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, 4th February at 21h30 at the IQOS Lounge, Andorra la Vella. Laeet in IQOS. Laeet vocal house with a lot of style. We are waiting for you at the IQOS Lounge, a place full of incombustible artists and unique experiences.
Friday, 10th February at 20h30 at the Andorra la Vella Congress Centre, Andorra la Vella (Purchase of tickets in cash: Adult ticket: €10. Child ticket: €5 (up to 8 years old. Phone/contact address for registrations:+376 869 865 or [email protected] ) Mans Unides Annual Solidarity Charity Concert. Part of the 2023 campaign of Mans Unides (Hands United). The ticket price goes entirely to the projects of the Mans Unides Campaign, which is operated by volunteers.
Taking part:
Stars Academy Choir and soloists
Choir de Rock d’encamp
Martha Roquett
Patxi Leiva
Alys Paramà
Quim Salvat
Chris aguilar
Valérie aguilar
Mans Unides Campaign projects: Do take a look at https://mansunides.ad/ to see all the impressive things they plan to do around the world this year with the funds they collect.
Friday, 10th February at 21h30 at the National Auditorium of Andorra, Ordino. (General admission: €10. VR seats – reduced vision: €8. 15% discount with the youth card.) Marta Knight
We open the 2023 Season of the National Auditorium with one of the emerging talents of our time. Despite her youth, Marta Knight has toured a good number of stages, and has captivated both audiences and critics. Thanks to her very personal indie rock and folk and a knack for writing extraordinary melodies, she has made a name for himself in the independent scene and has been compared to some of her favourite artists: from Sharon van Etten to Oasis, and from Nick Drake to Lana del Rey. Peterloo Heroes (2017), a first EP of five songs on guitar and vocals, already announced that something very special was taking shape. Then came the single Resurrection (2018), her first work with a band and a step towards a sound and a composition that today has already exceeded a million playbacks on Spotify.
Last year, Marta Knight presented her long-awaited debut LP, Strange Times Forever, at Vic’s Mercat de música viva, BIME in Bilbao, Eurosonic in Holland, SXSW in the United States and Focus Wales of the United Kingdom. Strange Times Forever represents a leap forward in a career that will undoubtedly be brilliant.
We are very excited that this young promise of the musical scene will premiere for the first time in the Principality and do so at the National Auditorium!
Marta Knight: guitar and vocals
Jossip Ramos: guitar and synthesizer
Carlos Ramos: bass
Ferran Alemany: drums
Saturday, 4th February at 21h30 at the Hotel Sant Gothard, La Massana. Vibrand en Clau de Soul. Friday live music in Arinsal!
The band will perform your favourite songs by artists such as Sting, Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone James Brown, Aretha Franklin and Bruno Mars among many others. Come, recharge your batteries to the rhythm of funk, soul, reggae, swing, jazz and soul with us!
THEATRE AND DANCE
Saturday, 4th February at 18h30 at the IQOS Lounge, Andorra la Vella. Magic with Tyler Haze on IQOS 18+Tyler Haze is a wizard in the most original sense of the word. He will take us on a dizzying journey to the impossible, full of surprises and with a lot of magic.
CHILDREN
Saturday, 4th February from 10h – 14h at Vallnord – Pal-Arinsal Station, Pal sector, La Massana. Club Piolet snow party! The Club Piolet’s Snow Party is back! Once again, we will all meet in Pal, to spend a super cool Saturday morning! Once again there will be lots of activities to have a great time! We promise you that you will be able to have cake with melted chocolate for breakfast, do workshops, play sports, listen to stories, dance with Andi, take pictures with Piolet and Violeta…
Bring sunscreen and clothes that can get dirty, because the whole point is to have a great time. Don’t forget your membership card to ride the Massana cable car for free, or if you want to buy the special ski pass that will be available to do the resort’s activities, or stay for lunch with a special price offered by our partners at the Rústic restaurant. And if you have friends who are not members, they can come anyway, because the games and workshops are for everyone!
