Villena Folklore Festival brings music and dance from Spain and Panama

Villena will welcome musicians and dancers from Spain and Panama for its 35th Folklore Festival, with three days of mostly free performances from Friday, September 11 to Sunday, September 13.

The annual event will bring traditional music, dance and colourful costumes to several locations across Villena, with visiting performers joining the host Grupo de Danzas de Villena for a weekend celebrating folk culture.

El Gato con Jotas opens Villena festival with traditional music and electronic sounds

The festival opens at 9:00 PM on Friday in Plaza de Santiago with a free concert by Extremadura’s El Gato con Jotas.

Led by Sergio Gomez, the group takes traditional jota music in a different direction by combining its folk roots with electronic sounds.

The group has performed in more than 150 cities, and its appearance in Villena will provide the opening performance for the festival’s 35th edition.

Admission to Friday night’s concert is free.

Spanish and Panamanian dancers join Saturday’s traditional costume parade

Saturday’s programme brings together the host Grupo de Danzas de Villena with Alxibeira from Galicia and the Santa Librada Folklore Group from Las Tablas, Panama.

The international line-up will give audiences an opportunity to see different styles of folk music, dance and traditional costume during the same event.

All the participating groups will parade in traditional dress from Plaza de Santiago to Teatro Chapi at 6:30 PM.

An official reception follows at 7:00 PM before the main festival gala begins inside Teatro Chapi at 7:30 PM.

Admission to the Saturday evening gala costs €2, making it the only event in the three-day programme for which an entrance charge is specified.

Sunday outdoor gala brings the 35th Folklore Festival to a close

The final day begins on Sunday, September 13 with another parade, leaving Avenida Santuario at 10:30 AM and heading towards La Pinada de Las Virtudes.

A free outdoor gala will begin there at 11:00 AM, providing a final opportunity to see the participating groups perform before the festival officially closes at 1:00 PM.

The annual event began 35 years ago alongside Villena’s traditional September celebrations and has continued to bring together performers representing different styles of folk music and dance.

This year’s closing events will also coincide with celebrations at the nearby Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Virtues.