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
Due to Covid-19 regulations, all venues are operating at 30% capacity. This means that popular shows are often booked out well in advance so this time I’m covering THREE weeks of events. If interested, I suggest you try to book immediately. (Registration is usually essential. )
COVID INNOVATION:
La Cultura no s’Atura/ Culture does not stop (CDNS)
An impressive, Comú-led, nationwide series of brief cultural events aimed at keeping culture alive in the time of Covid. (See below for the protocol for reservations for all events marked CDNS.)
RESERVATIONS CDNS
Limited places. Reservations and purchases at [email protected]. To comply with the sanitary measures, the capacity of the facilities that will host the activities has been limited, and the ticket management system only allows for the reservation or acquisition of two tickets per operation. There will be no same day ticket sales or reservations. Reservations and ticket sales will be activated from today, Tuesday, 1st December.
MUSIC
Saturday, 5th at 22h and Sunday, 6th December at 12.30h at the cafè teatre La Fada Ignorant, Andorra la Vella. (Maximum capacity: 30 people. Concerts at la Fada: Jofre Bardagí Grima with Alexandre Rexach Llorens.
Saturday, 12th December at 18h in the Palau de Gel, Andorra Ice Palace, Canillo. (Reservations at 4tickets for Patxi Leiva or with entrance to the rink and rental of skating equipment whilst enjoying the music at 9.50€. Palau de Gel 800 840, Tourist Office 753 600. Canillo Library 753 623 ). Concert with the group Patxi Leiva on the ice rink of the Palau de Gel where they will present their new album Andorfines.
Saturday, 19th December at 18h in the Palau de Gel, Andorra Ice Palace, Canillo. (For reservations see above) DDivas in concert on the ice rink of the Palau de Gel for a tribute to female music from all eras.
THEATRE, MUSIC & DANCE
Thursday, 3rd December at 21.30h at the Andorra la Vella Congress Centre, Andorra la Vella. (20€. Places limited to 225 spectators. Tickets from La Llacuna Cultural Centre, Tel: 730 037 or Andorra la Vella Tourist Office Tel: 750 100 – discount with the Carnet Jove and the Tarja Magna). Jazz som aquí (Jazz, we are here – in Catalan.) The usual humour and characters now with more swing. Pep Plaza & Big Band Jazz Mareseme have prepared a new, original and fun production in which the comedian, imitator and singer, Pep Plaza, takes a journey through songs and characters that will appear during the show. The Big Band Jazz Maresme will put all its energy into accompanying a multi-crooner such as Pep Plaza with special arrangements for the occasion.
Friday, 4th December at 19h, 20h and 21h & Saturday, 5th December at 18h, 19h and 20h at the Era Casa Rossell, Ordino. (Free. Mandatory ticket reservation open until December 2 at 878 178 – this could be an error for 878 173) Dance Show: Dels gestos perduts i dels sons oblidats. (Of lost gestures and forgotten sounds) by La Era Performing arts.
Sunday, 6th December at 12h in the Plaça del Prat de Call, Ordino. (Free Limited places – Reservation of places obligatory at tel. 878 173) Popular traditional play: Representació de l’Óssa/ Representation of the Bear commemorating the last bear to be killed in Ordino back in1875, by some very idle farm workers.
Sunday, 13th December at 18h and 19h in the Palau de Gel, Andorra Ice Palace, Canillo. (3€. Reservations obligatory at 4tickets. Postures textuals: lectura dramatitzada i música. (Textual postures) (CDNS) A dramatized reading, accompanied by music, of a medieval erotic text by Els Trobafolls, taken from the book Speculum al foder. It is a Catalan book from the 14th century, written by an anonymous author, also known as the Catalan Kamasutra, and aims to be a treatise on good sexual manners. Performers: Raquel López – Gemma Garcia – Joan Hernández. Duration of the show: 25 minutes
Tuesday, 15th December at 19h in the Encamp Communal Library. (Free but reservation obligatory see CDNS above) Vertigen (Vertigo) a dramatized reading of an excerpt from the play by Manel Gibert, given by the Andorran actress, Cristina Pericas. Duration of the show: 20 min.
FESTIVALS
CHRISTMAS VILLAGE OF ORDINO
Friday 4th December from 16h – 20h. The 5th, 6th and 7th December from 11h – 20h and Tuesday, 8th December 11h – 14h in the town of Ordino. (See all the programming in English at www.ordino.ad ) Let yourself be guided by the angels through the streets of Ordino where you will find a market full of products and crafts, animations, carols, photocall and an atmosphere in which to live the most magical Christmas.
EXHIBITIONS
Tuesday, 1st December at 15h. (CDNS) LIVE ONLINE ACTIVITY at the AgendaAAD Youtube channel. Round table with the artists of the Galeria Art al Set, Escaldes-Engordany. The artists will exhibit in the gallery on the following dates: Carme Massana: 3rd – 16th December; Sam Bosque: 17th December, 2020 – 13th January, 2021; Judit Gaset: 14th January – 10th February, Nerea Aixàs: 11th February – 4th March, 2021.