Saturday, 4th February at 17h at the Escaldes-Engordany Art Center, Escaldes-Engordany. (Reservations at the CAEE on 802 255 or at [email protected]) Family show: The Flea Tamer
Traditional Victorian-style flea circus with all the acts of a conventional circus: the tightrope walker, the tightrope walker, the bullet man, trapeze artists, magician, tamer and fakir. All in miniature and made by the best and well-trained fleas in the world! By Fèlix Brunet, puppeteer and magician.
EXHIBITIONS
NEW. From Friday, 10th February, 2023 to Sunday, 7th January, 2024 at the Thyssen Museum, Escaldes-Engordany (Rates – with audio-guide included: General admission: €9. Reduced rate: from 18 to 30 years, +65 years and Crèdit Andorrà customers: €5
Free admission for those under 18 years) Khroma. The emotional universe of colour’. The Carmen Thyssen Andorra Museum hosts its seventh exhibition, an exhibition that aims to delve into the particular importance of each colour and how this appreciation can vary from one person to another.
Colours have historically been associated with moods, as well as very specific situations. Beyond the purely artistic aspect, Khroma concentrates on the study of sensations and invites each visitor to become the key element of the emotional message that will be transmitted throughout the visit.
This chromatic journey, illustrating 34 works by 35 artists ranging from the 19th century to pop and contemporary art, focuses on six colour groups, each of which recreates a monochrome story, ultimately resulting in an overall polychrome that embodies the links between all the presented works. This year, the public will be able to admire one of the works of the famous Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky and, alongside him, many other creators from all over the world.
Opening Hours; From Tuesday to Friday, from 10h – 18h. Saturdays from 10h – 19h. Sundays from 10h –14h. Mondays, closed .
NOTE: Last access to exhibition 30 min. before closing.
Until Sunday, 26th February at the Cultural Centre La Llacuna, Andorra la Vella. There are chairs to rent. Small, large, colourful, wooden, upholstered or lattice chairs! There are all kinds. Come closer to La Llacuna and you will see the collection of restored chairs in the Escola d’Art restoration workshop.
Until Sunday, 26th February in the Sociocultural Building l’Estudi, Ordino. Stories to live. A photo exhibition to celebrate the World Day of Transplant Patients. The @cthyssenandorra is the first place to host the 11 photographs that make up the exhibition and that collects the portraits of the stories of patients from Andorra who have received a transplant thanks to the solidarity of donors.
The exhibition by the photographer Chiqui Novis, which will tour the different parishes for nearly a year, is a new initiative to raise awareness among the population about the need to take the path towards a health system that allows organ and other donations in order to improve the quality of life of the people affected and, in some cases, save lives.
Opening hours: From Monday to Friday from 9h – 20h, Saturdays from 9h – 13h.
Until Thursday, 2nd March at the Cultural Centre La Llacuna, Andorra la Vella. Linked stories.
The Youth course of the School of Art presents Linked stories’, an exhibition in which they show us their illustrated books with great gifts of originality.
Until Sunday, 23rd April at the MW Electricity Museum, Encamp. (Limited places. Prior reservation required: 376 739 111 or [email protected]) Photography exhibition: “A sustainable view”. What is sustainability for you? How would you capture it in a photograph?
If the eyes are the mirror of the soul, the photographs are the mirror of our emotions. Winners of A sustainable look photographic competition. The thirteen photographers participating in this exhibition have captured their vision of sustainability and the impact of human beings on the planet.
Each person has their own view on sustainability, but we strive to make it a more conscious view and with an intention to improve.
Nature returns its reflection to us depending on how we treat it. Let’s observe it and take care of it to look to the future with hope.
