Consequently, the annual International Festival of Music and Dance, which has started on the 22.06.2108 and will finish on the 14.07.2018 provides a perfect experience for lovers of music and dance.

The events take place at the King Carlos V Palace, in the Generalife Gardens, in el Patio de los Arrayanes in the heart of the Alhambra and various other of Granada's historic churches and buildings.

The Festival can trace its beginnings back to 1883 when a series of symphonic concerts were held in the King Carlos V Palace during the Corpus Christi celebrations. Later, in 1922, the Cante Jondo contest for Flamenco singers took place in the Alhambra with such notable artists as Federico García Lorca and Manuel de Falla attending.

The event now encompasses many differing styles and genres in its concerts. The late nights of Flamenco music and music from all around the world can be unofficially listened around Albaicín and Sacromonte.

The whole of the city comes alive with the sound of not only typically Spanish guitars, and flamenco dancers but also with the music brought to the city by its many visitors.

For further information visit: www.granadafestival.org

The aim of the Granada Film Festival Cines del Sur is to disseminate and promote films made in the countries of the so-called geopolitical south. Thus, the Festival will provide a space for the meeting of both young filmmakers and established talents from these countries, allowing for the screening of both new productions and emblematic and historic works.

There was a time, back in the fifties, when the West discovered cinema from the East. Such cinema, obviously, had been around for some time, but it had rarely reached our screens and we knew almost nothing about it. We then discovered the work of its great masters, the main lines of strength of its production, its most frequent genres and subgenres. With time, oriental film even became a favoured topic of theoretical attention and academic work. The voyage is far from over, although the geopolitical South soon began to take on clear protagonism in specialized journals and festivals all over the world.

In the age of the new cinemas (with Latin America being at the head) and the
emergence of young filmmakers in the most remote corners of the planet, this South was demanding the attention it had never before received and the
international circuit of festivals finally seemed willing to comply.

The Granada Festival Cines del Sur has joined that circuit, and it does so with the intention not of making untimely discoveries but rather of contributing to the public's knowledge about a subject the wealth and diversity of which have been amply demonstrated. Far from falling into that monolithic stereotype which, from comfortable ignorance, some people attribute to them, cinemas from the South offer images as varied as they are vibrant, and which our Festival now
intends to make available to the public, for the enjoyment of viewers.

Fiction and documentary -as well as any middle ground or hybrid formula-, commercial productions and films of the auteur tradition, celluloid and digital ... all quality films produced in the South will find a place within the design of the Granada Festival.

For further information visit the Festival Website!

Squares, patios and balconies are adorned with floral crosses, beginning three days of revelry.

The May Crosses festival is always at the beginning of May. It is actually more than a festival - it is also a contest, with neighbourhood associations competing for prizes for the best-decorated cross from town hall. The preparations take place in the preceding weeks, with people from each street or neighbourhood joining in with the decorating of their cross.

The crosses are judged according to criteria along the lines of: the decoration of the cross itself, the floral variety used, the lighting, and use of existing environmental elements (trees, walls etc).

The crosses are about three metres high, decorated with flowers, usually in red or white and sometimes with more foliage emerging from the upper part of the cross, including its three points, or patterns imposed on the base colour. The effect is further enhanced by more flowers (often pink and white) in pots in a carefully arranged pattern to complement the cross, hanging on the wall behind it, placed at its foot, or going up the steps on which it sits.

Each neighbourhood association sets up a bar next to its cross to serve drinks (try the fino sherry) and tapas to the partygoers. Let's not forget the music. In addition to the Sevillanas played during the day, with many local women dancing in their gypsy dresses, there are live performances local flamenco singers and groups or even rock bands at night.

In Granada the crosses are installed on the day of the festival, and remain in place until late in the evening.

The Semana Santa in Granada is very unique and it is renowned for the simplicity and beauty of its pasos and also for the unique surroundings of the processions.

