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Diario Euskadi

Poetas en Mayo festival to fill Vitoria and Álava with verses in May

The fourteenth edition will combine music, spoken word, and participation in various venues from May 3rd to 30th.

Generic image of a library interior with wooden bookshelves, a microphone, and empty chairs, in a warm atmosphere.
IA

Generic image of a library interior with wooden bookshelves, a microphone, and empty chairs, in a warm atmosphere.

The fourteenth edition of the Poetas en Mayo festival will transform Vitoria-Gasteiz and Álava into a poetic stage during May 2026, featuring over twenty events and recitals that blend music and poetry.

The festival, running from May 3rd to 30th, will bring together renowned artists and international poets, offering diverse proposals in squares, museums, schools, and hospitals. The organizers aim for poetry to become a unifying link within the social fabric, integrating institutions, associations, schools, and commercial establishments.
Among the prominent artists participating in this edition are Ismael Serrano, Antonio Colinas, and Magdalena Sánchez Blesa. Also taking part will be Luis Pastor, Miguel Gane, Idoia Asurmendi, Leire Vargas, Mikel Urdangarin, and Maru Bernal. The international perspective will be provided by poets Maryam Alzarooni, Patricia Pinchón, María Mandalou, Mohsen Emadi, and Abdallah Abubaker.
The program merges music, literature, and social commitment. On May 10th, at the Izaskun Arrue Kulturunea, Mikel Urdangarin and Leire Vargas will present the “Hitzetik Kantura” recital. Antonio Colinas will recite on May 13th in Argomaniz, and Luis Pastor will bring his “Extremadura Fado” proposal to the Bibat museum on May 14th. Poet Magdalena Sánchez Blesa will perform at the Medieval Quarter Business Center on May 15th, and Ismael Serrano will offer a recital at Jesús Guridi on May 16th.
The festival maintains its social commitment by collaborating with groups such as Down Araba, APDEMA, Cáritas, Helios, Vivir con Voz Propia, ASAFES, Berakah, and INDESA, bringing verses to hospitals, residences, and inclusion centers. Collaboration with schools like Diocesanas, Marianistas, Corazonistas, Mendebaldea, Ekialdea, and Los Herrán will enable students to write and recite to denounce violence and advocate for peace.
The Salburua neighborhood, for example, highlights the unity between the neighborhood association and schools in a joint recital with the “Páginas de Cristal” initiative. Shop windows will display poems written by students. Additionally, on May 9th, the Plaza de España will host the “A Poem for Peace” event with a release of paper doves and verses.
Furthermore, poetry will extend to the regions of Álava, with recitals by international poets and local gatherings in towns such as Amurrio, Agurain, Elburgo, Kuartango, Zalduendo, Añua, Maeztu, and Santa Cruz de Campezo.

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