Opening Hours: From Tuesday to Saturday from 9h30 – 13h30 and from 315h – 18h30. Sunday from 10h – 14h.turday, 4th February at the Massana Municipal Library, La Massana, Ordino. Painting exhibition by Pilar Jaraute. Pilar has been a student of La Capsa since last year, but she has been painting for a few years, mainly due to a chronic illness. She started practicing alone and occasionally went to classes with a teacher, it wasn’t until last year that she signed up for La Capsa to continue learning. She lives in La Massana, and has been in Andorra for more than 40 years. Creative at heart, her technique is acrylic but she also invents and creates from nothing… She paints landscapes, flowers, animals and everything that inspires her and her goal is to practice as much as possible in order to approach Hyperrealism.
In this exhibition we will be able to see mainly landscapes, many of which can be recognised and, as a star work, she presents a triptych made in an old window where, when the shutters are opened, we can admire a mountain landscape.
Until Wednesday, 8th February, 2023 in the Embassy of Spain in Andorra. Exhibition of photographs “Traces” by Joan Ganyet. A graduate of the Escola Técnica Superior d’Arquitectura de Barcelona, Ganyet has also been a deputy, senator, mayor of the Seu d’Urgell and general director of the Urban Landscape of the Generalitat. He is a member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Sant Jordi and has exhibited his works in different cities of Catalonia and the rest of Spain, as well as in the Principality of Andorra, and has developed an artistic activity that has as a common denominator sensitivity, taste and detail.
According to Joan Ganyet, the photographs of “Traces” are “the memory and the skin of the walls of several historic cities of the Mediterranean Sea” such as Athens, Rome, Tarragona or Venice, obtained between the years 2009 and 2019. “Traces” is an exciting tribute to these Mediterranean cities, with compositions that highlight their beauty and elegance in a genuine and personal way. It is, in addition, an exhibition of colour, shape and plastic which the artistic creation and sensibility of its author transport us, through an exercise of observation, to reflect on our cities.
Opening hours: from Monday to Friday, from 10h – 13h and from
16h – 19h. Saturdays, from 10h – 13h. Sundays, closed.
Until Saturday, 18th February, 2023. At the Centre d’Art d’Escaldes-Engordany, Escaldes-Engordany. Exhibition “Fernand Léger. A bright and transparent universe” The painter Fernand Léger created a new, particular and vitalist language that expresses the modernity of the first half of the 20th century. An exhibition in which you can contemplate the language through which Léger unleashed his revolutionary interpretation of reality through imposing figures and an original conception of colour detached from form.
“ Let’s go, I think, to a new form of society, a bit risky, a luminous and transparent human society .”
Activities around the exhibition: (See ART above for workshops and guided night tours.)
Until Tuesday, 28th February at the Comic Museum, Plaça de les Fontetes, La Massana 40 tacos 40 motorbikes (Johnny Roqueta. 1982 – 2022) Opening hours: Tuesday, Thursday and Friday: 15h –19h, Wednesday: 10h – 14h, Saturday:10h – 14h and 15h – 19h. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Until Sunday, 27th August, 2023 at the Casa d’Areny-Plandolit Museum, Ordino. (Admission: €2.50. Free on September 25th and 26th. The last access to the room will be 30 mins. before closing.) Abracadabra: Illusionism and magic in Cal Plandolit. Discover one of the least known facets of the iconic Areny-Plandolit family – the connection between some of its members within the world of magic, where they stood out prominently on the Spanish and international scene during the first half of the twentieth century.
Until Saturday, 30th September, 2023 at the Bike Lab Andorra · Andorra Bicycle Museum, Andorra la Vella. The woman and the bicycle’ Temporary exhibition of the Bici Lab Andorra museum. The temporary exhibition with which the museum opens, The woman and the bicycle’ explains how this invention was a symbol and also a battlefield to fight first for female emancipation and, nowadays, towards equality between women and men. Thirteen stories of women cyclists from all time illustrate small big moments of women’s relationship with two wheels from the end of the 19th century to the present day. And from using the bike as a tool to escape the control of husbands and fathers, to fight for equality in professional cycling.
