Festival Z closes its fifth edition with positive reviews and consolidates its position as a professional meeting place.

Girona, July 15, 2025.-Festival Z came to a close on Sunday after four days dedicated to the performing arts and young creators. The organizers have given a very positive assessment of the fifteen artistic proposals and the connections created between the professional sector and the companies featured in the program. Of the 7 paid events this year, 3 sold out, and the festival achieved an average attendance rate of 87%.

With the aim of serving as a springboard for companies under 30 years of age and providing a meeting place for professionals seeking to connect with the performing arts, Festival Z offered a diverse and unique four-day edition dedicated to the living arts. The program included a total of fifteen performances ranging from clowning, text-based theater, and street theater to dance, music, and installations, with pieces for all audiences. In the words of the organizers: “We are very happy to have been able to celebrate five years of the festival. From this edition, we would like to highlight the quality, diversity, and risk-taking of the performances programmed, as well as the collaborations and opportunities that have arisen between the companies and professionals in the sector within the framework of the festival.”

Attendance has once again been remarkable this year, with an average occupancy rate of 87%, higher than in previous editions, such as 2024, with 79%. As for the seven paid events, three have sold out: the two opening events, which are the show Glòria a la patrona princesa de Girona (Glory to the Patron Saint Princess of Girona) at the Municipal Theater of Girona and the concert by the group Svetlana at the La Mercè Cultural Center; and the premiere of the play Kenòpsia by the Las Calatrava theater company at Parc Central in Girona on Sunday, July 13.

Festival Z has had to cancel the performances scheduled for the afternoon of Saturday, July 12, due to the alert issued by Civil Protection for heavy rain. The performances in question are Tribut a les rates by Las Espectadoras, Field Recordings from Oblivion by the Uku’Pacha company, and I Felt a Funeral, in my Brain by the Lanormal company and Sira Aymerich i Besalú.

A bridge to the professional sector
In addition to the full program, once again this year, Festival Z offered several professional activities aimed at companies, programmers, and other performing arts professionals with the aim of fostering connections and collaboration among them. This fifth edition of the festival welcomed around 120 professionals from the sector from across Catalonia and other parts of Spain, who participated in initiatives such as Danzaoke Z and Let’s Match – Appetizer, among others. This is the highest number in the festival’s history, followed by 2023, which welcomed more than 90 professionals.

Festival Z was created in 2021 by the Joan Bosch Private Foundation, owner of the University School of Arts ERAM – UdG, in line with the foundation’s objectives and track record, which focus on research, qualification, and professionalization in the fields of visual and performing arts. During these four editions, the Festival has welcomed and promoted several emerging companies and artists who, as a result of their participation in the festival, have been able to strengthen their professional structures, generate various alliances, find other financial and logistical support, and plan a tour of the region. Some of the most notable examples are Col·lectiu Desasosiego with the show Un segundo bajo la arena; Cia. Atzucac with Noves espiritualitats per a persones atees; Maria Jover and Gerard Franch with Berenguera; Malsai Produccions with Calla, Judit, calla, and Elena Romero with Costura, among many others.

Press release – Alda Rodríguez and Nina Pagès | Alter Sinergies