Page 230 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide 2017 - Northern Spain

228  TR A VELLERS ’ NEEDS

ENTERTAINMENT IN

NORTHERN SPAIN

At the forefront of Northern Spain’s diverse status. All religious holidays are celebrated
cultural life are the vibrant fiestas. Each with great pomp and ceremony – Easter
town stages celebrations to honour its Week festivities include colourful
patron saint. Some events are small-scale processions, while at Corpus Christi the
and local in character; others, such as the streets of towns and cities are carpeted
Los Sanfermines festival in Pamplona, with intricate designs made from brightly
attract great crowds. coloured flower petals. There is also a full
In summer there are festivals of jazz, film, calendar of entertainment options, from
theatre and folklore; many enjoy international theatre and cinema to sport.

in Northern Spain have both
small arts cinemas and large
multiplexes. The leading
major cinemas belong to
the Yelmocineplex network –
Ocimax in Gijón, Yelmo Los
Rosales in Coruña, and Yelmo
Los Prados in Oviedo.
Foreign films are usually
shown dubbed into Spanish
or sometimes a local language,
but an increasing number
The magnificent lobby of the Teatro Arriaga in Bilbao of cinemas, especially in
cities, show films in their
Theatre, Ballet and Cinema original language – most often
Concerts Northern Spain is home to English – with subtitles. This
One of the most beautiful some of the biggest names in is indicated by the letters
theatre buildings is the eclectic Spanish cinema and hosts VO (for versión original) on
Teatro Arriaga in Bilbao. Here several exciting film festivals. cinema advertising and
you can see productions from The great film director Carlos newspaper listings.
around the world, as well as Saura was born in Huesca and
ballet performances and Bilbao is the home of director
concerts. Bilbao is also home Álex de la Iglesia; Imanol Uribe Nightlife
to the modern Palacio lived here, too. Spain’s prodigious nightlife
Euskalduna, where concerts, Every September, the starts later than in most
ballet, theatre and conventions acclaimed Festival other countries, with 11pm
are held. The Kursaal, a major Internacional de Cine de San considered an early start for
music, dance and theatre venue, Sebastián takes place in the most revellers. At weekends,
is located in San Sebastián. Basque city of San Sebastián. in particular, the towns and
Oviedo’s showpiece is the Stars of the silver screen cities of Northern Spain are
historic Teatro Campoamor, converge on the Kursaal arts buzzing with life late into the
which was established in 1892. centre to attend the festival. night. Social activities and
Top Spanish and foreign Other regions of Northern entertainment are concentrated
productions are staged here, Spain also host important in the bars and clubs located
as are classical music concerts events. The Independent primarily on the cities’ main
and ballet productions. Film Festival takes
The best-known theatre in place in Ourense, and
Galicia is the Teatro Rosalía de Spanish-American
Castro in A Coruña. In Asturias, films are shown at
the cultural hub of Gijón is the the Festival de Cine
Teatro Jovellanos. This late de Huesca. In Gijón,
19th-century building hosts films from around
drama productions and the world can be
symphony concerts, as well as seen at the Festival
rock and pop concerts. It is also Inter nacional de
the setting of the International Cine de Gijón.
Film Festival of Gijón. Towns and cities Classic cars during the Santiago pilgrimage

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