CONFERENCES
Tuesday, 7th February from 18h30 – 20h at Marsupiand, Andorra la Vella. (Price: €25 individual / €30 couple. For registrations: [email protected] / +(376) 819 666) What is wrong with my child? How to understand, manage and keep cool with your child..
Training intended for families where we will talk about how to manage, prevent and understand our children’s tantrums without losing our tempers.
Tuesday, 7th February at 19h at the Andorra la Vella Congress Centre, Andorra la Vella. Crims. Crims is a Catalan TV show that focuses on narrating famous murders and stories of modern crimes in Barcelona and Catalonia. It usually focuses on the police work that was involved in solving the cases. According to IMDb, “It’s the best Catalan television series of all time.”
The director of the programme, the well-known journalist Carles Porta, and the content director and expert in court and police information in Catalonia, Anna Punsí, will be in charge of explaining how “Crimes”, which has two formats: radio and television, is made.
They will detail some of the most shocking cases they have developed in the programme such as that of the girl from Portbou; the crime of the Barcelona Urban Guard or the Jubany case, among others.
They will explain how they deal with event information and how they have managed to become audience leaders on both television and radio and in podcasts.
Carles Porta is a veteran journalist specializing in events and judicial issues with more than 30 years of professional experience, first in Lleida and later in Barcelona. He has been part of the team of the 30 Minutes reportage programme of the Catalan public television where he followed the case of Tor’s crimes about which he published the successful book “Tor: thirteen cases and three deaths”.
Since 2019, he has directed the programme “Crims” first on Catalunya Ràdio and then on TV3, achieving great audience success.
Anna Punsí has spent twenty years at the SER, specializing in police information and courts, standing out in cases such as the attacks on the Rambla in Barcelona in 2017. Since 2021 she has been part of the production team of “Crimes”, of which she is the content director. At this stage she highlights her research work to find out the identity of the so-called ‘Girl from Porbou’, a case unsolved after thirty years and which has had its version in a book.
Wednesday, 8th February at 21h at the Teatre de Les Fontetes, La Massana, Ordino. In the Mountain Film and Travel Cycle, Ordino-La Massana: The most extreme journey. Leaving the Earth and going into Space. A conference on space travel and, in particular, on a hypothetical trip with the aim of colonizing Mars. Space is the most inhospitable habitat we know. It is cold there, there is no air to breathe and the sun’s radiation causes burns. Can you go there, though? So far, people have been sent to the Moon, but several space agencies are already planning to send them to Mars. How dangerous is this trip? What must travellers do to survive? In this conference we will explore the difficulties and challenges posed by interplanetary travel.
People who act or intervene:
Tony Pou
FESTIVALS & TRADITIONS
Saturday, 4th February at 19h30 at the Church of Sant Julià and Sant Germà, Sant Julià de Lòria. Youth Mass. A celebration of Faith With a special invitation for young people and their parents.
SENIORS: NOTE FOR YOUR DIARY. (Registration costs 1€ and must be done in each parish depending on your residence. In the case of seniors from Encamp, registration must be done at La Valireta no later than February 10th. The actual events takes place on
Thursday, 16th February at 16h in the Party room of the Encamp Sports and Sociocultural Complex, Encamp. (Price of the activity: €1) Interparochial carnival for the elderly. Encamp will this year host the interparochial Carnival for the Elderly, where seniors from the country’s different parishes will gather to enjoy a celebration with dancing, music and refreshments.
CINEMA
Tuesday, 7th February at 20h15 in the Cinemas Illa Carlemany, Escaldes-Engordany. (Entrance: €6.60. €5 for members of the French Andorran Alliance Français. Lasts just over 2 hours.) Les Amandiers (Forever Young) Shown at last year’s Cannes Film Festival. Directed by Valeria Bruni Tedeschi (who was a student at the exclusive Armandiers school.) Starring: Nadia Tereszkiewicz, Sofiane Bennacer Louis Garrel. The Story follows a group of students admitted into Patrice Chéreau’s Théâtre des Amandiers in Nanterre in the 1980s. They are a stylish group, eager to prove themselves to Chéreau and to each other. It’s not long before they realize, however, that their time at this school will be more than just a competition for roles or an endurance test with their capricious director’s moods. Rather they have entered into an intimate world, a community resembling a cult.
