The historic centre will transform into an outdoor stage this Saturday (13 September) featuring contemporary dance, live music, traditions, audiovisual memories, and guided tours of iconic buildings.
The City Council of La Laguna has today unveiled the official programme for La Noche del Patrimonio 2025 (LNDP), a cultural event occurring this Saturday (13 September) in the historic centre of the city. The event will be held simultaneously in the 15 World Heritage Cities across Spain. This eighth edition is particularly significant as it coincides with the Fiestas de El Cristo and marks the 25th anniversary of La Laguna being designated a World Heritage City by UNESCO—an acknowledgment that has left a lasting impact on the city’s recent history and will resonate throughout the city’s diverse, free, and accessible programming this Saturday.
The presentation took place at the Casa de los Capitanes and featured speeches from La Laguna’s mayor, Luis Yeray Gutiérrez; the Cultural Heritage Councillor, Adolfo Cordobés; and the Festivals Councillor, Dailos González, who were joined by several artistic and heritage initiative leaders included in the programme.
These included the director of the documentary “San Benito. Unknown heritage, between history, plagues, and traditions,” and honorary consul of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Canary Islands, Ángel Pérez Quintero; the filmmaker and director of the audiovisual project Colecta Memoria, Dailo Barco; along with the guides for the tours “La Laguna: A heritage of height,” and representatives from Localiando, Luzbel Armas and Elisa Falcón.
The mayor reflected that La Noche del Patrimonio is “experienced in La Laguna with a special intensity, coinciding with very important local events, allowing us to merge local traditions with an international event, providing an opportunity to present our city as a reference for cultural and heritage management.”
Luis Yeray Gutiérrez emphasised that the programme for this edition will highlight the values upheld by a city that “is more than a historic ensemble, recognised as a bridge between continents, a synthesis of cultures, and a living expression of coexistence, sustainability, and respect for memory. La Noche del Patrimonio aims to embody this vision from a cultural standpoint, opening our streets, squares, convents, churches, and noble houses to allow art, tradition, and history to engage with the public.”
Various Languages to Interpret Heritage
The event will allow the historic city to be interpreted through multiple languages, such as contemporary dance, traditional music, intangible heritage, audiovisual expression, and the art and history of the most iconic monuments, inviting the public to rediscover the only World Heritage City in the Canaries.
Cultural Heritage Councillor Adolfo Cordobés elaborated on the details of a programme that is “diverse, free, and accessible; reflecting the integrative identity that our city represents, showcasing the best of our identity—tradition, innovation, civic participation, and artistic excellence—confirming that heritage is not just what we inherit, but what we build together.”
Reflecting on the connection between La Noche del Patrimonio and Fiestas del Cristo, Dailos González noted, “this collaboration not only enriches both celebrations but consolidates a shared vision where tradition and contemporary culture can coexist, engage, and mutually strengthen.”
The programme is divided into several sections shared across the Group of World Heritage Cities in Spain, organised under the titles Escena Patrimonio, Patrimonio Abierto, and Vive el Patrimonio. Activities will commence at 18:30 and continue until nearly midnight, with La Laguna enhancing the event with insightful dance previews starting at noon.
Carlos Carvento at the Centre of Escena Patrimonio
Indeed, one of the cornerstones of this eighth LNDP edition will be contemporary dance, featuring proposals where the body becomes an expression of heritage. The main work in La Laguna for Escena Patrimonio, the central section of the programme, will be “Añil,” by Carlos Carvento. La Laguna thus welcomes a radical artist with a unique and inclusive proposal, selected as the image for the overall Escena Patrimonio poster across all cities in the group.
Carlos Carvento will also strengthen his collaboration with La Laguna, as this Friday (12 September), he will lead a workshop titled “Expanded Body: Presence, Gesture, and Artifice” at Casa Anchieta. This unique, free masterclass will have limited capacity, offering an exceptional opportunity to access the expressive knowledge of this important artist.
This artistic section of the programme will be complemented by a parallel programme directed by professional dancer Raúl Rugarcía, a teacher at the TAI Arts School and assistant choreographer for Aitana. Companies such as ARTA Company, DUAL, and La Basal will animate the historic centre, transforming it into a vibrant stage.
