repertoire. With a score by Manuel de Falla (performed on this occasion by the Orchestra of the Community of Madrid and with Antonio Ruiz Soler’s own choreography, this production also recreates the costumes and reproduces the backdrops and scenery that Pablo Picasso created for the London première in 1919 of Léonide Massine’s version performed by Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes.

Accompanied by Pasión Vega on vocals and Javier Ibáñez and Benito Bernal on guitar, Eduardo Guerrero brings this dance programme to a close on 11 and 12 August. The dancer is returning to Madrid to present  his new show, Guerrero, which bears as its title his, at least in Spanish, rather polysemous surname - it also means ‘warrior’. On this occasion, the bailaor focuses on his relationship with women, his mother, his lovers, his friends, in that borderline territory where sentimentality coexists with sensuality, but overcomes both vital temperatures, until it finds a bridge between genders and sexes.

Moving away from the Central Courtyard of the Condeduque Centre, the public will also be able to enjoy more dance thanks to Raquetistas (Women Racquet Players), which will be staged in the Residencia de Estudiantes halls of residence on 19 and 20 July, a show that rekindles our memory of a number of groundbreaking sportswomen who were extremely well known between the 1920s and 1940s. Madrid was one of the most important polestars for women racquet players, and the Beti Jai fronton in Chamberí, their temple. Names that mean nothing to us today, such as Chiquita de Anoeta, Chiquita de Ledesma or Agustina Otaola, are in fact part of the history of women’s sport. The dances performed by the Kukai dancers will be accompanied by the live music and singing of Maite Larburu, who will in turn share the testimonies of those female racquet players and their families. With the collaboration of the researcher Ainhoa Palomo, and helped by the narration of Anne Igartiburu, several women who were racquet players will pass their experiences and testimonies on to us. 

A festival packed with theatre and circus

The performing arts are spread around the city with numerous activities in various venues. From 12 to 16 July, the festival programme includes the return of its annual Guest Playwright initiative to the Juan March Foundation. This initiative entails a renowned theatre professional researching and then adapting a play from the classical repertoire that has rarely - or never - been performed on stage. On this occasion, stage director Ernesto Arias – ably assisted by Brenda Escobedo insofar as the dramaturgical research is concerned – will become the first director to bring to the stage The Abode of Jealousy and the Forests of Ardenia (La casa de los celos y selvas de Ardenia), the only comedy penned by Cervantes that has never been performed in a professional production. Until now.

From 21 to 23 July, at the Niño Jesús University Children's Hospital, young and old alike can take part in a project entitled Radio-grafía (s). Viaje al interior de un hospital (Radio-graphies. Journey to the Inside of a Hospital). This guided and dramatised tour is the result of a theatrical laboratory created and launched in 2021 by paediatric neurologists at the hospital and professional artists. Directed by stage director and playwright Lucía Miranda, the activity enjoys the collaboration of 33 % Cultura sin Límites, the Niño Jesús University Children's Hospital Foundation for Biomedical Research (FIBHNJS), Art for Change - "La Caixa" Foundation, Netflix, Jazz Pharmaceuticals and Cecabank.

The Theatre at the Condeduque Centre for Contemporary Culture is the venue for Sexpiertos on 26 and 27 July. Directed by Mireia Gabilondo and performed by the San Sebastian-based company Tanttaka Teatroa, a journalist suffering from cerebral palsy (played by  Telmo Irureta, who recently won a Goya Award for Best New Actor) and a woman immersed in contradictions who sells sweets for a living,  (Aitziber Garmendia) explain, without any hang-ups, their experiences of love and sex to show how each and every one of us, albeit with our own particular paralysis, have different fears, dreams and hopes. With the collaboration of the Etxepare Basque Institute.

From 27 to 29 July, Opera Garage presents a surprising initiative intended to bring this genre to a new audience. The initiative springs from Emiliano Suárez and Macarena Bergareche’s passion and their steadfast determination to reach new audiences to ensure that this genre is passed on to the next generation. On this occasion, Rigoletto will be staged in the unique Nave 16.1 at Matadero Madrid.

The programme also includes two shows on the stage of the Claustro del Pozo at the San Isidro Secondary School. From 18 to 20 August, audiences will be able to enjoy Love in Love (El amor enamorado) by Lope de Vega, a former pupil of this the country’s oldest secondary school, in a version by Fernando Sansegundo, directed by Borja Rodríguez and with Teté Delgado as Venus. In the play, myth, fable and magic form part of a festive atmosphere in which the cycles of the festivity will lead the audience through the three days of the comedy in a quite unforgettable celebration. On 22 and 23 August, the same venue will welcome The Chulapa Life (La vida chulapa), by Orquestina MadriZ. A musical monologue that evokes “old-fashioned modernity”, directed by Alberto Frías with texts by Pedro Víllora and starring Olga María Ramos.

Last but not least, with the collaboration of the Embassy of Colombia in Spain, Colombian creator Jimmy Rangel and his company  arrive in Madrid to stage Oblivion (Olvido) on 25 and 26 August in the Theatre at the Condeduque Centre for Contemporary Culture. Inspired by Agatha Christie’s short stories and narrated through the physicality of the performers, the play explores suspense and horror as a narrative genre. The scenic device created for the work allows for a constant play between appearances and disappearances and casts the spectator in the special role of voyeur.

