La Laguna presents the official programme for Heritage Night as part of its 25th anniversary as a World Heritage City.

The City Council of La Laguna today presented the official programme for Heritage Night 2025 (LNDP), a cultural event to be held this Saturday (13 September) in the historic centre of the city and which will take place simultaneously in Spain’s 15 World Heritage Cities. This eighth edition is particularly significant as it coincides with the Fiestas de El Cristo and the 25th anniversary of La Laguna’s designation as a UNESCO World Heritage City, a recognition that has marked the city’s recent history and will be very much in evidence this Saturday through a diverse programme of events that is free and open to all citizens.

The presentation ceremony, held at the Casa de los Capitanes, featured speeches by the Mayor of La Laguna, Luis Yeray Gutiérrez; the Councillor for Cultural Heritage, Adolfo Cordobés; and the Councillor for Festivals, Dailos González, who were accompanied by those responsible for several of the artistic and heritage initiatives included in the programme.

These were the director of the documentary “San Benito. Desconocido patrimonio, entre historia, plagas y tradiciones‘ (San Benito. Unknown heritage, between history, plagues and traditions) and honorary consul of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Canary Islands, Ángel Pérez Quintero; the filmmaker and director of the audiovisual project Colecta Memoria, Dailo Barco; as well as those responsible for the guided tours ’La Laguna: Un patrimonio de altura” (La Laguna: A heritage of height) and representatives of Localiando, Luzbel Armas and Elisa Falcón.

The mayor recalled that Heritage Night is experienced in La Laguna ‘with a special intensity, as it coincides with very important local events, and allows us to combine local tradition with an event with an international vocation, an opportunity to project our city as a benchmark for cultural and heritage management’.

Luis Yeray Gutiérrez emphasised that this year’s programme will highlight the values upheld by a city that “is more than just a historical site, having been recognised as a bridge between continents, a synthesis of cultures, a living expression of coexistence, sustainability and respect for memory. Heritage Night aims to embody this vision from a cultural point of view, opening up our streets, squares, convents, churches and stately homes so that art, tradition and history can engage in dialogue with the public.”

Different languages to interpret heritage

The event will thus allow the historic city to be interpreted through multiple languages, such as contemporary dance, traditional music, intangible heritage, audiovisual expression and the art and history of the most emblematic monuments, inviting citizens to rediscover the only World Heritage city in the Canary Islands.

The Councillor for Cultural Heritage, Adolfo Cordobés, explained the details of a programme that is ‘diverse, free and accessible; a reflection of the city’s commitment to integration and which reflects the best of our identity, such as tradition, innovation, citizen participation and artistic excellence, confirming that heritage is not only what we inherit, but what we build together’.

Regarding the link established between Heritage Night and the Fiestas del Cristo, Dailos González noted that ‘this collaboration not only enriches both celebrations, but also consolidates a shared vision, where tradition and contemporary culture can coexist, dialogue and strengthen each other’.

The programme is divided into several sections shared by the entire Group of World Heritage Cities of Spain, organised under the titles Heritage Scene, Open Heritage and Live Heritage. The activities will begin at 6.30 pm and continue until almost midnight, although La Laguna will reinforce the event with interesting dance aperitifs from midday onwards.

Carlos Carvento focuses on Heritage Scene

In fact, one of the pillars of this eighth edition of LNDP will be contemporary dance, with performances in which the body becomes an expression of heritage. The main work in La Laguna’s Escena Patrimonio, the central section of the programme for this day in all the cities of the Group, will be ‘Añil’ by Carlos Carvento. La Laguna thus welcomes a groundbreaking artist with a unique and inclusive proposal that has been selected as the image for the general poster for Escena Patrimonio in all the cities in the Group.

Carlos Carvento will also strengthen his collaboration with La Laguna and this Friday (12 September), at Casa Anchieta, he will lead the workshop ‘Expanded Body: Presence, Gesture and Artifice’, a unique and free masterclass with limited capacity, which is an exceptional opportunity to access the expressive knowledge of this important artist.

This artistic section of the programme will be reinforced with a parallel programme under the artistic direction of professional dancer Raúl Rugarcía, teacher at the TAI School of Arts and assistant choreographer for Aitana. Companies such as ARTA Company, DUAL and La Basal will tour the historic centre, turning it into a living stage.

