The La Mistela Flamenco Festival 2026 celebrates its 53rd edition in Los Palacios y Villafranca with four performances spread over two weekends: 16, 17, 23 and 24 October 2026. The entire programme will take place at the Pedro Pérez Fernández Municipal Theatre and will begin at 20:00.
The line-up combines memory, guitar, dance and singing. The opening revisits Persecución with José Valencia, Anabel Valencia and Nazaret Reyes; David de Arahal will receive the 2026 Venencia Flamenca award and present Callejón del arte; the Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía will present Flamenco Patrimonio, under the direction of Patricia Guerrero; and Arcángel will close the festival with Olor a tierra.
Quick answer: La Mistela 2026 takes place on Fridays 16 and 23 and Saturdays 17 and 24 October, always at 20:00 at the Pedro Pérez Fernández Municipal Theatre in Los Palacios y Villafranca. Tickets cost €15 per show and there is a four-day pass for €45, plus any ticketing commission. The programme includes Persecución, the Venencia Flamenca award for David de Arahal and Callejón del arte, the Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía with Flamenco Patrimonio and Arcángel with Olor a tierra.
| Date | Show | Artists | Time | Ticket |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday 16 October | Persecución | José Valencia, Anabel Valencia and Nazaret Reyes. Directed by Pedro María Peña | 20:00 | €15 |
| Saturday 17 October | Venencia Flamenca 2026 + Callejón del arte | David de Arahal, with Sandra Carrasco, Manuel de la Tomasa and José Ángel Carmona | 20:00 | €15 |
| Friday 23 October | Flamenco Patrimonio | Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía. Directed by Patricia Guerrero | 20:00 | €15 |
| Saturday 24 October | Olor a tierra | Arcángel, Salvador Gutiérrez and Los Mellis | 20:00 | €15 |
Prices and availability checked on 8 September 2026. Giglon states that booking fees are not included.
The 53rd edition begins on Friday 16 October at 20:00 with Persecución, starring José Valencia, Anabel Valencia and Nazaret Reyes, directed by Pedro María Peña.
The production commemorates the 50th anniversary of the historic work created by Juan Peña “El Lebrijano” and Félix Grande. That creation turned flamenco into a vehicle for telling the story of memory, persecution and resistance of the Roma people, becoming a major reference in the genre’s evolution towards ambitious conceptual and stage formats.
The revival at La Mistela also has a strong local connection. Lebrija, Los Palacios and the entire Lower Guadalquivir area share a flamenco landscape in which cante has always played a decisive role. This opening therefore works not only as a tribute: it places flamenco memory inside a festival that also wants to look at the present.
On Saturday 17 October the guitar takes centre stage. The evening will begin with the presentation of the 2026 Venencia Flamenca to David de Arahal, one of La Mistela’s most distinctive awards, designed to highlight young artists with personality and potential.
After the ceremony, the guitarist will present Callejón del arte. The official programme lists as guest artists Sandra Carrasco, Manuel de la Tomasa and José Ángel Carmona. This combination lets the guitar act as the common thread without standing alone: it meets cante and different sensibilities from a generation shaping contemporary flamenco through a deep knowledge of tradition.
For anyone especially interested in flamenco guitar, this is probably the most appealing night of the edition. It also offers the added attraction of witnessing the moment when La Mistela formally recognises an artist before his performance.
The second weekend begins on Friday 23 October at 20:00 with the Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía. The company presents Flamenco Patrimonio, with artistic and choreographic direction by Patricia Guerrero.
The production was conceived in connection with the fifteenth anniversary of flamenco being declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. Its approach takes audiences through different musical and aesthetic landscapes, connecting historical references with a contemporary choreographic perspective.
Within La Mistela’s programme, this is the night most clearly focused on dance and large-scale stage work. For anyone interested in seeing how a public institution approaches tradition without turning it into a museum piece, this performance is particularly compelling. Patricia Guerrero’s direction further strengthens the connection between heritage, research and contemporary creation.
The closing night arrives on Saturday 24 October at 20:00 with Arcángel and his show Olor a tierra. The cantaor will be accompanied by Salvador Gutiérrez on guitar and Los Mellis on palmas.
The production revolves around nature, emotions and the cultural roots that nourish flamenco. After three nights featuring a historic work, a guitar-centred evening and a major dance production, the closing night brings cante back to the forefront in a more intimate line-up.
That structure gives the programme a coherent ending: La Mistela does not try to repeat the same type of show over four days, but instead offers four different gateways into flamenco. For anyone who prioritises cante and wants to end the festival with an established artist, Arcángel is the clearest choice.
Official ticket sales are handled through Giglon. All four performances are listed with tickets from €15, and information released by the organisers confirms a single price of €15 per performance.
There is also a four-day festival pass for €45. If you want to attend the whole festival, that means paying the equivalent of three individual tickets and getting access to a fourth performance within the same package.
Giglon explicitly states that booking fees are not included in the displayed prices. Before completing your purchase, check the final total and seat location, as the theatre uses numbered seating.
As of 8 September, all four dates and the festival pass are available. Availability may change as the festival dates approach.
If you already know you want to attend all four nights, the festival pass is the most logical option: €45 instead of €60 if you were to buy four individual €15 tickets.
