History of the Flamenco Biennial of Seville

The history of the Flamenco Biennial of Seville empieza en 1980, con una muestra dedicada al arte jondo que organiza el Ayuntamiento de la ciudad. Se celebra cada dos años, en los años pares, y ha tenido diez directores en más de cuatro décadas. La primera edición se desarrolló del 6 al 21 de abril de 1980 y la XXIV fue del 9 de septiembre al 3 de octubre de 2026.

If you want to complete the historical review with live flamenco, you can check out the opening hours and prices of the Tablao Flamenco Las Setas, en la planta baja del Metropol Parasol, a unos 10 minutos a pie de la Catedral.

How the Biennale was born: the first edition in 1980

The Biennial arose from the commission that a year earlier, in the autumn of 1979, had organised the 7th National Congress of Flamenco Activities in Seville. The initial objective was not to set up a competition, but an exhibition that would accommodate all the arts in their relationship with flamenco (cinema, theatre, literature, visual arts) and research into the art itself. The organiser from the beginning was the Seville City Council.

The first edition was held between April 6 and 21, 1980, according to the ABC de Sevilla chronicle. José Luis Ortiz Nuevo was the first director of the festival. The poster for that edition was designed by the Sevillian painter Joaquín Sáenz.

In that first Biennial, only one Giraldillo was awarded, that of Cante, and it was won by Calixto Sánchez, a cantaor from Mairena del Alcor. During the 1980s and 1990s, the prize functioned primarily as a competition, held alternately in the specialties of cante, baile and toque.

The eighties and nineties: auteur posters and leading figures

The roster of poster artists says a lot about the festival's ambitions: Francisco Moreno Galván in 1982, Manuel Ángeles Ortiz in 1984, a photograph by Emilio Sáenz in 1986, and the poet Rafael Alberti in 1988. In 1990, Antonio Saura signed the poster for an edition dedicated to guitar playing; in 1992, the year of the Universal Exposition, the photographer Carlos Ortega did so; afterwards came Juan Romero (1994), Tato Olivas (1996) and, once again, Joaquín Sáenz (1998).

Camarón de la Isla, Paco de Lucía, Manolo Sanlúcar, Mario Maya, Cristina Hoyos, El Lebrijano, José Menese, Chocolate, Matilde Coral, Fernanda and Bernarda de Utrera, Fosforito, Juan Habichuela or Gerardo Núñez passed through the stages of that first decade. Since the third edition, the Biennial has begun to attract growing international interest, and in the nineties names such as Manuela Carrasco, Eva Yerbabuena, Israel Galván, Miguel Poveda, Mayte Martín, Arcángel, Dorantes, Vicente Amigo, Cañizares, Carmen Linares, La Macanita or La Paquera de Jerez passed through it. Several of them are among the The best-known flamencos guitarists.

From the 21st century to international projection

With the turn of the millennium, the festival became the showcase for the premieres of a new generation: the Bienal itself cites «5 Mujeres 5» (2000), by Eva Yerbabuena, and «La Edad de Oro» (2006), by Israel Galván, as shows that established their authors. The programming also included spaces of heritage significance, from the Convent of Santa Clara to the Church of San Luis de los Franceses, and in the editions of 2016 and 2018 it expanded its formats with experimental proposals, flamenco in the street and parallel cycles.

On November 16, 2010, UNESCO inscribed flamenco it in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity; The Biennial had been held a few weeks earlier. The organization describes the festival as a programmatic model for other exhibitions that are held within and outside Spain.

The Giraldillo Awards: from the competition to his recovery in 2026

The Giraldillo has changed its format several times. It began as a competition alternating singing, dancing, and percussion; with the new century it left behind the competitive nature and began rewarding the creation of the stage and the shows in the programming, with a jury of specialists. In the 2020 edition, for example, the Giraldillos were awarded to Pedro el Granaíno (singing), Alfredo Lagos (accompaniment percussion), Andrés Marín (dance), Diego Villegas (solo instrument), Paula Comitre (discovery), David Lagos (accompaniment singing), El Pele (masterclass), María Moreno (magical moment), and Rafael Riqueni (City of Seville), in addition to the award for the best show.

In 2022 the award was rebranded as the Giraldillo International of the «Flamenco City of Seville», which recognizes a career. The first was received by the dancer and choreographer Eva Yerbabuena from the hands of King Felipe VI at the institutional opening ceremony on September 8, 2022; the second was awarded to the singer José de la Tomasa in 2024.

The XXIV edition returns the Giraldillo Awards to the programming proposals. As announced by the organization on September 8, 2026, a jury of eleven specialists will award them to the singing, dancing, playing of the instrument and instrumental music, in addition to the best show and, if deemed appropriate, the revelation and the magical moment. The trophy reproduces the Giraldillo scale, the bronze sculpture that crowns the Giralda.