From the BIO.ME piece, at 12 noon at Casa Anchieta, to the scenic tour that will begin at Plaza del Adelantado at 5 p.m. and end at Plaza Hermano Ramón, these works will not only be inspired by the heritage site, but will also transform and redefine it.

Living Heritage, a journey through audiovisual memory, music and traditions

Among the new features of this year’s edition of Heritage Night, La Laguna is incorporating an audiovisual memory section, with two important proposals.

On the one hand, the documentary ‘San Benito. Unknown heritage, between history, plagues and traditions’, directed by Ángel Pérez Quintero, will be premiered. This work will be screened in the chapel itself at 6.30 pm, reminding us that heritage is not always visible and that there are stories that deserve to be told.

Another noteworthy new feature will be the Colecta Memoria project, directed by filmmaker Dailo Barco. This initiative aims to recover local audiovisual heritage and documents the evolution of La Laguna between 1926 and 1976. These images, taken from professional and amateur films after extensive work in various archives, allow us to reconstruct everyday life, customs and historical events of the 20th century, all from an intimate and authentic perspective.

This initiative, which began last July, has been reinforced with a tour of seven community centres to share these film collections with local residents and establish contacts with people who preserve domestic archives. The aim is to preserve this collective memory and access private collections and unpublished material that does not appear in official records and which will be digitised to ensure the survival of this heritage, in accordance with UNESCO recommendations.

In addition, local traditions and music will play an important role in Heritage Night, with parades through the historic streets and concerts that will extend the celebration to the Plaza del Cristo. Under the title Night of Traditions, the Pandorga parade, the fire horses, the giants and big-heads will connect attendees with the Corpus Christi celebrations and with the childhood of entire generations.

Performances by Achamán and Pieles, alongside artists such as Domingo Rodríguez ‘El Colorado’ and Ayla Rodríguez, will provide a night of roots, Canarian percussion and collective emotion that will unite heritage with festive culture.

Open Heritage: an opportunity to explore hidden spaces

Another of the central activities of this Heritage Night will be ‘La Laguna: A heritage of height’, an opportunity to visit, at night and with specialised guides, emblematic spaces of La Laguna’s heritage. This section will offer 3 different visits, each with three passes and limited capacity, to the Museum of Sacred Art of Santa Clara, the church and former convent of Santo Domingo de Guzmán and the Cabrera Pinto Institute of the Canary Islands.

This initiative will therefore provide an opportunity to discover three historic buildings of great heritage interest, with the unique feature that visitors will be able to access some of the most exclusive areas, which are usually restricted. Guided tours will begin at 8pm, 9pm and 10pm at the three locations, and places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis without prior registration.

Those interested should gather 15 minutes before the start of each tour at the starting points, which will be the door of the Church of Santo Domingo de Guzmán, the door of the Instituto de Canarias Cabrera Pinto and the door of the Museum of Sacred Art of the Convent of Santa Clara. As the tour will include areas that are not normally open to the public, some spaces will not be accessible to people with reduced mobility.

International projection

Heritage Night is not only a cultural event, it is a declaration of intent and a shared commitment between the 15 World Heritage Cities of Spain. Its simultaneous nature makes this initiative a unique cultural network in Europe, placing heritage at the heart of sustainable development and social cohesion.

This event is a strategic tool for promoting tourism and culture. The national and international visibility it achieves helps to consolidate La Laguna as a cultural centre of reference, integrating its heritage into contemporary dynamics of creation and participation.

Each activity, from contemporary dance to the recovery of audiovisual memory, is designed not only for local enjoyment, but also to be integrated into a global discourse on cultural preservation and revitalisation, connecting La Laguna with a wider audience and consolidating its position on the contemporary artistic scene.

Furthermore, the cultural dimension of the programme transcends the one-off celebration by generating networks of collaboration between institutions, artists and citizens. It also promotes innovation based on respect for tradition and turns La Laguna into a living laboratory for heritage management.

More information and full programme at: lanochedelpatrimonio.com and 25aniversario.aytolalaguna.es