The circus is coming to town and one of the main attractions is a quite unique event entitled Dreaming the Circus (Soñar el Circo) in which the public - all ages are welcome - bring their sleeping mat and bag, and something to share for dinner, before spending the night sleeping under the big top. Young and old alike will be the stars of this evening, which will take place on 14 and 15 July at the Teatro Circo Price with Sara San Gregorio and Laura Bañuelos.

The festival is also welcoming Faltan7, a Madrid-based company that won the 2019 Feten Award for Best Street Show ex aequo and First Prize at Circada 2018. They’ll be turning everything upside down with their new show, Express. In the show, nothing works the way it should at the Express courier agency. The packages and the workers come and go amidst acrobatics, balancing acts and juggling.

Finally, on 23 and 24 August, the South Courtyard of the Condeduque Cultural Centre welcomes  D’Es Tro, a company from Mallorca that mixes circus with spinning tops in POI. Guillem Vizcaino's multi-award-winning debut work responds to a physical search for juggling and the manipulation of materials, but the spinning tops that the author himself designs and creates are also a work of craftsmanship and the show features one of the largest spinning tops in the world - it weighs 45 kilos, no less.

Summer cinema

Based at the Bombilla Park, films remain one of the main attractions of the Veranos de la Villa festival. Curated by La Juan Gallery, Hot Movies (Cine caliente) returns with a new selection of six films –Scream, The Princess Bride , The Bodyguard, Dark Habits (Entre tinieblas), Death Becomes Her (La muerte os sienta tan bien) and Coyote Ugly – which are constantly interrupted so that we can enjoy the analysis, comments and musical animation provided by the teams formed by Eva Soriano / Oro Jondo, Ana Morgade / San Junipero DJs, Juan Sanguino / Tacita de Rubí, Las hijas de Felipe / Richo Eyes, Alex De la Croix / Martín Moniche and Germán González / Ópera Primas. The films will be screened on 11, 18 and 25 July and 1, 8 and 15 August, respectively.

The Festival is once again collaborating with Madrid Film Office, the Madrid City Council's audiovisual promotion office, this time to offer a Madrid Film Tour (Un Madrid de Cine), an activity that will allow you to discover the places where films and series that now form part of the country's audiovisual history have been shot. On 8, 15, 22 and 29 July we’ll be able to visit sites that have served as the setting for some of the films of our most international filmmaker, Pedro Almodóvar, who was named an Adoptive Son of the city in 2018. This is a unique opportunity to get to know these movie sets and to relive some iconic scenes from such films as Pepi, Luci, Bom and Other Girls Like Mom (Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del montón) (1980) or Parallel Mothers (Madres paralelas) (2021) and to learn about all sorts of anecdotes from his shoots.

On 5, 12, 19 and 26 August, we’ll be able to enjoy a tour of Madrid’s Lightscape (Paisaje de la Luz), declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in its urban landscape category in July 2021. The tour will include sites that have been the location for a wide range of films and series such as Manolo the Traffic Policeman (Manolo, guardia urbano) (1956), Red Cross Girls (Las chicas de la cruz roja) (1958), The Little Apartment (El pisito) (1959), Circus World (El fabuloso mundo del circo) (1964), Alone in the Dark (Solos en la madrugada) (1978), The Day of the Beast (El día de la bestia) (1995), Live Flesh (Carne trémula) (1997), The Time in Between (El tiempo entre costuras) (2013) or My Heart Goes Boom! (Explota, explota) (2020).

On 23 August, the Film Academy will host a screening of short films made by its residents. After the screening, there will be a colloquium and the short films selected for the 2023- 2024 edition of the Residency and Shooting (Residencias y Rueda) programmes will be read out.

Third edition of La Sub25
All over the city, from 25 to 30 July and in collaboration with 21distritos, a programme of the Department of Culture, Tourism and Sport, the Veranos de la Villa festival will be organising all manner of activities in all sorts of disciplines in which artists up to 25 years of age can take part. This third edition of the event includes a show called Paradise Circus by the Carampa circus school, a freestyle football show, as well as workshops on different dance styles such as Afro dance or break, among others. Also taking part will be DJ Blnco, Fran Laoren, Deva, Ede, Alba Reche, DJ LVL1, Collective LEDB from Colombia, K1za, Lía Kali and Santa Salut. There will also be graphic and audiovisual exhibitions by different young artists and a 'tunéate’ or ‘tune-up’ area with stalls where you can upcycle your clothes, hairstyle, nails or make-up; as well as active hubs dedicated to diversity, gender, accessibility and sustainability.

More events
Once again, the Veranos de la Villa festival will be putting on different activities in the city's squares and streets that will be sure to set the pulse of the local residents racing.

With the collaboration of the Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Madrid and the Italian Embassy in Spain, not only will the Stalker Teatro troupe be taking over five public spaces with their urban intervention Steli, but they’ll also be inviting local citizens to take part in their creation. Using wooden sticks and the colours of the rainbow, this project is suitable for all audiences. Once the hard work of construction is over, the public will be able to explore their creation while a DJ provides a soundscape for the space they have created.

