Following a strong uptick in attendance this past quarter, Cultura en Barrios announces 80 activities for diverse audiences across nearly twenty city spaces. The program was unveiled on Monday at the Museo de Aguas de Alicante-Pozos de Garrigós by Nayma Beldjilali, councillor for Culture, and Begoña León, councillor for Social Welfare; Catalina Iliescu, the University of Alicante UA Vice Rector for Culture; and Martín Sanz, the director of Communications and External Relations at Aguas de Alicante.
Among the activities are theatre, dance, circus, magic, oral storytelling, lyric, didactic concerts, audiovisual projections, debates, and reading programs set to run across the municipal libraries network, community social centers, the Centro Municipal de las Artes, Centro Cultural Cigarreras, MARQ, and the Museo de Aguas, from October through December.
Cultura en Barrios involves more than two hundred artists and cultural professionals. The program operates through dedicated sections such as Anem a la biblio, activities for culture and reading animation; Menutsbarris, a showcase of performing arts and music for children and youth; Escena d’aci, focused on performing arts and local music; VisualCbarris, dedicated to audiovisual projections for debate and conversation; and Sentimbarris, highlighting shared cultural experiences created by community centers and other spaces in each neighborhood or district.
Beldjilali highlighted the wide variety of activities for children and adults that bring culture and entertainment to every district. The program is a foundational element for the council and has earned broad support and participation across the city.
León noted that Welfare collaborates by providing access to all city community centers, forming a cooperative team with several institutions to spread culture across the city.
Sanz stated that the Museo de Aguas de Alicante-Pozos de Garrigós collaborates and hosts part of the Cultura en Barrios schedule, and he highlighted that the museum is celebrating its 15th anniversary with strong visitor numbers this past year, a trend largely influenced by participation in these cycles.
Iliescu indicated that the University of Alicante is pleased to collaborate with Cultura en Barrios, offering five additional activities this quarter, including theatre, music, and an audiovisual projection with a subsequent debate. She recalled that the UA has partnered with the program for years and formalized its ongoing presence in 2022 through an agreement that demonstrates the institution’s sustained commitment to this cultural collaboration.
In this cultural initiative, the councils of Culture, Youth, Welfare and Public Rights participate alongside the Provincial Council, Aguas de Alicante, the University of Alicante, and the State Pact against Gender Violence from the Ministry of Equality.