There are numerous unforgettable moments in the Easter celebrations in which more than 30 brotherhoods (cofradias) participate. Unique settings such as the Albaicín quarter, the Alhambra and the Sacromonte hills fill with processions, religious figures and carvings.

The streets of the Albaicín, so narrow and twisted with their typical cobblestones, give a special setting to some of the processions.

Unforgettable images await the visitor, like those of the procession of El Cristo de los Gitanos. On the night of Holy Wednesday it is the turn of this procession, a spectacular and moving sight thanks to the huge fires lit in the caves of Sacromonte. The procession returns to the home church after midnight by the Carrera del Darro.

On Holy Thursday the procession of the Cristo de Silencio takes place. The silence is only broken by the sound of the drums. Meanwhile, at nightfall on Good Friday the oldest brotherhood of all, the Soledad de San Jerónimo, takes to the streets in a thrilling procession in which real people represent historical figures from the Bible.

Easter week is one of the most heartfelt and deep-rooted fiestas celebrated in Andalusia, Southern Spain. This commemoration has centuries of history and tradition, remembering the passion and death of Jesus Christ. The streets of the majority of Andalusian cities, towns and villages such as Malaga, Ronda, Cordoba or Seville become the stage for religious devotion, combining grief and meditation in memory of Christ's death. Music, art and colour come together in magical processions - solemn parades in which crowds of people accompany religious images on their route through the streets.

For further information visit the official Granada Tourist Information Web Page

Other than those opulent historic monuments such as the Alhambra Palace, Granada is famous for a number of local fairs and fiestas including the International Tango Festival. The breathtaking scenic beauty of Sierra Nevada Mountains, together with the cultural tone of this medieval Andalusian town, makes it the perfect venue for such a cultural event. The festival is held every year since 1988 in the month of March.

The International Tango Festival in Granada is the first of its kind in Spain. The pulsating excitement of top class Tango dancing is featured for a week. Performers from Europe and all parts of world join to celebrate this historic dance form which dates back to the late 19th century with the name Tango, although its origin directs you to even few more decades back. There are various forms of Tango dances evolved in different regions of Europe, both in terms of movements, bodily posture and music. Today, Argentina and Uruguay both claim to be the birth place of Tango. Nevertheless, it has also been influenced by Spanish culture. In relation to the promotion and education of this dance form, Spain with Granada Tango Festival contributes to the larger cause. Granada Tango Festival celebrates everything that relate to Tango culture in Spain and world over.

There has been an explosion of Tango enthusiasts and professional dancers in recent years, going to show that Tango is, essentially, a manifestation of contemporary urban culture. In March 2018 Granada hosts the 30th edition of the Tango Festival. A chance for all Tango enthusiasts to see some of the world's best Tango expressionist's perform. This event aims to fill the whole city with rhythm and passion, with over fifty artists and some fifteen shows, as well as parallel activities that go from dance classes and night time parties, through to street performances and meetings between artists and enthusiasts. At the Teatro Isabel la Católica, you will see spectacular dance shows, live music, and dance competition from some top class Tango dancing professionals. This apart, the Granada Tango Festival also offers photographic exhibitions, poetry readings, cultural debates and much more, where you can watch or take part.

Practical information:
Date: from March 8 to March 18, 2018
Place: Isabel La Católica Theatre
C/ Acera del Vasino s/n
18009 Granada (Andalusia), Spain

Contact details:
http://www.tangogranada.com
Tel. +34 958 29 17 96

It is also the only Spanish one to be a member of the European Jazz Network.

In the years since the first Festival (in 1980), Granada's Jazz Festival has kept up with Modern Jazz music, with the main national and international jazz artists such as Miles Davis, Oscar Peterson, Charlie Haden and many others. The presence of stars of the genre like these, has created a genuine jazz movement in Granada that promotes contact and exchange of experiences between artists, both local and foreign.

