The Philippine Cultural Arts Society of British Columbia (Philippines), Muzsla Folk Dance Ensemble (Hungary), and the Ben-Gara Cultural Association (Canary Islands) are the three groups invited to this year's 35th Segura River International Folklore Festival, which will take place from August 22 to 24. This was confirmed by Jesús Saorín, president of the Cieza Choir and Dance Group, during the presentation held at the Folklore Center, which was attended by Tomás Rubio, Mayor of Cieza; María Turpín, Councilor for Culture; and María Piñera, the author of the official poster.
In collaboration with the Department of Culture of the Cieza City Council, the Institute of Cultural Industries and the Arts of the Autonomous Community of Murcia, and Cieza Turística, the festival session will be held on August 22nd at 9:00 p.m. at the Capitol Theater. Admission is a flat rate of 8 euros. In addition to this year's three guest groups, the host group, the Choirs and Dances of Cieza, will perform on the Capitol stage in a show hosted by journalist Pascual Gómez.
August 22nd, beginning of the Festival
The program will begin on August 22nd at 11:30 a.m. with the official reception of the groups at Cieza Town Hall and will continue the following day with a world dance workshop for young people at 10:30 a.m. at the Los Albares Secondary School. That same day, solidarity folklore evenings will include a performance by the Hungarian group at the senior citizens' home at 6:30 p.m. On August 24th at 7:00 p.m., as usual, there will be a mass in honor of Saint Bartholomew with the participation of groups from the Canary Islands and Cieza, followed by a parade through the city center accompanying the statue of the patron saint.
With a budget of 29,000 euros, Saorín took advantage of his speech to publicly thank the institutional support, as well as that of local businesses and shops. He also praised the designer of this year's promotional poster. The mayor and the Councilor for Culture also echoed these praises, emphasizing the quality of Piñera's work. The mayor also congratulated the Choirs and Dances for their recent trip to Italy, where they represented Spain at an international festival.
Cieza Town Hall Source.