PICK OF THE WEEK: Andorra (Pyrenees)
Main places:
Andorra la Vella, Escaldes-Engordany, San Julia de Loria, La Massana, Ordino, Encamp, Canillo, Pas de la Casa
MUSIC
Saturday, 3rd July at 20h at the Espai Columba, Andorra la Vella. (Free activity. Limited places. Mandatory prior reservation by phone: +376) 836 908). Concert with Ladis B who is a promising, young Andorran folksinger. Come and enjoy this concert, in acoustic trio format. They will perform their own compositions plus some of the most popular rock songs.
FESTIVALS
ORDINO
Monday 28th and Tuesday, 29th June starting at 22.30h at various places around the parish. Free activity.
MONDAY:
· Burning of Ordino falles (balls of fire) *(See end for more info on the ancient tradition and UNESCO Intangible Heritage and the colourful video that procured the nomination.)
· Premiere of the dance ‘Fallaires d’Ordino’ by the folkdance group Esbart Valls del Nord, in the Plaza Mayor.
· Fallaires of light of Ordino (children’s section) with musical accompaniment by the Artistic Group of Ordino. (Route: Plaça Major – town centre – Prat de Vilella car park)
· Burning of the Fallaires d’Ordino with musical accompaniment by Albert Adellach on the buna and Nerea Rius and Hèctor del Val on the timpani. (Route: Plaça Major – town centre – Prat de Vilella car park)
· Ball de Bruixes (Dance of the Witches) by the Esbart Valls del Nord, in the Prat de Vilella car park.
· Burning of the traditional falla and pine tree by the Fallaires d’Ordino, in the Prat de Vilella car park.
People who act or intervene: Fallaires d’Ordino, Esbart Valls del Nord and Grup Artístic d’Ordino.
TUESDAY
At 12 Mass and aperitives in the Aparcament Parada del Serrat.
FESTA DEL POBLE – PAS DE LA CASA
From Monday, 28th June to Tuesday, 29 June in Pas de la Casa, Encamp. Free activities.
MONDAY: From 10h to 13h and from 15h to 20h. Inflatable playground and trampolines in the Church Square. 10.30h Children’s parade with the Gigacolors Family through the streets of the village. 15.30h Children’s activity Andfusta Games in the Church Square. 19.30h Cover version group La Banda del Coche Rojo in Plaça de l’Església. 22.30h Tapas + open-air cinema showing Els Croods: una nova era in the Church Square.
TUESDAY: From 10h to 13h and from 15h to 20h. Inflatable playground and Monster Colours in the Church Square. 10.30h The Gordini Family children’s parade through the streets of the village. 12 noon Mass of St. Peter in the Church of the Pas de la Casa. 15.30h Children’s activity games with Monster Colors in the Church Square. 20h Petanque competition on the Gran Valira platform. 20.30h Dalton Band cover version group in the Church Square. 10h Castle of fires in the old Customs Room / space, Pas de la Casa.
Organized by the Comú of Encamp
SUMMER NIGHTS AT THE MUSEUMS
From 2nd July to 18th September. All the organizing entities (Carmen Thyssen Andorra Museum, MW Electricity Museum, the municipalities of Canillo, Encamp, Ordino, Andorra la Vella and Escaldes-Engordany and the Ministry of Culture) have joined together to offer a series of 45 Summer Nights activities most of which will be free.
Friday, 2nd July at 21.30h at the Engolasters hydroelectric road, Escaldes-Engordany. (Free activity. Limited places. Reservation required at (+376) 739 111 or [email protected].) Astronomical observation. For millennia man has been observing the universe, fascinated. Much remains to be discovered. Come with us and the astronomer Joan Pujol to enjoy astronomical observation in a unique environment, with state-of-the-art telescopes.
NOTE: It is advisable to bring a flashlight and a blanket or mat to sit on the ground.
EXHIBITIONS
Until Saturday, 25th September at the Escaldes-Engordany Art Centre, Escaldes-Engordany. (Telephone / contact address for registration: Tel: 80 22 55 or [email protected])
Exhibition “Toulouse-Lautrec. The irreverent artist” A tour of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s engravings in an exquisite exhibition that transports us to the bohemia of Montmartre prior to the avant-garde of the early twentieth century, where Toulouse-Lautrec expressed his talent capturing the force of the nocturnal characters, the actresses of the cabaret cafés and circus performers.
The influence of Japaneseism, photographic framing, advertising posters and the work of daring aesthetics are the leitmotif of an irreverent artist who poured his experiences and traumas into a work that is synonymous with the anti-academic artistic revolution.
ACTIVITIES
· Guided tours for schoolchildren, individuals and groups.
