Benicàssim is now dancing to flamenco

The city kicks off the 7th Annual Benicàssim Flamenco Fusion Food Festival

Benicàssim, 29 April 2022

Benicàssim is now dancing to flamenco. The 7th Annual Benicàssim Flamenco Fusion Food Festival started this afternoon, and will fill the city centre with flamenco music and cuisine until Sunday 1 May. Plaza Constitución was the site of the first performance, where A Compás played before the dinner service. As pointed out by the mayor, Susana Marqués, “this festival was first held to bring together music and food, with the goal of energising our restaurants and local economy and stop our tourist activities from being just seasonal”.

After the dinner service, the action will move to Paseo Pérez Bayer where the main stage, El Tablao, will be opened at 11 pm, “and here on this stage residents and visitors will be able to take in the biggest names in the world of flamenco”, stated the Tourism Councillor, Cristina Fernández. Los Chichos, a leading rumba band in the 70’s and 80’s, will open this stage with no shortage of songs such as “Ni más ni menos”, “No sé por qué” and “Son ilusiones”, which are on the set planned for the first night at the festival.

The programme for the first day of the festival will come to a close at midnight with Desandar performing at Donegal. After the opening day, the programme will continue tomorrow Saturday 30 April, with performances across the city centre. As Cristina Fernández pointed out, performances will be spread out across a variety of city squares “to energise the city and ensure the life of the festival can be felt across the city centre”. In this sense, Saturday’s programme will start in Plaza Los Dolores with a performance by Jarite, and a performance by Efraín in Plaza de la Estación, both starting at 12:30 pm. In the afternoon, Jarana, Paradita Flamenca and Isra Maldonado will perform at 4:30 pm respectively at Plaza Los Dolores, Plaza Sequiota and Plaza Constitución.Patxi Ojana will hand over the stage at Pub Magic to Ketamania, a tribute band to the legendary Carmona brothers’ group, made up of Paradita Flamenca’s members. After them Ricardo Gabarre will perform. Better known as Junco, this 80’s artist is one of the most famous “balada gitana” singers. “Hola mi amor” and “Celos” are two other songs that are part of the history of rumba and flamenco. This Saturday’s programme will be topped off at 11 pm by Rumbasound performing at Plaza Sequiota and María José “La Gitanilla” performing at Pub Magic.