From the piece BIO.ME, at 12:00 at Casa Anchieta, to the scenic tour starting at the Plaza del Adelantado at 17:00 and culminating in the Plaza Hermano Ramón, these works will not only draw inspiration from the heritage space but will also transform and re-signify it.
Living Heritage: A Journey through Audiovisual Memory, Music, and Traditions
Among the new features of this year’s La Noche del Patrimonio, La Laguna introduces a section on Audiovisual Memory with two significant proposals.
Firstly, the documentary “San Benito: Unknown Heritage, Between History, Plagues, and Traditions,” directed by Ángel Pérez Quintero, will debut. This film will be screened at the chapel at 18:30, reminding us that heritage is not always visible and that stories deserve to be told.
Another highlighted new feature will be the Colecta Memoria project, led by filmmaker Dailo Barco. This initiative aims to recover local audiovisual heritage and document the evolution of La Laguna from 1926 to 1976. These images, sourced from professional and amateur films after extensive research across various archives, allow the reconstruction of everyday life, customs, and historical events of the 20th century, all from an intimate and authentic perspective.
Initiated last July, this action has involved tours of seven community centres to share these film collections with residents and establish contacts with individuals preserving domestic archives. The goal is to safeguard this collective memory and access private collections and unpublished materials that do not appear in official records, ensuring this heritage’s survival in line with UNESCO recommendations.
Colecta Memoria will offer two screenings this Saturday at Casa Anchieta, at 19:00 and 21:00. Besides screening a complete compilation of these historical images, it will debut a video showcasing the journey of Colecta Memoria through community centres and participants’ impressions of this innovative initiative.
Furthermore, local traditions and music will play a significant role in La Noche del Patrimonio, featuring parades through historical streets and concerts that will extend the celebrations to the plaza del Cristo. Under the title Night of Traditions, the parade will connect attendees with the celebrations of Corpus and the childhood of countless generations, featuring the Pandorga, fire horses, giants, and big-headed figures.
Performances by Achamán and Pieles, alongside artists such as Domingo Rodríguez “El Colorado” and Ayla Rodríguez, will create a vibrant evening of roots, Canary percussion, and collective emotion, linking heritage with festive culture.
Patrimonio Abierto: An Opportunity to Explore Hidden Spaces
Another central feature of La Noche del Patrimonio will be “La Laguna: A Heritage of Height,” providing an opportunity for night-time visits, guided by specialists, to emblematic heritage sites in La Laguna. This section will offer three different tours, each with three time slots and limited capacity, to the Museo de Arte Sacro de Santa Clara, the church and former convent of Santo Domingo de Guzmán, and the Instituto de Canarias Cabrera Pinto.
This initiative will allow participants to explore three historically significant buildings of great heritage interest, with the unique opportunity to access some exclusive areas typically restricted to the public. Guided tours will commence at 20:00, 21:00, and 22:00 at the three locations, with spaces allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, without prior registration.
Those interested should gather approximately 15 minutes before each tour’s start time at the initial points of each visit, which will be the entrance to the church of Santo Domingo de Guzmán, the entrance to the Instituto de Canarias Cabrera Pinto, and the entrance to the Museo de Arte Sacro at the convent of Santa Clara. As some areas will not be accessible to individuals with reduced mobility, certain sites may be excluded.
International Projection
La Noche del Patrimonio is not just a cultural event; it is a declaration of intent and a shared commitment among the 15 World Heritage Cities of Spain. Its simultaneous nature makes this initiative a unique cultural network in Europe, positioning heritage as a focal point for sustainable development and social cohesion.
This event serves as a strategic tool for cultural and tourism projection. The national and international visibility gained solidifies La Laguna’s status as a cultural reference point, integrating its heritage into contemporary dynamics of creation and participation.
Every activity, from contemporary dance to reclaiming audiovisual memory, is designed not only for local enjoyment but also to integrate into a global discourse on preservation and cultural dynamism, connecting La Laguna with a wider audience and reinforcing its position in the contemporary artistic landscape.
Moreover, the cultural dimension of the programme transcends the specific celebration, generating collaborative networks among institutions, artists, and the public. It also promotes innovation while respecting tradition, turning La Laguna into a living laboratory of heritage management.
For further information and the complete programme, visit: lanochedelpatrimonio.com and 25anniversary.aytolalaguna.es
https://lalagunaahora.com/category/san-cristobal-de-la-laguna-25-anos-patrimonio-mundial/
