Cultural Agenda in Cartagena (January–May 2026)
The City Council of Cartagena, through its Department of Culture, presented this Friday, January 23, the guide that brings together the cultural proposals for the first four months of 2026. More than 250 activities will take place throughout the municipality during the months of January, February, March, and April, with a diverse and cross-cutting programme that includes events spread across neighbourhoods and districts and aimed at audiences of all ages. The complete guide can be consulted attached to this news item, as well as on the website www.cultura.cartagena.es and in the City Agenda section of the municipal website www.cartagena.es.
A total of 8,000 printed copies of the guide have been produced. Residents will be able to obtain them at the Ramón Alonso Luzzy Cultural Centre, OMITAS offices, municipal libraries, city museums, ADLE, and other City Council venues, as well as at several UPCT and UNED locations.
“The cultural programme for this first four-month period of 2026 reinforces the municipal commitment to accessible, decentralised, high-quality culture, combining major performances with local activities, training, critical thinking, and family programming,” explained the Councillor for Culture, Ignacio Jáudenes. In this regard, he recalled that Cartagena will welcome leading figures from the national theatre scene such as Lola Herrera, Lluís Homar, and Paloma San Basilio, as well as major works like Puccini’s opera La Bohème and productions by regional and local companies.
THEATRE, MUSIC, AND COMEDY
Theatre and family shows make up a large part of the programme, with more than 60 proposals including comedy, classical and contemporary theatre, family productions, and children’s performances. The agenda will feature renowned performers and companies at the El Batel Auditorium, such as Lola Herrera, Joaquín Reyes, Ángel Martín, Paloma San Basilio, Santi Rodríguez, and David Navarro, alongside local and regional companies showcasing their work at the Ramón Alonso Luzzy Cultural Centre.
Music is another key pillar, with more than 70 activities ranging from large-scale concerts to symphonic series, chamber music, opera, and music education competitions. Highlights include concerts by Café Quijano and Maldita Nerea, the symphonic series by the Region of Murcia Symphony Orchestra (OSRM), and performances of Puccini’s opera La Bohème. In addition, the Entre Cuerdas y Metales competition, promoted by the City Council’s Youth Department and the Conservatory, will continue to support and promote young talent.
ACTIVITIES ACROSS THE ENTIRE MUNICIPALITY
One of the strategic axes of the programme is cultural decentralisation, with activities spread across numerous venues such as the Ramón Alonso Luzzy Cultural Centre, El Batel Auditorium, the Apolo Theatre in El Algar, municipal libraries, museums, neighbourhood associations, and public squares and streets in the city’s neighbourhoods and districts.
Special attention is given to children and families, with a wide range of children’s theatre, storytelling sessions, creative workshops, technology-based activities, magic shows, and street performances. This further consolidates Cartagena’s Municipal Library Network as cultural hubs in neighbourhoods and districts, where young audiences can enjoy a broad variety of activities. Full information is available at www.bibliotecas.cartagena.es.
FOTOFEST CARTAGENA AND OTHER MAJOR CULTURAL EVENTS
Among the highlights of the new programme for early 2026 is the first edition of the biennial Fotofest Cartagena 2026. From January 30 until mid-April, Cartagena will be transformed into a large exhibition space featuring 14 photographic exhibitions that engage in dialogue with one another through multiple aesthetic and conceptual approaches, establishing the port city as a benchmark for contemporary visual thinking.
Other notable events include the Cartagena es Magia festival, which will bring illusionism and escapology shows to different urban spaces; the celebration of World Theatre Day in March; World Dance Day in April; Book Week; and the Mandarache Awards, all of which reinforce the municipality’s commitment to reading and literary creation. The programme also includes art, photography, heritage, and history exhibitions that can be visited over several months, many of them free of charge.
Another new feature this season will be the extensive cultural programme scheduled during the period of Lent. This agenda, which will be announced soon, will run from late January until the start of Holy Week and will include a variety of activities exploring the history, art, and music associated with this tradition, complementing the city’s traditional offerings and energising Cartagena’s cultural and tourism life through one of its most powerful and internationally recognised hallmarks.
FILM AND THOUGHT
The programme includes a broad cinematic offering with more than 40 free screenings as part of the Regional Film Archive’s programme in the municipality and the FICCmoteca, an initiative promoted by the Cartagena International Film Festival and the City Council. Audiences can enjoy free admission screenings on Thursdays at 6:30 pm at Fundación Mediterráneo and on Fridays at 8:00 pm at the Ramón Alonso Luzzy Cultural Centre.
Thought, literature, and education continue to be defining features of the city’s cultural agenda. Through initiatives such as the Cartagena Piensa programme, the wide range of courses and workshops offered by the Popular University, and the programming of municipal libraries, the city will host book presentations, reading clubs, talks, feminist seminars, philosophy cafés, and training activities open to the public.
The full programme can be consulted on the municipal website www.cultura.cartagena.es, where information on schedules, venues, and access to activities will be continuously updated.
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