The venues: from a theatre to the whole city

The Teatro Lope de Vega, which reopened on September 12, 2026 with the premiere of «Fractal arcano» by Dorantes, remains one of the festival’s focal points alongside the Teatro de la Maestranza and the Teatro Central. They are joined by monumental spaces such as the Real Alcázar and the Church of San Luis de los Franceses. The 2024 edition also programmed the Auditorio and the Monastery of the Cartuja, the Espacio Turina, the Alameda Theatre, the Muelle Camaronero, and CaixaForum.

En 2026 la programación general se repartió entre diez espacios, con la gala inaugural en el ruedo de la Plaza de Toros de la Real Maestranza, las matinés de las 12:00 en San Luis de los Franceses, funciones en la Real Fábrica de Artillería y tres noches en el Muelle de la Sal. Cada sede impone su propio formato: no se escucha igual un recital en una iglesia barroca que una gala coral en una plaza de toros.

Recent editions: from the 40th anniversary to 2026

The 21st Biennial (2020) celebrated its 40th anniversary with a poster by Lita Cabellut. Its opening speech, on 4 September 2020, was given by Manuel Herrera, one of the festival's creators and director for several editions, who passed away just over a month later, on 13 October 2020.

La XXII Bienal se celebró del 8 de septiembre al 1 de octubre de 2022. La XXIII, del 11 de septiembre al 5 de octubre de 2024, llevó el lema «Ole de nuevo» y fue la primera dirigida por Luis Ybarra: según la organización, alcanzó la mayor recaudación de su historia, por encima del millón de euros, con 39.900 espectadores y una ocupación media superior al 90 % en sus 64 espectáculos, además de más de 100.000 personas en las actividades paralelas del programa «Otros Oles».

Entre sus protagonistas estuvieron Miguel Poveda, que volvía tras catorce años, Farruquito, Dorantes, Rafael Riqueni, Eva Yerbabuena, Manuela Carrasco y Ana Morales. Sobre el peso de las artistas en la historia del género tienes más en nuestro artículo sobre the women of flamenco.

La XXIV edición, también con Ybarra en la dirección, fue del 9 de septiembre al 3 de octubre de 2026 y celebró un siglo de flamenco como arte escénico desde el apogeo de la Ópera Flamenca. En febrero se anunciaron 72 funciones, 52 nuevas producciones y 22 estrenos absolutos en once espacios. Empezó con un pregón cantado de Segundo Falcón en la Plaza de San Francisco y siguió con la gala «El mundo por montera» en la Plaza de Toros.

Tienes los detalles prácticos en nuestra guía de la Seville Flamenco Biennial 2026 and the poster discussed in the standout shows of this edition. The full journey, decade by decade, is in the official history of the Biennial.

Flamenco in Seville for the rest of the year

The Biennial takes place for 25 days every two years; the rest of the calendar is sustained by the peñas, theatres and tablaos. Tablao Flamenco Las Setas, beneath Metropol Parasol, schedules four daily 60-minute shows without a break (18:00, 19:30, 21:00 and 22:30) with eight artists on stage and over 80 artists in residence under the artistic direction of Sandra Guerrero «La Negra». Tickets are from €28 and doors open 15 minutes before the performance.

Frequently asked questions about the history of the Flamenco Biennial

When was the first Flamenco Biennial of Seville held?

From April 6 to 21, 1980, with José Luis Ortiz Nuevo as director. In that edition, a single Giraldillo was awarded, that of Cante, which was won by the cantaor Calixto Sánchez, from Mairena del Alcor.

How many editions of the Seville Biennial have been held?

The one in 2026 is the twenty-fourth. The festival was founded in 1980 and is held every two years, always in even-numbered years; the 2020 edition, the XXI, commemorated its 40th anniversary with a poster by the painter Lita Cabellut.

Who is directing the Flamenco Biennial?

Luis Ybarra, director since the 2024 edition. Before him there were nine: José Luis Ortiz Nuevo, José María Pérez Orozco, Manuel Herrera, Manuel Copete, Domingo González, Cristóbal Ortega, Rosalía Gómez, Antonio Zoido and Chema Blanco.

What is the Giraldillo award of the Biennial?

Es el galardón del festival desde 1980. Empezó como concurso de cante, baile y toque y después premió la creación escénica; en 2022 y 2024 se concedió un Giraldillo Internacional a una trayectoria (Eva Yerbabuena y José de la Tomasa), y en 2026 volvieron los Premios Giraldillo a las propuestas de la programación, con un jurado de once especialistas.

The flamenco Biennial and the tablao operate in two different ways: the festival, in large theaters and every two years; the tablao, a few meters from the artist and any night of the year.