31 ARCA 2025 - International Street Arts Meeting (Encuentro Internacional de Artes de Calle)

The International ARCA Festival, the longest-running street arts event in Castilla y León, celebrates its 31st edition in 2025 in Aguilar de Campoo, consolidating its position as a cultural, social and economic engine in the Palencia Mountains. With more than three decades of experience, ARCA has become a national and international reference, bringing contemporary performing arts to unique rural and heritage environments.Culture, development and sustainability in rural areasThe festival is committed to cultural decentralization, the generation of local employment and gender equality, with a mostly female team and the hiring of professionals from the region. ARCA is an example of dynamization of the territory, attracting each year more than 15,000 spectators, well above the census population, and contributing to the tourist projection of Aguilar de Campoo and its surroundings.The program, which includes disciplines such as circus, dance, theater and music, takes place in emblematic historical and natural spaces, such as the Monastery of Santa María la Real, the Collegiate Church of San Miguel or the squares and streets of the historic center of the town.Alliances, social and educational impactARCA has the collaboration of associations, social groups and local companies, and promotes citizen participation through volunteering and educational activities such as workshops, open classes and radio programs. The festival encourages the creation of new audiences, especially among children and youth, and reinforces its commitment to equality, accessibility and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).International programming and artistic qualityThe 31st edition will bring together companies from Spain, Europe, Africa and Asia, with shows selected for their quality, diversity and capacity for innovation. Featured artists include Pepe Viyuela, international companies and local talents such as We Art Dance. The festival maintains alliances with reference events such as the Castilla y León Theater Fair and Circada in Seville.Recognitions and projectionARCA has been awarded prizes such as the Castilla y León Theater Fair and the Observatory of Culture, and is recognized for its contribution to the promotion of the performing arts in rural areas. The organization, led by Jorge Sanz Pulido, an award-winning cultural manager, guarantees the viability and quality of the event.Environmental commitmentThe festival calculates and offsets its carbon footprint, integrating environmental sustainability in its management and programming.ConclusionARCA is much more than a festival: it is a transformative project that connects heritage, art and community, and that year after year reaffirms the potential of the rural environment as a space for innovation and cultural encounter.