Francisco zurita, delegate of Culture, Festivals, Historical Heritage and Cultural Capital of the Jerez City Council, has stated that the figures from recent years have been exceeded in the presentation of the balance sheet of the 29th Jerez Festival, an act in which he was accompanied by Carlos Granados, Director of the exhibition. The Jerez-based dance competition flamenco and Spanish with cycles of cante and guitar, has managed to reach the 20.100 viewers with an average level of 91 percent occupancy rate for the 38 scheduled shows.
"The Festival has surpassed itself," said Francisco Zurita. "These positive results confirm the strength and relevance" of a first-rate cultural project due, among other reasons, to its undeniable connection with the city's identity and the quality and diversity of its offerings. In his speech, the Culture Delegate placed special emphasis on the participation of the peñaflamenco artists, companies and institutions to achieve “a bigger festival.”
He also described as a "success" the fact that the 47 courses and workshops from the training area have filled the 1.125 places offered to students from 41 countries. A training area that "requires more space and guarantees us a large audience," in addition to generating significant economic activity in the tourism sector. "The presence of audiences of different nationalities has been evident in the city's streets, restaurants, and bars," he stated. In his opinion, the Jerez Festival is a clear example of the country's bid to become a World Cup winner. European Capital of Culture in 2031 and, during its celebration, has turned the city into the World Capital of Flamenco"We're working to make the 30th edition special," Francisco Zurita said.
"The Jerez Festival is consolidating its position as a project for a rising city and surpassing the indicators of recent editions," stated Carlos Granados, the festival's director. Previous editions were "conditioned by the pandemic," the effects of which were already overcome last year. "These are positive figures," he asserted, in addition to praising the public's response.
The figure of 20.100 spectators – corresponding to 38 shows – represents a percentage increase in the average occupancy rate of 2,5 percent, explained Granados. This increase would have been greater had the Choreographic Workshop Final not been cancelled. javier latorre –scheduled for March 8 at Sala Compañía– due to inclement weather.
"The Festival has surpassed itself. These positive results confirm the strength and relevance of a first-class cultural project due, among other reasons, to its undeniable connection to the city's identity and the quality and diversity of its offerings." (Francisco Zurita)
detailed data
In the detailed review of the data, the director of the exhibition has reported that in the main stage of the Villamarta Theatre Average occupancy has been 94 percent, reaching one hundred percent in nine of the fourteen scheduled shows. Company Room –with an average occupancy of 90 percent– tickets were sold out to see seven of the eight shows included in this space, while in the Blas Infante Social Center –with an average of 80 percent– full occupancy was achieved in five out of a total of eight shows.
In the González Byass Winery, space dedicated to cante and the guitar, the average occupancy has been 98,5 percent, with tickets sold out in four of the five shows. The recitals of cante of the Villavicencio Palace They filled one hundred percent of their capacity in two of the three.
The quantification of the number of spectators does not include the ten performances that, with free character and guaranteed full capacity, have taken place in the peñaflamenco shows of the city, "a space for coexistence between fans and artists that influences the generational change that has characterized this edition", since in the cycle De Peña en Peña There has been a great presence of young talents from Jerez.
Likewise, attendance at the various exhibitions, conferences, book presentations, and meetings with artists held as part of the Complementary Activities of this year's Jerez Festival is not counted. These activities have allowed "the festival to open up even more to the city with offerings that delve deeper into flamenco art and culture," Granados explained.
Regarding the training area – "another important pillar" – he stressed that the new spaces for courses and workshops "have worked." Specifically, he mentioned the two rooms used in the Archaeological Museum, the Peña Good People and Bowling AlleyA unique offering that has increased at the basic level and has achieved a 65 percent loyalty rate.
"One of the keys to the Festival's growth in the city is the collaboration and involvement of public and private institutions," said its CEO. In this regard, he highlighted the collaboration of the festival's Digital Coworking of the Chamber of Commerce, which has joined the collaborating entities of the exhibition, the celebration of meetings of the public and media with the artists in a new format entitled A sherry with… in the Wine Regulatory Council –»a space for dialogue where very interesting and necessary debates have been held»–, as well as the participation in these complementary activities of the Delegation of Culture and the Andalusian Documentation Center of the Flamenco with photography and painting exhibitions and the daily gatherings of Expoflamenco.
In this area of the programming, the parade that took place as a preview of the next edition of the festival also had a "special role". Kriatura Festival by its director Kirstine Hastrup and the young members of this project, which is part of Jerez's bid for European Capital of Culture 2031.
Added to this is the pedagogical program We learn Flamenco, in which 580 students from twelve educational centers participated. A program that focused on the shows of the Antonio Najarro Company (Argentina in Paris) y Antonio Gades Company (Carmen).
«One of the keys to the growth of the Festival in the city is the collaboration and involvement of public and private institutions, including the daily gatherings of Expoflamenco»
External projection
The media's interest in the Jerez Festival not only represents a significant increase in the event's visibility abroad, but also in the city itself. According to the Hallon report, 5.188 impacts The prizes obtained exceed last year's 2.100, for an audience of more than 268 million people and an economic value of more than 21,4 million euros (4,8 million in 2024). Without a doubt, aside from specialized local, regional, national, and international media, a greater number of reports and news related to the competition have been broadcast in news programs and specific programs on TVE and Canal Sur TV, mainly.
The event, as a meeting place, has also moved to social networks through Facebook, X and Instagram, where the festival community has followed in detail everything related to the programming and its parallel activities. A community that continues to grow each year, reaching 72.201 followers and that only during the celebration period of the exhibition has reached 1.225.947 social media impressions and 27.403 interactions.
In addition, the Jerez Festival's Vimeo channel recorded 914.364 views (56.000 more than in 2024) during the event. These views came from 109 countries, from locations as diverse as Japan, the United States, France, India, and the United Arab Emirates. In our country, the autonomous communities with the most views were Andalusia, Madrid and Catalonia.
Asked about the budget for the 600.000th Jerez Festival, Carlos Granados reported that it was similar to last year's. "We've optimized resources and revenue has been slightly higher." He estimated the revenue at around €XNUMX.
The Jerez Festival is a Fundarte project promoted by the Jerez City Council, Candidate City for European Capital of Culture 2031, with the institutional collaboration of the Andalusian Agency of Cultural Institutions (Ministry of Culture and Sport), INAEM (Ministry of Culture) and the Cádiz Provincial Council, with the sponsorship of González-Byass and the collaboration of Cajasur, Cajasol, the Jerez Regulatory Council, the Atalaya Museums, Diario de Jerez (Joly Group), Canal Sur Radio and Radio Jerez Cadena Ser. The event's head thanked all of them for their participation, while inviting other institutions, companies and entities to join this project, convinced that "this Festival does not belong to Fundarte, it belongs to Jerez".
