On 2 October 2026, Andalusia’s regional culture minister, Patricia del Pozo, presented Sur Escena at the Teatro de las Cocheras del Puerto in Huelva. The new live arts festival runs during October in all eight Andalusian provincial capitals, with a programme linked to contemporary stage creation in the region.
Del Pozo said the festival includes 23 artistic and exhibition projects and 38 performances, involving 21 companies and projects. Events are being held across theatres, museums, cultural centres and public spaces in the eight provinces. She said the festival gives the start of the theatrical season an Andalusian scope and brings attention to contemporary creative work being produced in the region.
The programme includes an exhibition on the career of Málaga company El Espejo Negro, founded in 1989. The company has worked for more than 35 years and staged over 4,000 performances in Europe, the Americas and Asia. Events are scheduled at the Centro Andaluz de la Fotografía and Plaza Pablo Cazard in Almería; the provincial museum and library in Jaén; and the Museo de Málaga. Huelva and Córdoba will host events at Las Cocheras del Puerto and the Sala Polifemo at the Teatro Góngora, respectively. Cádiz venues include the Teatro de la Tía Norica and Plaza de San Antonio, as part of the Cádiz International Theatre Festival. The regional government’s Teatro Central in Seville, Teatro Alhambra in Granada and Teatro Cánovas in Málaga are also participating. The Teatro Cánovas opens the programme with La pastilla de la felicidad by Málaga company La Coracha.
Del Pozo said the culture ministry had increased funding for incentives for theatre and music by nearly 30% in one year, from €2 million in 2025 to almost €2.6 million in 2026. She said the funding rules had also been redesigned to better reflect the needs of professionals and businesses in the sector. The ministry’s annual grants for music and performing arts total nearly €2.6 million, up 78.6% since 2023.
Other ministry programmes include annual artist residencies, held since 2025 in Seville, Granada, Málaga, Córdoba and Huelva. Since 2023, the ministry’s agency centres have delivered 136 training projects in artistic and technical disciplines. The Andalusian Public Theatre Network has 75 participating municipalities in 2026 and receives €1.18 million. It currently lists 538 theatre, dance, circus and music productions and has programmed 730 performances so far this year.