The cultural agenda in May offers a wide range of cultural activities and events in celebration of the International Museum Day. Until June 1st, the ‘V International Photography Festival of Castile and Leon’ in Palencia showcases the work of fifteen artists from the national and international photography scene.
May 1st, 2025
Castile and Leon | Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Sports
The Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Sports presents the cultural program for the month of May with 736 activities across the community’s network of centers, spread across the nine provinces. This includes regional and provincial museums, libraries, archives of Castile and Leon, Palacio Quintanar, Filmoteca, and other reference centers, as well as the Castile and Leon Symphony Orchestra.
The program features 53 temporary exhibitions, 63 guided tours, 24 film series, 77 talks and conferences, courses and meetings, 73 music activities and concerts, nearly 150 theater and performing arts shows, 77 reading animation activities and literary presentations, along with 197 courses, workshops, educational and family activities, and 25 online activities.
International Museum Day
The four regional museums and nine provincial museums join the celebration of International Museum Day on May 18th, initiated by the International Council of Museums (ICOM). This year’s theme is ‘The Future of Museums in Communities in Constant Change.’
In honor of this event, the regional and provincial museums will open their doors for free and offer various activities and proposals, including guided tours, conferences, workshops, musical performances, or theater, providing a different way to explore the richness and diversity of their collections and temporary exhibitions.
V International Photography Festival of Castile and Leon
Throughout May, you can enjoy the V International Photography Festival of Castile and Leon, taking place in Palencia from April 30th to June 1st, under the theme ‘We are all nomads.’ The festival will feature a diverse program of activities and up to twenty exhibitions in venues such as the Museum of Palencia, the Public Library, or the Provincial Historical Archive, showcasing the works of fifteen artists from the national and international photography scene.
Another highlight on this month’s cultural agenda is the 39th International Puppet Theater Festival of Segovia, Titirimundi 2025, from May 13th to 18th, with the participation of 39 companies and over 400 performances. From Segovia, the festival extends its program to the cities of Burgos, Leon, Candeleda (Avila), Palencia, Salamanca, and Zamora.
Exhibitions, Cinema, Music, and Theater
Among the exhibitions, notable temporary exhibitions include ‘As things happen, nothing happens as well. MUSAC Collection’ and ‘Yasumasa Morimura. Self-portraits through Art History’ at MUSAC, where the exhibition ‘Ai Weiwei. Don Quixote’ can still be visited until May 18th; ‘Dressing the mud. Photographs from the Madrid School of Ceramics in Castile and Leon’ at the Ethnographic Museum of Castile and Leon; the exhibitions ‘Animal companion,’ ‘Coal slaves,’ and ‘The last ones from the mine’ at the Museum of Iron and Mining of Castile and Leon in Sabero (Leon); the exhibitions ‘Another wild salon’ by Yolanda Tabanera, and ‘Art in vinyl. Chambao Collection’ at Palacio Quintanar; and the micro-explanations offered by the Museum of Human Evolution for International Museum Day, focusing on the changes brought by the discoveries in the Sierra de Atapuerca.
The agenda also includes other new exhibitions such as ‘Returning memory’ at the Provincial Historical Archive of Avila; ‘The beauty of the instant’ at the Provincial Historical Archive of Soria; and the new exhibition presented by the Museum of Leon focusing on the photography of Belen Sánchez Campos.
Other initiatives include a film series organized by the Filmoteca of Castile and Leon to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the death of writer Gonzalo Torrente Ballester, co-organized by the Castile and Leon Regional Government and the City Council of Salamanca.
Music will take center stage in events such as the extraordinary concert by the Castile and Leon Symphony Orchestra at the Burgos Cathedral on May 2nd, conducted by Roberto Forés Veses, and programs 15 and 16 of the 2024/24 Season of the OSCyL, under the direction of Pierre Bleuse and Emilia Höving, respectively.
FUENTE