· ON TUESDAYS: 6th July, 3rd and 31st August and 14th September. Night guided tours at 20.30h and 22h. (Free activity in Catalan. Many more activities to come while the exhibition lasts.) Opening hours: Monday to Saturday from 9.30h to 13.30h and from 15h to 19h. Sundays in July and August from 9.30h to 13.30h
CINEMA
Wednesday, 30th June and Thursday, 1st July at 20.30h at Cinemes Illa Carlemany, Escaldes-Engordany. Le Bonheur des Uns (In French with Spanish subtitles). Directed by Daniel Cohen. Starring: Bérénice Bejo, Vincent Cassel, François Damiens. The Story: Léa, Marc, Karine and Francis are two couples who are lifelong friends. The macho husband, the screaming girlfriend … They all take their place in the group. Harmony breaks the day Lea, the most discreet of all, tells them that she is writing a novel that becomes a bestseller. The harmony between the four friends, two couples, is challenged, when Léa writes a bestselling novel
EXHIBITIONS
Until Friday, 30th July at the Art al Set Galeria, Escaldes-Engordany. An Exhibition by Enric Aguilar of atmospheric nautical oil paintings. Opening Hours: Monday to Friday from 11h –13.30h and from 15.30h – 19h. Saturdays, by appointment
Until Saturday, 31st July, at the Taranmana Galeria d’Art, Escaldes-Engordany. Arts & Crafts with sculptures, ceramics and patchworks by Jordi Casamajor, Eva Ariza, Marta Bonilla, Valeria Vasi & Valerie Rymarenko – an International Club Member. Hours: Tuesday – Friday 10h – 13h and 16h – 20h, Saturday 11h – 13h and 16.30h – 20h.
From Sunday, 20th June until 30th August at Les Fontetes Comic Museum, La Massana. (Free admission: limited capacity
depending on the health situation.) Exhibition L’Alcazar by Simon Lamouret.
Simon Lamouret, born in Toulouse in 1987, studied illustration at the prestigious Estienne school in Paris, Beaux Arts in Angoulême and Arts Décos in Strasbourg. He settled in Bangalore, India to teach drawing. From this experience, which took place from 2013 to 2018, two very important projects were born in his career: Bangalore (Warum, 2017) and L’Alcazar (Sarbacane, 2020). In this exhibition you can see more than twenty originals of the work of L’Alcazar and the rest of its production. Simon Lamouret still lives in Toulouse. Simon also collaborates with the Revue Dessinée, runs drawing workshops and participates in residencies in France and abroad (Mazé, Casablanca, etc.) L’Alcazar is his first graphic novel and published by Sarbacane editions.
Until Friday, 31st December. Virtual exhibition. One country, seven parishes. The Archive of the Seven Keys on the website of the National Archive of Andorra, we invite you to visit the virtual exhibition “ One country, seven parishes. The Seven Keys Archive” that we have organized to celebrate International Archives Day. In this exhibition we explain the contents of the documentary collection of the Set Claus Archive (ASC), declared to be of Cultural Interest (BIC) in 2020. We will review and highlight the history of one of the most important collections of the National Archive. Some documents will be displayed according to their subject (justice, economy, public order, etc.). We hope you like it and will delve deeper into the fascinating history of our country.
Until Friday, 31st December at the MW Museu de l’Electricitat, Encamp (Free admission to the Museum when visiting the exhibition, Telephone / contact address for Reservations at: + 376 739 111 or [email protected]) MW Electricity Museum hosts the exhibition Déssine-moi l’écologie (Draw me ecology), created by the association Cartooning For Peace.
The exhibition aims to open our eyes to the state of our planet and the consequences of our activity on areas such as biodiversity, health, pollution, etc. The goal is to get involved and convince ourselves that ecology is drawn by each and every one of us. With enriching content and an informal and direct tone, you will be able to discover press drawings by cartoonists from all over the world. Language: The original version is in French but translations into Catalan and Spanish are available. Opening hours: Tuesday – Saturday 9.30h – 13.30h and 15h – 18h, Sunday 10h – 14h.
Until Sunday, 9th January 2022 at the Thyssen Museum, Escaldes-Engordany. The exhibition: Talents with a signature of origin: from Rigalt to Puigdengolas, features a selection of paintings by Catalan artists that the Crèdit Andorrà art collection has been forging since 1989. Casas, Urgell, Mir and Meifrè are some of the protagonists of the show. The exhibition is complemented by some works from the Carmen Thyssen collection shared by the owner. Among the selected paintings, we will learn about the work of artists specializing in different types of landscape and portraiture, and other versatile people who reflect their expertise on canvas.