Steli will take place in the Plaza de Juan Goytisolo on 28 July and then, the next day, it can be seen in Calle Fuencarral (between the Glorieta de Bilbao and Quevedo) and on the esplanade of the La Vaguada Cultural Centre. On the last day, 30 July, they’ll be at the open-air auditorium in Berlin Park and at the Plaza Centro Cultural Pozo del Tío Raimundo.

To bring the celebrations marking the anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Spain to a close, the ‘Double Luck’ Lion Dance will take place from 4 to 6 August. The Huaide Lion Dance and Martial Arts Company from Fuyong, Shenzhen, will give an exhibition of their country’s traditional sport in which athletes will perform impressive and daring movements on raised stilts. Founded in 1962 and made up of more than 80 members, the company will be in various venues around the city to present this ancient dance to the public. On the first day (4 August) they’ll be in the square of the Paco de Lucía Cultural Centre; on 5 August they’ll be in the Plaza de Oriente and, finally, on 6 August, they’ll be on the Paseo del Prado (between Plaza de Carlos V and Plaza de Cibeles). In collaboration with the China Cultural Centre in Madrid and the Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism and Sport, and with the sponsorship of Xialongkon Hot Pot.

From 10 to 13 August, the Panorama Kino Theater will be putting on an interactive theatre event in the Plaza Mayor. There will be two shows every day, at 7 and 8:45pm. The initiative by Swiss artist Chulaporama will consist of a pop-up structure that rotates 360º on its own axis and transports the audience into a constantly changing world, turning consumers of theatre into creators, making them an integral part of the story. With the collaboration of Pro Helvetia.

On 16, 17 and 18 August, the Demode Quartet will be bringing its Demode 4 on Wheels show to the Matadero Shell Bridge (Puente Cáscara de Matadero), the Paseo de Federico García Lorca and the Casino de la Reina Park. This activity is a unique experience that brings a cappella singing, humour and lots more disciplines to places not normally known for such things, in an enjoyable street parade cum travelling concert.

A poster that carries us off to the skies of Madrid

Amanda Portillo, a multidisciplinary artist from Madrid (1988) has been selected to create the image for this edition of the Veranos de la Villa festival. Portillos has based the meaning of the poster on her own experience, because as she says: “as a good Madrileña, I just adore summers in Madrid, I love to spend them in the city”. The shades depict a city in which night is falling and everything is beginning to cool down. The scene is set in an infinity pool inspired by the many such pools that can be found on the rooftops of hotels in the centre of the capital and from which people can enjoy the Madrid sky, thereby subtly referring, together with the stairway to heaven, to the well-known saying “De Madrid al cielo” (From Madrid to the sky!). The festive mood of the characters that appear in the poster is there to remind us of all the leisure activities we can enjoy in the city during the summer months, especially during the Veranos de la Villa festival!

Accessibility

Once again, the Veranos de la Villa festival remains firmly committed to accessibility and inclusion, bringing culture closer to everyone. This includes measures to ensure the accessibility of the events contained in the programme and venues that are accessible to people in wheelchairs and/or with reduced mobility. A new feature of this year's edition is the use of Braille cards that contain a QR code that will redirect users to our website’s accessibility tab.

As part of our inclusion strategy and in collaboration with the Department of Families, Equality and Social Welfare, the Veranos de la Villa festival includes spaces that encourage the participation of different vulnerable groups through activities and reserved seating that guarantee equal access to culture as a vehicle for integration, redress and visibility. Similarly, the prevention of sexual violence is a key content that will be addressed through dynamic information booths that will provide information on existing municipal resources.

As a space in which people gather and spend their leisure time together, and which has a social and environmental impact on the city of Madrid, the festival conducts environmental reports on events with an estimated capacity of more than 5,000 people in order to identify and monitor their impact and establish plans to contribute to the creation of a more sustainable city.

Ticket information

Tickets are available through the www.veranosdelavilla.com website from tomorrow and at the Plaza Mayor Tourist Information Centre. An email address - accesibilidad@madrid-destino.com - has been set up to specifically handle requests for tickets reserved for people with disabilities. Tickets for the activities programmed in the respective venues can also be purchased at their ticket offices.

Access to the free activities will be on a first come, first served basis until full capacity is reached, except for the concert by the Municipal Symphonic Band of Madrid (tickets can be downloaded or collected in advance from 17 July at 12 noon), Something Unexpected (Algo inesperado) - (tickets can be downloaded or collected in advance from 14 August at 12 noon), The Abode of Jealousy and the Forests of Ardenia (La casa de los celos y selvas de Ardenia) - (advance booking of two thirds of the available capacity at march.es/invitaciones), Raquetistas (Women Racquet Players) - (tickets can be downloaded from 10 July at 12 noon) and Radio-grafía(s). Viaje al interior de un hospital (Radio-graphies. Journey to the Inside of a Hospital) - (tickets can be downloaded or collected in advance from 17 July at 12 noon).

See all the festival’s cultural activities on our official website: www.veranosdelavilla.com