It also makes sense because of the variety in the line-up. These are not four similar recitals: Persecución brings historical depth; David de Arahal represents guitar and a new generation of artists; Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía brings dance and large-scale staging; and Arcángel closes from the perspective of cante.
If you can only choose one or two performances, there is no need to buy the full package. Individual tickets remain available and each date works as a standalone proposal.
All La Mistela 2026 performances take place at the Pedro Pérez Fernández Municipal Theatre, located at Plaza de la Almazara, s/n, Los Palacios y Villafranca.
Holding the entire programme in one venue makes the visit much easier: there are no venue changes or different start times from one day to the next. All four performances begin at 20:00.
The festival’s current format is closely linked to the theatre itself. After an early period marked by the long nights typical of summer flamenco festivals, La Mistela adopted in 2002 a multi-day format at the Municipal Theatre. That change made it possible to programme very different stage proposals and give each date its own identity.
If you are travelling from Seville for one of the nights, it is a good idea to plan your return journey in advance and book your ticket before setting off.
La Mistela was founded in 1973 and has established itself as one of Andalusia’s benchmark flamenco events. Over more than half a century, major names in cante, guitar and dance have appeared on its stage.
Its continuity is also explained by the collaboration between the Los Palacios y Villafranca Town Council and the El Pozo de las Penas Flamenco Cultural Association. The peña is not merely an occasional partner: it is part of the history and cultural structure that has allowed the festival to maintain its own identity.
The 2026 edition has special significance because it coincides with the 75th anniversary of El Pozo de las Penas. The anniversary reinforces the local dimension of a festival that, despite bringing together top-level artists, remains deeply connected to the town’s flamenco community.
The poster for this 53rd edition is the work of Seville visual artist Ricardo Cadenas. The choice continues a familiar tradition among major flamenco festivals: using graphic art as another part of each edition’s identity.
At La Mistela, this visual component sits alongside a programme that looks in several directions. The festival revives a historic work, recognises a young guitarist, programmes Andalusia’s institutional flamenco company and ends with an established cantaor. The result is an artistic line-up that avoids focusing on a single language of flamenco.
That diversity is one reason La Mistela can appeal both to regular aficionados and to visitors who want to discover different sides of flamenco over one weekend or across two.
If you can only choose one day, our recommendation depends on what you are looking for:
If we had to choose the most distinctive proposal of the edition, we would pick Persecución for the chance to revisit a landmark work fifty years after its creation. For those who prefer dance, Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía is the clearest alternative; and for flamenco guitar fans, David de Arahal’s night has the added appeal of combining an award presentation with a performance.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| When is it held? | 16, 17, 23 and 24 October 2026. |
| What time? | 20:00 on all four days. |
| Where? | Pedro Pérez Fernández Municipal Theatre, Plaza de la Almazara, s/n, Los Palacios y Villafranca. |
| How much is a ticket? | €15 plus any booking fee charged by the ticketing platform. |
| Is there a festival pass? | Yes, €45 for all four days, plus booking fees. |
| Where can I buy tickets? | On Giglon, the official sales channel announced by the organisers. |
| Who receives the Venencia Flamenca? | David de Arahal, on Saturday 17 October. |
| Who closes the festival? | Arcángel with Olor a tierra, on 24 October. |
La Mistela’s 53rd edition brings together in just four nights several of the strands that best explain flamenco today: historical memory, renewal of the guitar, choreographic creation and the cante of an established figure. The programme is compact, the schedule is straightforward and prices remain reasonable for a festival with artists of this level.
In addition, the anniversary of the El Pozo de las Penas association adds a special dimension to 2026. La Mistela is not an event created simply to attract big names: it is sustained by a local flamenco culture that has spent decades defending cante, guitar and dance from Los Palacios y Villafranca.
Anyone in Seville in October can combine a night at the festival with other flamenco experiences in the city. In our guide to flamenco in Seville you can find regular shows to complete your trip before or after La Mistela.
The 53rd edition takes place on 16, 17, 23 and 24 October 2026, spread over two consecutive weekends.
All performances take place at the Pedro Pérez Fernández Municipal Theatre, located at Plaza de la Almazara, s/n, in Los Palacios y Villafranca (Seville).
All four days begin at 20:00, so the start time does not change from one date to another.
Individual tickets cost €15 per performance. Giglon states that booking fees are not included in that price.
Yes. The four-day pass is available for €45, plus any booking fees charged by the ticketing platform.
The organisers have put tickets and the festival pass on sale through Giglon. We recommend using only the official channel linked from the festival programme.
José Valencia, Anabel Valencia and Nazaret Reyes present Persecución, directed by Pedro María Peña, in a production linked to the 50th anniversary of the work by El Lebrijano and Félix Grande.
Guitarist David de Arahal receives the 2026 Venencia Flamenca on Saturday 17 October and then presents Callejón del arte with guest artists.
Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía performs on Friday 23 October with Flamenco Patrimonio, with artistic and choreographic direction by Patricia Guerrero.
Arcángel closes the edition on Saturday 24 October with Olor a tierra, accompanied by Salvador Gutiérrez on guitar and Los Mellis on palmas.
In many cities, flamenco tablaos sell out easily, especially on weekends and during peak season. That’s why, if your dates are set, the most important thing is to book online.
Direct recommendation: book online through our website to guarantee your seat and arrive with everything confirmed. If you already have your destination, go straight to your city to see available options and clear recommendations.
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