Ecuador will be the main protagonist of the 31st edition of La Mar de Músicas to be held from July 17 to 25 in Cartagena, Murcia. The event will dedicate its programming to showcasing the artistic and cultural richness of the country through music, cinema, literature, visual arts, and gastronomy.
The Ecuadorian presence will include 10 bands and musical artists, among them: Swing Original Monks, Margarita Laso, Lolabúm, Machaka, Paola Navarrete and Papaya Dada, who will share the stage with international figures such as Rubén Blades, Lila Downs, Sílvia Pérez Cruz, Carminho and Monsieur Periné.
The festival will also screen eight Ecuadorian films, in one of the broadest national cinema cycles organized outside the country, with titles such as: Rats, Mice, Thieves (1999) – Sebastián Cordero; Holiday (2014) – Diego Araujo; Chuzalongo (2024) – Diego Ortuño; The Wánabis (2023) – Santiago Paladines; Ivy (2025) – Ana Cristina Barragán; The Drowned (2025) – Juan Sebastián Jácome; Damned Old Men (2025) – Xavier Chávez; and, Us, My Dad and the Dog (2025) – Pablo Arturo Suárez.
The programming will be complemented by three art exhibitions, including one dedicated to Oswaldo Guayasamín and others about the identity and migration of the Ecuadorian community in Spain, as well as a literary space featuring prominent writers such as Mónica Ojeda, María Fernanda Ampuero, Gabriela Alemán and Yuliana Ortiz Ruano.
As a novelty, the festival will incorporate a gastronomic program dedicated to the South American country, with the participation of restaurants from Cartagena and culinary experiences led by Ecuadorian chefs Sebastián López (Hannibal) and Miguel Ángel Méndez (Ayawaskha), alongside their Spanish counterparts at 2020 Estudio and Restaurante Mi Mare, respectively.
For nine days, La Mar de Músicas will offer 45 concerts, where Ecuador will be the focus of a programming that seeks to strengthen cultural ties with Spain and with our migrant community while projecting the country’s creativity to thousands of international attendees.
All information about this event, one of the most important cultural festivals in Europe organized by the Cartagena City Council, can be consulted on its website.