This year the festival will, among others, welcome Robert Glasper, a 3 time Grammy winner, one of which was for the soundtrack to a film about the life and music of Miles Davis, "Miles Ahead". Then Ron Carter who, along with his other accomplishments, is the most recorded jazz bassist in history, and was also a member of the Miles Davis Quintet. Lastly we can mention Wallace Roney, an accomplished jazz trumpeter who, among other things, is known for being the only trumpet player personally mentored by Miles Davis.

Here you can find the program of the festival, on their official website

Los Veranos del Corral

Los Veranos del Corral  is a Flamenco Festival that will take place in Granada from 1st until 16th of September 2017. The 19th exhibition of Flamenco offers to both locals and interested tourists the chance of enjoying a wide variety of aesthetics that inspire current flamenco artists.

Every day the show starts at 09.30 p.m either at Centro Federico García Lorca or Corral del Carbón.

The highligths of the program:

Friday, 1st of September
09.30 p.m
CÁLALO by Antonio Canales, Irene Lozano and Javier Latorre
Centro Federico García Lorca

Thursday, 7th of September
09.30 p.m
Hasta el Tuétano by la Moneta
Centro Federico García Lorca

Saturday, 16th of September
09.30 p.m
Flamenco de Raiz by Ivan Vargas
Corral del Carbón

For further information, visit the Festival website

OH CUBA! explores the relationship between Cuba and Federico Garcia Lorca.

It is a performance with unpublished texts left in Cuba by the poet from Granada and with poems from Nicolás Guillen and Alejo Carpentier and other particular testimonies from his colleagues and acquaintances.

It is a performance with a flamenco that flows along the whole play and has also some hybrid moments of Afro-Cuban rhythms fusioned with traditional flamenco or with a modern flamenco-style rap portraying the most radical version of Lorca.

OH CUBA is seasoned with classic beats that accompanied Lorca on the island, flamenco dances that pay homage to our encounter with Cuba and the Escuela Bolera.

It is a play with an exceptional team of Spanish and Cuban artists.

OH CUBA! will have the presence of the Spanish Ballet of Cuba, featuring its main stars and choreographed by their director Eduardo Veitía.

The programme Lorca y Granada en los Jardines del Generalife was born with the objective of creating a great cultural performance for the summer nights of Granada in 2002.

The leading figure of Federico García Lorca and the knowledge of his work all over the world are joined with the evocative power of flamenco to make the perfect formula for this artistic proposal which comes from our writers and oldest cultural origins and are an excellent expression of the Andalusian cultural potential.

During the month of August OH CUBA! will be part of our weekly cultural programme!

The aim of the Granada Film Festival Cines del Sur (Cinemas from the South) is to disseminate and promote films made in the countries of the so-called geopolitical south, such as Africa, Latin America or Asia.

Thus, the Festival will provide a space for the meeting of both young filmmakers and established talents from these countries, allowing for the screening of both new productions and emblematic and historic works. The Festival is a platform for an annual meeting of films coming from the South.

For further information check out the Festival Facebook site or the Junta de Andalucía website.

The city of Granada; hosts a new edition of the Tango Festival from 14 to 19 of March 2017, dedicated to this style of dance which is widely practised all over the world. There has been an explosion of tango enthusiasts and professional dancers in recent years, going to show that tango is, essentially, a manifestation of contemporary urban culture. This event aims to fill the whole city with rhythm and passion, with over fifty artists and some fifteen shows, as well as parallel activities that go from dance classes and night time parties, through to street performances and meetings between artists and enthusiasts.



For further information visit: www.tangogranada.com

Our school offers students the chance to experience the practical skills of
Tango whilst learning the Spanish language. We provide the opportunity to complement a Spanish Course with Tango dance classes in collaboration with recognized instructors. There are classes at all levels, starting with beginners to more advanced levels:

http://www.escuela‐montalban.com/en/courses/spanish‐and‐tango.php