FLAMENCO FESTIVAL LONDON CLOSES ITS 21ST EDITION WITH THE ENDORSEMENT OF SPECIALIST CRITICS AND AN  AVERAGE ATTENDANCE RATE OF 80% ACROSS ITS SHOWS

A total of 15,400 spectators attended the 21 performances featuring 13 companies and nearly 80 artists in London and Manchester, in an edition that generated more than thirty reviews across 16 specialist media outlets.

The 21st edition of Flamenco Festival London has concluded by consolidating its position as one of the leading international platforms for flamenco outside Spain, after bringing together, over 18 days, a programme that earned broad recognition from both audiences and specialist critics. Held from 13 to 30 June, the festival recorded an average attendance rate of 80% and welcomed 15,400 spectators in an edition also marked by its territorial expansion with the addition, for the first time, of an extension in Manchester.

The programme featured 13 companies, nearly 80 artists and a total of 21 performances across London and Manchester. Sadler’s Wells Theatre once again served as the festival’s epicentre, joined by Sadler’s Wells East, Lilian Baylis Studio and Jazz Café in the British capital, while The Quays Theatre and Lyric Theatre, both at The Lowry, hosted the performances programmed in Manchester. As a new addition, London’s National Gallery also became one of the Festival’s venues thanks to a collaboration with the Instituto Cervantes, strengthening the dialogue between flamenco and other artistic disciplines in a leading cultural setting.

In addition to the public response, the Festival has also received strong support from the specialist press, which has devoted more than thirty reviews and articles to it, published in 16 leading outlets, including The Guardian, The Times, The Stage, Bachtrack, Gramilano, Seeing Dance and The Reviews Hub. With an average of five reviews per show and numerous top-rated assessments, this edition has confirmed the growing interest of major British and international media in a programme that brought together figures such as Jesús Carmona, Rocío Molina, Eva Yerbabuena, Manuel Liñán, Antonio Rey, Gerardo Núñez, El Perrete, Califato ¾ and the Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía, which closed the Festival this Monday in Manchester with a performance of Tierra bendita.

In the words of the event’s director, Miguel Marín, “each edition of Flamenco Festival London is special, but this year we have experienced something truly extraordinary. We have witnessed moments that are unlikely ever to be repeated: the emotion of seeing Eva Yerbabuena, Manuel Liñán, El Farru, Juan Tomás de la Molía and Mara Rey on the same stage in the Gala Flamenca; the state of genuine trance in which Rocío Molina left the audience with Calentamiento; the thrill of seeing the Jazz Café completely swept up, singing along to Califato 3/4’s protest version of the Anthem of Andalusia; the force of the Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía filling Sadler’s Wells with Tierra Bendita; and the magic of Patricia Guerrero dancing at the National Gallery, in dialogue with the exhibition dedicated to Zurbarán.”

These are moments that will now become part of the festival’s history, of the memory of the audiences who enjoyed them and of London’s press archives. As Marín notes, “all of this has been accompanied by the broadest and most enthusiastic press coverage in the festival’s history: 32 published reviews, ten of which received the highest possible rating of five stars, the greatest recognition specialist critics can award. The media have described this edition as ‘electrifying’, ‘fierce’, ‘glorious’ and a true ‘masterclass in flamenco art’. But if there is one image that sums up this edition, it is the buzz as audiences left the performances, the excited conversations among spectators sharing what they had just experienced and, night after night, the long ovations with the entire theatre on its feet.”

The performances have not only attracted the attention of specialist critics, but have also generated considerable interest among British audiences, where figures such as Eva Yerbabuena and Manuel Liñán have consolidated a recognised career path through nominations and awards at the country’s leading dance accolades: Yerbabuena received the 2025 Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance for *Yerbagüena (oscuro brillante)*, presented within this same framework; and Liñán was nominated for the UK National Dance Awards and the Olivier Awards in 2022 for *¡Viva!*, which was also presented at the festival.

The Gala Flamenca, a show in which both artists take part and one of the most eagerly awaited events of each edition of the Festival, was also among the productions most widely praised by specialist critics. Bachtrack described it as a true “masterclass in flamenco art”, while Gramilano highlighted it as “the most anticipated event” of Flamenco Festival London. The Stage, Broadway World and Everything Theatre, which awarded it the highest rating of five stars, all underlined the excellence of a cast featuring Eva Yerbabuena, Manuel Liñán, El Farru and Juan Tomás de la Molía, as well as the extraordinary artistic quality of an evening that combined tradition, virtuosity and innovation. Brighton Journal, for its part, described it as “a night to remember”, reflecting the enthusiasm with which both audiences and critics received this great celebration of flamenco.

‘UnYdos’, the latest show by Jesús Carmona, was also met with an excellent reception. London Theatre and Gramilano awarded it the highest rating of five stars, while The Guardian, The Stage and The Reviews Hub all highlighted the intensity and virtuosity of a work that explores the boundaries of contemporary flamenco without losing sight of its roots. The Guardian praised a show performed “with brilliance and fire”, while critics emphasised Carmona’s stage presence, technical precision and expressive power.

In the same vein, Rocío Molina once again confirmed her status as one of flamenco’s great innovators with ‘Calentamiento’, a work that received five stars from The Stage and Bachtrack. While The Stage described the production as “gloriously chaotic”, Bachtrack highlighted Molina as a “fierce and fearless” performer. The Guardian, for its part, described the show as “an electrifying blast of flamenco punk”, underlining the artist’s distinctive personality and her ability to expand the boundaries of the flamenco language.

‘Creaviva’ by Rafaela Carrasco also drew significant attention from specialist critics. The Upcoming highlighted the depth of its artistic discourse and the choreographer’s ability to transform movement into a language of reflection and creation. The Reviews Hub, Gramilano and Everything Theatre, meanwhile, all emphasised the contemporary nature of a work that enters into dialogue with tradition from a personal perspective and with great scenic richness.

The critical response remained equally positive in the case of ‘Tierra bendita’, by the Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía, which received four stars from The Reviews Hub, with praise for the strength of the ensemble, the production’s stage power and the richness of its choreographic approach. El Perrete, with Luz de Guía, and Esther Merino, with En tierra de hombres, presented a showcase of flamenco from Extremadura in London through two performances held in collaboration with the Provincial Council of Badajoz. Specialist critics, including A Youngish Perspective and Seeing Dance, underlined the authenticity, character and artistic personality of both works.

The response from specialist critics not only underlines the artistic calibre of the works presented, but also reaffirms the Festival’s reach and prestige within the United Kingdom’s cultural landscape. As its director notes, “after twenty-one years, when I look back, I believe the greatest achievement of Flamenco Festival London cannot be measured by the number of performances, artists or spectators, but by the way it has helped transform perceptions of flamenco.”

In this regard, Marín points out that “we have helped it move beyond being perceived as an artistic expression tied to stereotypes, so that it is now recognised as one of the great manifestations of contemporary stage creation. Today, flamenco is an essential part of London’s cultural scene and is eagerly awaited each year by a loyal audience, by the city’s leading theatres and by critics who analyse it with the same rigour as any other major artistic discipline. And there is something that moves me especially: meeting Spaniards who travel to London and discovering that it is here, far from home, where many of them realise the true dimension of flamenco, fall in love with it and feel deeply proud of one of the greatest expressions of our culture. That is, for me, the finest legacy of these twenty-one editions, and a merit that belongs, above all, to the artists, whose talent, commitment and ability to move audiences have made this story possible.”