GASTRONOMY
Until Tuesday, 28th February Various places in La Massana. Winter cooking: Days of sustainable gastronomy. What is the Massana Stove? The Massana Fogons is more than a project, it is a way of living together and sharing: a story to tell. It is a living project that evolves to leave a gastronomic legacy for future generations.
It all started with the dream of being able to compile all the creativity of the restaurateurs, transmit the smells and flavours of the parish stoves and display them in a great showcase to the whole world.
More than a decade has passed since the first edition of the La Massana Fogons cooking days and every year the creativity of the participants is put to the test with proposals that highlight seasonal and quality produce.
In this edition, the work carried out in the autumn days will be followed up, and winter gastronomic proposals will be promoted among the participants, full of flavour and exquisite smells that will leave no one indifferent.
#ELXUPXUPDELAMASSANA
Tasty spoon dishes: soups, meat and fish stews, legumes, etc. that will make you feel at home.
+ sustainable
+ local products
+ traditional recipes
+ recipes using seasonal products
+ cooking courses to take advantage of
+ organic and local wine tastings
ACTIVITIES
Profitable cooking courses on 18th and 25th February from 15h30 – 18h. Meeting place: Hotel Princesa Parc (Ctra. d’Arinsal, s/n) (Limited places. Information and reservations: La Massana Tourist Office Tel. (+376) 835 693 / [email protected] )
Spend a pleasant time among old friends and learn useful cooking techniques and tips with Kattia Juárez. She is an agricultural engineer and an expert in sustainability.
Gastronomic MGI wine tastings at MGI Gastronómico (C/ Peu del carrer, s/n, Cal Moran, La Massana) @mgi_gastronomico
(Reservations with Tomás Peris: (+376) 670 074. We delve into the world of wine tasting in an enjoyable, understandable, fun and sustainable way. Organic, traditional and local wines.
Tasting hours: Monday to Sunday from 10h to 22h (by appointment)
Store hours: Monday to Saturday from 17h to 20h
Ecological and nearby wine tasting for two (Price for two people €60)
Oak cellar old wines tasting (Price for four people €100)
Luxury great wine tasting (Price for four people €120 )
Check the details on the website www.visitlamassana.ad
In all the tastings we will carry out an olfactory test game of wine aromas accompanied by a tasting of truffle products, oils and bread from the village.
ART
From Friday 10th to Sunday, 12th February at the Plaça de l’Església, Pas de la Casa, Encamp. (Bases International Symposium on monumental snow sculpture Phone/contact address for registrations: +376 873 200) The International Monumental Snow Sculpture competition at Pas de la Casa is back! The Comú d’Encamp is recovering the traditional format of the competition, as of before the pandemic which will have the participation of international sculptors.
Visitors will be able to enjoy live the different techniques and talent of the participating artists, in their work and exhibition space, i.e. the Plaça de l’Esglesia del Pas de la Casa and its surroundings, when it is transformed into a large outdoor sculpture workshop.
The awards ceremony will take place on Sunday at noon, once the jury has delivered its verdict and the popular vote has been counted.
Guided Tours If you go to https://www.agenda.ad/activitats-culturals-andorra/?activitats=mes-cultura you will find a series of tours of Andorra la Vella and Escaldes-Englordany both by night and day. These have been going for years but I don’t advertise them as their email address is [email protected] which, in my opinion, is false advertising. When I went, the guide asked for 15€ each. But I suppose if you are aware of that you could find it interesting. Back then, it lasted about two hours.
Cultural Events is sponsored by the International Club of Andorra in support of Infants del Món.
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
