The 31st edition of the Festival Internacional de Música Antiga i Barroca de Peñíscola begins this Friday, bringing Baroque music to the historic Castillo del Papa Luna. La Regalada opens the festival with a heraldic parade through the old town at 20:30. A week of performances by international and Spanish ensembles follows.
Friday’s program moves inside the castle at 22:30, where Valencian group Mediterrània Consort performs with soprano Aurora Peña under the direction of David Antich. Their concert, titled A furore ad gloriam, explores two distinct Baroque sound cultures from 1680 to 1710. It contrasts the French tradition, known for its courtly grandeur, with the Italian style’s expressive soloists and dramatic affect. That contrast reflects the festival’s broader theme: the diversity of European Baroque music.
The festival schedule brings a series of impressive acts to Peñíscola. On July 25, Capella de Ministrers presents El conqueridor at the Palau de Congressos, exploring the legacy of Jaume I under the direction of Carles Magraner. The following evening, Taiwanese ensemble The Gleam Ensemble performs De carne y aliento: el arte de disminución en el mundo de los Habsburgo at the castle, making its first international appearance at this edition. On July 27, Forma Antiqva from Asturias performs De Sópitu at the castle, led by Aarón Zapico.
International performances continue on July 28, when Germany’s Ensemble 1700 presents Follias! Dorothee Oberlinger plays recorder, while soprano Hélène Walter and violinist-dancer Yves Ytier also feature. On July 29, Catalonia’s Ensemble Contratemps stages Los elementos: ópera y flamenco at the Palau de Congressos, based on Antonio Literes’ score. On July 30, Qvinta Essençia and Ensemble Arquivolta present A la caza de los sentidos, a program themed around a day of hunting, at the castle.
British vocal group Stile Antico closes the international segment on July 31 with Postales polifónicas, a journey through European cities in polyphonic style. The festival’s final major concert is scheduled for August 1, when Madrid’s La Ritirata performs Amor místico: música y poesía with actress Manuela Velasco and cellist-director Josetxu Obregón. The family-friendly show Follia d’amore. Al voltant dels quatre afectes de l’amor is set for August 2 at noon at the Palau de Congressos. It is presented by Camerata Antiga from the Conservatori Superior de Música de Castelló. The festival ends at midnight on August 2 with the traditional piromusical show Foc Barroc by Pirotècnia Tomàs on Peñíscola’s north beach.
Beatriz Traver, deputy director of Music and Popular Culture at the Institut Valencià de Cultura, highlighted the presence of acclaimed groups including Stile Antico and The Gleam Ensemble, as well as Ensemble 1700. She said the international acts complement Spain’s leading Baroque performers in a balanced, high-level program. Advance tickets cost €15 and are available on the festival’s website, at the Casa de l’Aigua, and at the castle box office on concert days. Admission to the family show Follia d’amore is free; tickets can be downloaded from the IVC portal or collected at the box office.
Peñíscola’s festival brings local heritage and international talent to a venue steeped in history. The Castillo del Papa Luna, once home to Benedict XIII (Pedro Martínez de Luna y Pérez de Gotor), provides a dramatic setting for performances spanning centuries and cultures. The event coincides with other regional festivities, including Cantabria’s Día de las Instituciones, recently confirmed as a public holiday for that region only, as detailed in this report on Cantabria’s unique July 28 observance. The overlap reflects Spain’s varied summer cultural calendar, where music and local traditions meet against a backdrop of history.
Baroque music festivals like Peñíscola’s have become fixtures of Spain’s summer, drawing dedicated enthusiasts and casual visitors. Historic venues paired with thematic programming offer a cultural experience, while international artists add to the appeal. Affordable tickets and free family events make the festival accessible to a broad audience. As the 31st edition unfolds, Peñíscola reinforces its standing as a destination for early music and shows how cultural heritage remains part of contemporary Spain.