The exhibition takes a look at the work of Catalan artists from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, painters who collaborated on their training or who created their own school. The selection of exhibited works aims to show the similarities and divergences between Catalan painters of this period, the most unique styles and affinities in their work. Thanks to the contribution of the Crèdit Andorrà art collection, the Carmen Thyssen Andorra Museum opens its doors to a new exhibition that collects paintings by the great Catalan masters that are part of the Andorran collection.
CHILDREN
Monday, 28th June at 18h in the University Communal Library, Sant Julià de Lòria. ( Free activity. Limited capacity. Prior reservation is required at: [email protected]) or 744 044) Tales by Hans Christian Andersen with Eva Gonzalez. The Story: Marieta, a sweet and funny farmer, will be in charge of telling us this collection of tales by Hans Christian Andersen, best known for his children’s tales, some inspired by Nordic fables and legends, but mostly invented by him and characterized for great imagination, humour and sensitivity.
NATURE
Thursday 1st July at 17.30h at the Comapedrosa Interpretive Circuit, La Massana. (Free activity. Limited places. Prior reservation required. Telephone / contact: +376 603 000 or [email protected] NOTE: Mandatory use of masks during the activity. And it is recommended to wear hiking shoes and comfortable, warm clothes.) Guided trip to the Valls del Comapedrosa Communal Natural Park, Andorra Sostenible, in collaboration with the Comapedrosa Interpretation Centre, offers you a guided tour of the Comapedrosa Interpretive Circuit to get to know one of the three natural parks we have in Andorra, the Comapedrosa Valley Natural Park. We will travel this path to discover some peculiarities of the park such as: the geological origin of the Pyrenees, the traditional activities of the area or the fauna and flora that we can find in these places of so much ecological and cultural value. Who knows, maybe we will find some tamarro (a legendary beast of Andorra) hidden in the area …
Saturday, 3rd July from 9.30h to 12 noon in Comapedrosa Natural Park, La Massana. (Free activity. Limited places. Telephone / contact address for registration: [email protected]) Singular trees of La Massana. Guided tour to discover the unique trees of La Massana.
Saturday, 3rd July from 9.30h to 13.30h starting from Pont de la Plana, Escaldes-Engordany. (Free activity for all ages. Telephone / contact address for registration: Limited capacity. Reservations at [email protected] or tel. 823,000.) Ethnobotany outing – part of the Pyrenees Floral Festival of Andorra. During the trip, we will learn to identify some of the plants that we will find and discover the uses they have been put to over the years.
SPORT
From Saturday 3rd to Sunday, 4th July at the Sala Prat del Roure, Escaldes-Engordany.
Andorra Fitness Challenge. Escaldes-Engordany hosts the 1st Edition of the Fitness Challenge League competition in Andorra. This league leaves the Spanish coast to arrive in Andorra. One hundred and fifty crossfit teams struggling to determine which club is fittest. The Prat del Roure area will be the scene of the tests for this competition with almost 600 participants.
Sunday, 4th July the triathlon, Ironman, comes to Andorra. Starting in Lake Engolasters for the swimming, then a cycle ride over Col d’Ordino and through the Tunel de Dos Valires. It will end in Andorra la Vella for the running. (This race offers 50 qualifying places for the 2021 Ironman 70.3 World Championship in St. George, Utah.) Warning: From 9h – 14.30h The Aldosa/Anyós road will have restricted traffic.
NEWS: The Multisport Summer Festival. Bringing Sports to Andorra for the summer. After months of work, the Andorra Multisport Summer Festival opened last Thursday when 120 participants left the Central Park to face the first stage of the 21 Cycling Ports. In total, the event will host 2,000 participants, a figure that is short compared to forecasts. The Government emphasizes the importance of taking it forward in a pandemic context to position Andorra as a stage for endurance sports.
· The Festival includes four disciplines over twelve days; cycling, trail running, mountain biking and the star test, the Ironman 70.3 (See above)
GASTRONOMY
From Thursday, 24th June to Saturday, 24th July in Ordino Parish. Ordino Mountain Gastronomic Days. This summer the restaurants of Ordino offer menus and traditional mountain dishes to publicise our gastronomic heritage.
STREET MARKETS
Saturday, 3rd July from 11h – 20h in the Old Quarter, Andorra la Vella. ( Free entrance) Valley Market. On the first Saturday of the month from May to October, the stalls at the Valley Market will offer creative crafts, art and agri-food products.
Culturally yours,
Clare.
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Look for about the author of the blog Clare Allcard
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Look here for the whole blog “Cultural events in Andorra with Clare Allcard
See also Andorra travel guide
See also Pyrenees travel guide
See also France travel guide
See also Spain travel guide
