- Cáceres is the city in the Group of World Heritage Cities that programs the most activities
- This event will mark the opening of the Cueva del Conejar to the public and, for the first time, will bring activities to the Roman camp of Cáceres El Viejo
Cáceres is preparing to celebrate a new edition of Heritage Nights, which will take place on Friday, September 11 and Saturday, September 12, with a program made up of 40 proposals and 40 spaces open for free until midnight.
The mayor of Cáceres, Rafa Mateos, has highlighted that this year the city will be the one that has programmed the most activities within the Group of World Heritage Cities, in an edition that will also have a marked international character.
Mateos recalled that the Group of Heritage Cities has decided to extend the celebration to two days, after the success of this initiative in the different cities. “We are convinced that this format will allow us to show even better why culture emanates from our stones and grows from our historical roots,” he noted.
This year’s edition will also have a special meaning as it coincides with the 40th anniversary of the declaration of Cáceres as a World Heritage City by UNESCO. On the occasion of this anniversary, the Palacio de la Isla will host a selection of historical photographs of the city.
“We will have 40 events designed for all types of audiences and 40 spaces open free of charge until midnight,” said the mayor, who encouraged citizens to participate in a celebration that will allow them to “continue blowing out those 40 candles that are leaving such a mark on Cáceres.”
Programming with an international focus
The mayor also highlighted the international nature of this edition, which also seeks to add synergies and support to Cáceres’ candidacy for European Capital of Culture 2031.
In this framework, the city will receive representatives and artists from Évora, current European Capital of Culture in 2027, who will have the Ateneo de Cáceres as the epicenter of their activity, where they will present their cultural project.
The international program is completed with the GEA show, by two companies from Chile and Peru, which will offer a performance based on sound design at the Helga de Alvear Museum, and with the presence of the Italian company Korsia, which will perform on Friday at the Foro de los Balbos with a dance show that recovers popular European traditions from a contemporary perspective.
The Cáceres 2031 candidacy will also have a presence in the Plaza Mayor, with the Transcultura Space, where citizens will be able to take photos among the transhumance sheep and participate in the creation of a large citizen mosaic.
The big new discoveries: Cueva del Conejar and the Roman Camp
Among the main novelties of this edition, the Heritage Nights leave the intramural venue for the first time.
Thus, the Cueva del Conejar will be open to the public for the first time following the restoration work carried out in this historic cave. Visits will be possible during the two days of the event and will require prior registration.
The first of the visits will also feature Antoni Canals, from the First Settlers team, one of the specialists in prehistoric caves in Cáceres, as Mateos explained.
The second novelty will be the incorporation into the programming of the Interpretation Center of the Cáceres El Viejo camp, where theatrical recreations and astronomical observations will take place.
Options for all audiences
Music will once again have a prominent role in different spaces in the city. The Arco de la Estrella will host a drum concert, while Tamara Alegre will perform in Santa María fusing flamenco with pop, copla and bolero.
The Ceres London Trio will bring flute and cello music to the Moctezuma Palace, the Blues Beats Trio will tour the San Antonio neighborhood and the brass ensemble of the Hermanos Berzosa Conservatory will perform different pieces in the garden of the Carvajal Palace.
The Plaza Mayor will be the scene of two great concerts: Furriones, on Friday, and Acetre, on Saturday, with their particular update of the traditional sounds of Extremadura.
The program also includes the proposal ‘The Poetry of the Trees’, which will fuse jazz and poetry in the Palacio de la Isla, in addition to the Ciclopoems, with traveling poems through different spaces in the city.
To liven up the wait during visits to the 40 open spaces, a group of actors will star in the ‘Scenes in the queue’, with interventions designed to surprise and entertain the public.
The program will also pay special attention to young people, with proposals arising from the Space for Young Creation, which will be set up in Santa María with music and dance performances of different styles.
The family audience will also have a leading role, with The Magic Lantern in the Plaza de San Jorge, which will recreate the circuses of the 19th and early 20th centuries. In addition, workshops aimed at children will be held in different spaces in the city.
Citywide collaboration
Mateos has highlighted that the municipal areas of Culture, Tourism, Historical Heritage and Celebrations participate in the organization of the Heritage Nights, although it is a transversal program in which other municipal departments also participate, such as Security, Works, Electricity or Contracting.
The mayor especially thanked the work of the Culture and Tourism teams, as well as the collaboration of private companies, entities, museums, associations and foundations that participate in this celebration.
He has also valued the collaboration of the brotherhoods, which will allow new spaces to be incorporated into the visits, such as the Church of Santiago and the Brotherhood House of the Holy Supper, where the litters of the Triumph of the Eucharist can be seen. Likewise, the hermitage of Peace will reopen its doors.
The Palacio de la Isla will also host an exhibition of posters of the Black Christ, coinciding with the 40th anniversary of its first processional outing.
Finally, Mateos highlighted the role of the volunteers, coordinated through the Local Youth Council and Cáceres 2031, and thanked the residents of Cáceres who will collaborate during these two days in providing information and guidance to the attendees.
“Two very exciting nights await us, where culture will be the true protagonist and where Cáceres will demonstrate why we proudly wear the title of World Heritage Site and why we are already finalists to become European Capital of Culture in 2031,” he concluded.
