Granada Improfest 2026 "Regenerating the Imaginarium"

Granada Improfest 2026 (GIF 2026) is the third edition of a travelling, international, independent, non-profit festival dedicated to the exchange, research and development of artistic improvisation practices and interdisciplinary encounters. 

Under the theme “Regenerating Imaginaries”, the festival invites reflection and action around climate awareness and our relationship with the natural environment. Through the dynamics and values inherent to improvisation —active listening, negotiation and artistic dialogue, creation in the moment, a sense of collectivity, and the celebration of individuality— the festival invites participants to imagine, create, explore and share new and ancient ways of relating to the natural world.

This edition also introduces a line of research focused on folkloric materials and local traditions. The folklore of Granada, together with materials drawn from the cultural traditions of participating artists, including those from the United Kingdom and Denmark, will be researched and explored through a range of improvisational activities. These traditional practices are understood not as static or merely heritage-based elements, but as living sources of knowledge, memory and creativity, capable of generating new imaginaries and new ways of relating to our environment.

The festival’s ecological and sustainability dimension is also developed through its network of collaborations. GIF 2026’s main collaborating organisation is the Granada Jazz Association “Ool Ya Koo”, alongside Proyecto Camaleón and the international project “Green Folkways Exchange”, funded by the Danish Arts Council. These collaborations make it possible to integrate sustainability and ecological awareness as transversal competencies within the artistic practices and activities of the festival.

The programme will include soundpainting workshops, improvisation concerts, performances, storytelling, exhibitions and other participatory activities, taking place primarily across the venues of Ool Ya Koo and Espacio Camaleón.