Collecting is a window to the world, allowing exploration of new cultures and eras through objects, connecting with the past and cherished memories. This is precisely what makes the collecting fair in Mungia, the most important in Euskadi, so special. For over two decades, this event has highlighted the art of preserving and collecting as a form of culture. Its 22nd edition was inaugurated yesterday with more than twenty exhibitions and hundreds of participants at the Legarda school area and the José Antonio Agirre sports center.

Organized by the Bitxikiak Association, in collaboration with the Mungia City Council, the event will offer a new opportunity this morning to enjoy the passion for preserving and gathering all kinds of pieces and objects. Antonio López, one of the heads of Bitxikiak, emphasizes that great collectors who now display their collections in majestic settings, such as museums, started in this world from humble beginnings, through popular collecting.

In recent years, the Mungia fair has made it clear that collecting knows no age limits, with collectors ranging from 4 to 93 years old participating. Although this hobby is generally associated with an adult audience, the Bitxikiak Association has been committed to giving visibility to young collectors in recent editions. This year, they have presented collections of dolls, Lego dioramas, and Pez candies.

A prime example is the exhibition by Nuria Argaiz, a 7-year-old resident of Calahorra and one of the youngest participants at the fair. Her display of Pez candy dispensers captivated attendees with its vibrant colors and variety. Nuria, who started collecting three years ago, now boasts over 200 pieces. Her mother, Sandra Arnedo, a collector for over a decade with a collection of 500 different rubber ducks, instilled this passion in her. Nuria carefully stores her entire collection in plastic boxes at home and fondly remembers that her first collected piece was Ana from Frozen.

Another striking exhibition is that of Endika Pérez and his father José Manuel, residents of Bilbao and model-making enthusiasts. In this family, the passion for the art of models has passed from father to son, and they now enjoy creating all kinds of vehicles under their own brand: EJ Dioramas. Endika emphasizes that they enjoy bringing reality into model making. This time, they delighted the public with an exhibition of cars related to the Fast&Furious film saga. Endika, a true motorsport fan, claims to have reproduced cars from the first to the tenth film. The crown jewel of his collection of 101 miniature cars is the Nissan Skyline R34 driven by Brian O’Conner in the saga. This passion was nurtured from childhood at home, through ship and train models. Additionally, every Christmas, father and son would create nativity scenes, and a couple of editions ago, they caused a sensation with their model of the Titanic tragedy.

The Bitxikiak fair also dedicates a significant space to illustrious collectors such as Baltasar Zapatero, 94 years old, who has participated uninterruptedly for fifteen editions in the Mungia event, and who this year has once again presented his splendid collection of scale vehicles.

The Mungia event is a red-letter date for collecting enthusiasts, who come to the fair from various parts of the northern State, including Galicia, Asturias, La Rioja, and Catalunya. From Asturias, for example, this year an historical exhibition on movie posters of Marisol, the child prodigy who achieved great success in the sixties, has arrived.

The fair will be open today, April 12, from 10:00 AM to 2:30 PM. In the morning, a spectacular concentration of classic cars will be offered, parading on the Legarda athletics track.