This year’s Flamenco Festival, it’s 27th edition, was presented officially this morning at the headquarters of the Mancomunidad de Municipios together with other activities (click on ‘Read More’ below for details) that are held along with the Novena in honour of Jimena’s patron saint, Nuestra Señora Reina de los Ángeles. The flamenco festival is at 10.30 on Friday, September 5th, at the square by the railway crossing. Tickets are €10 or €5. On the programme is one of flamenco’s most contemporary voices, Arcángel, who will be accompanied by guitarist Miguel Ángel Cortés. Another singer, in a more traditional style, is Antonio Reyes, while bailaora (flamenco dancer) Noelia Sabarea offers selections from her show Aborigen, which has recently opened the door to enormous success.
To quote (translated) the press release on this presentation, “this festival began in the 80s as a competition. Over almost thirty years it has offered some of the most prominent flamenco singers, dancers and musicians when they were beginning their careers, including such figures as El Cabrero, La Niña de la Puebla and Paquera de Jerez. Many of them have returned to Jimena as stars for the International Music Festival. The presentation also served to present the festival’s poster, which is based on a photograph by Alberto Bullrich.” (’Nuff trumpet blowing, now, though it doesn’t say the poster is actually designed by our good friend Antonio J. Sierra.)
The other activities, which run from Thursday 4th to Sunday 7th and are mentioned above, include a local ‘typical’ cooking contest that has been in existence for over thirty years and that this year has over 100 people from Jimena and the area registered to participate. The jury consists of professional cooks from prestigious restaurants of the district, who will decide on the best primer plato (entree), segundo plato (main dish) and postre (pudding). The entries can be tasted after the competition on Sunday evening.
Another traditional activity is what is called the Michigán Mile, raced through the streets of the section of Los Ángeles (a.k.a. Estación) that goes by that name. And then there’s La Mojá, about which you can read from last year’s edition – and we urge you to do so because you need to be warned.
There are also a host of contests and competitions: chess, petanque, foot and horse races, and a lot more.
We will be publishing the entire day-by-day programme, as well as photos and reports of many of the Novena’s activities. Watch this space next weekend.
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