Friday, December 4th at 12h (CDNS) LIVE ONLINE ACTIVITY. the AgendaAAD Youtube channel Round table in the Taranmana Gallery, Escaldes-Engordany with the artists Laura Maresc, Eve Ariza and Javier Balmaseda, and the gallery owner Aminda Saludes. The artists will exhibit in the gallery on the following dates: Eric Rossell & Emma Regada: until 10th January, 2021; Laura Maresc: 13th – 31st January; Eve Ariza: 3rd – 21st February; Javier Balmaseda: 24th February – 21st March.
Until Saturday, 12th December at La Peixera, Escaldes-
Engordany. Kankaku/Sensations: a collective visual proposal by M. Mar Anca, Xavi Camacho, Areta Lima, Tatiana Martin, Esther Pons and Carmen Soler, students of the photography workshop of the School of Art of the Comú of Andorra la Vella. Inspired by the haiku of Agustí Bartra:
I open myself to the things That come, pilgrims Without certainties.
CHILDREN
CHILDREN IN THE MUSUEMS
Saturday, 5th December at the Church of Santa Coloma, Andorra la Vella in three sessions: 10h, 12h and 17h – duration approximately one hour. Children’s story: El tresor dels Valls d’Andorra (The treasure of the Valleys of Andorra) (5€ per child. Suitable for children aged 4 – 12. Capacity very limited. Each child must enter accompanied by an adult who enters for free. Tickets at the Espai Columba and also at any of the museums managed by the Government. Casa-Areny-Plandolit Museum, Rossell Forge, Casa de la Vall, Espai Columba, Casa Rull Museum or Automobile Museum). This is a story by Assumpta Mercader and Carme Ivernón that brings our country’s heritage closer to children and helps them understand it, respect it, defend it and preserve it. The story tells of a family that travels through Andorra in search of a treasure – which is our heritage: from the fauna and flora and the Romanesque churches to the UNESCO intangible heritage of the falles or specially made balls of fire swung around the head on a metal chain.
Sunday, 6th December at the Espai Columba, Santa Coloma, in three sessions: 10h, 12h and 17h – duration approximately one hour. Medieval itinerary (5€ per child. Suitable for children aged 4 – 12. Capacity very limited. Each child must enter accompanied by an adult who enters for free. Tickets at the Espai Columba and also at any of the museums managed by the Government. Casa-Areny-Plandolit Museum, Rossell Forge, Casa de la Vall, Espai Columba, Casa Rull Museum or Automobile Museum). It travels through the surroundings of the church of Santa Coloma to the Margineda bridge and transports attendees to medieval Andorra where Church and Religion were very important to society. They will discover the role of a building such as the Romanesque church of Santa Coloma and its relationship with people and their environment.
Saturday, 12th December from 10.30h – 12.30h at the Escaldes-Engordany Art Centre, Escaldes-Engordany. (3€. For children aged 6 – 11. Limited places. Reservations obligatory at tel 802 255 or [email protected]). Water Saturdays: Meteorological phenomena in artistic terms Disguise yourself as a cloud, become the sun and create snow. Do you want to join? The weather doesn’t have to be boring! You can make yourself a hat with cotton as soft as a cloud, a sun mask and not get cold! Or compose the geometric shapes of snowflakes.
Saturday 12th & Sunday, 13th December from 16h – 19h at the Plaça Carlemany, Canillo. (Ring the Tourist Office 753 600 or the Library 753 623) Christmas Elves’ House where children can give their letter to Santa’s elves.
OTHER
Friday, 11th December at 21h at the National Auditorium of Andorra, Ordino. (Free activity – reservation mandatory. https://www.4tickets.es/comuordino. For more information ring Ordino Tourist Office +376 878 173.) International Mountain Day. Denis Urubko was born in the former Soviet Union and spent twenty years in the army. It was this discipline that led him to achieve goals never before achieved. He is credited with the 14 eight thousand summits – the 15th person to get achieve this – and reached the top of two of them (Makalu and Gasherbrum II) in the winter. In addition, he opened new routes and made some of the most memorable rescues, such as that of the unfortunate Iñaki Ochoa of Olza in 2008 and Elisabeth Revol in Nanga Parbat in 2018.
In recent years he has specialized in winter ascents, but without the fortune of having achieved his ultimate goals. The mountain took him off the summit of Broad Peak recently, where he reached 7,400 meters after suffering two falls and miraculously saving his life. He then decided to return from his solo attempt and end his career as a high-level mountaineer. According to him, something he had in mind for a long time. A farewell that leaves the mountain orphaned, saying goodbye to his last great mountaineer.
Culturally yours,
Clare.
Look for about the author of the blog Clare Allcard
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
