Cartagena recently celebrated the incredible 28th edition of the “Entre Cuerdas y Metales” classical music competition, a well-established event on the Costa Calida that combined music, tradition, creativity, and a celebration of the talented youths in the Region of Murcia. The event was held in the El Batel Municipal Auditorium in Cartagena on Saturday, May 9, and was organised by the Youth Service of the Cartagena City Council, as well as the Cartagena Conservatory of Music.

A successful 28th edition of this established and prestigious gala

This year’s edition was dedicated to Manuel de Falla, a famed Spanish composer and pianist,  on the 150th anniversary of his birth. It featured dozens of young musicians awaiting the jury’s decision in the eight categories of the competition. These talented young prodigies competed in the categories of Piano, Percussion, Woodwind, Brass, String, Plucked String, Voice, and Chamber Music, and showed off their incredible prowess, talent, and hard work during the competition.

This year’s event was a tribute to Spanish music, and the gala recognised the participants’ efforts with theatricality, emotion, and humour. This year’s edition, once more, was headlined by the company El Hechizo Teatro, who led the ceremony with an original rhythm. 

One of the main highlights of this edition of the event was the performance by the Aureum Trio, who won the Chamber Music category in the previous edition of the gala. 

Hundreds of talented musicians

More than 200 young performers participated in this year’s edition. In total, the event gathered hundreds of performers, families, teachers, and lovers of music and culture. The attendance showcased the relevance of this incredible music competition after nearly three decades since its founding. It also represented a high artistic level of this year’s competition and the judges continuously emphasised the difficulty of reaching their verdicts since all the performances were so exemplary.

All in all, the 28th edition of the event was a booming success, showcasing the incredible musical talent of these youths not only in Cartagena, but in the whole of the Region of Murcia and beyond.

Over the weekend, Cartagena celebrated one of its largest springtime festivities, a festival that brought live music, dancing, and entertainment to the streets to dazzle the public. The Much More May festival, now in its remarkable 20th edition, featured dozens of performances and workshops that locals and visitors to the Costa Calida hub participated in.

Cartagena’s springtime festival dazzles audiences

This edition of the Much More May festival featured a heavy emphasis on performing arts. During the weekend, those wandering the streets of Cartagena were treated to acrobatic shows, contemporary circus performances, poetry recitals, and live music, all under the theme of this year’s edition, “Against Indifference.”

One of the most anticipated performances was “Wild,” a performance combining dance, acrobatics, and physical theatre by the British company Motion House. The show, which drew a huge crowd, transformed the stage into a forest that symbolised the hectic nature of urban life and reflected on the disconnection of human beings from nature in modern society.

Another major highlight of the festival was a performance of “The Speed of Light,” a community theatre production that put the residents of Cartagena in the spotlight. The performance featured experiences, songs, and dreams of local talents. This piece was performed in the plaza of the former Centre for Innovation and Media, to a great turnout.

Poetry workshops also featured heavily during the festival, highlighting the importance of the arts to this spectacular springtime event. The recital “Practices for Inmanence” drew a large audience and created a space for reflection on engaging in dialogue with nature and relating to others.

Events for all ages were also hosted at the Cartagena City Council’s festival art lab, including a culinary workshop, an experimental ceramics workshop, and more.

Incredible art exhibition available for summertime audiences

Additionally, Caliu, an exhibition produced by the festival which brings together various works from artist Fito Conesa’s career, will be available for viewing in Cartagena until the end of June. Fito Conesa is a Cartagena artist, now based in Barcelona, who explores the intersection of language, sound, and interpretation of music. His work has featured in large-scale artistic exhibitions, including at the ARCO Madrid Contemporary Art Fair and institutions like the MACBA and CaixaForum.

Registration has officially opened for the biggest night race of the summer in the Mar Menor area, taking place on the first Saturday of July. The 2026 edition of the Aidemarcha, which this year will mark its 16th year, has a total of 3,000 bib numbers available for participants and the turnout is expected to be huge as people from all over the Costa Calida and beyond gather to participate.

A race with a charitable heart in the Mar Menor

The race is being organised by Aidemar, a non-profit organisation in the Region of Murcia that aims to facilitate inclusion for children with disabilities. It has been carrying out activities and charitable work in service to those with disabilities since 1982. Along with the association, the San Javier Town Council is also participating in the organisation of this major sports event.

The Mini Aidemarcha race, which is aimed at children, will kick off the event in the starting area, located next to Almansa Park in the municipality of San Javier. The walkers participating in the race will cover a distance of 3 kilometres, whereas the runners will cover 5 kilometres, departing from the same point and finishing the race at the Barnuevo esplanade in Santiago de la Ribera.

The sporting event will also have a strong charitable aspect, as all the proceeds from the race will go towards the maintenance and improvement of the various Aidemar centres in the Region of Murcia, according to organisers.

A communitywide collaboration: How to participate in Aidemarcha 2026

More than 100 volunteers will assist with the organisation and setup of the race, including the start, finish, course, entertainment, and bib number collection. In addition, 62 companies are collaborating to make the event possible.

Registrations can be made through the official race website, aidemarcha.com. A total of 1,500 bibs are available for walkers, 1,000 for runners, and 500 for the Mini Aidemarcha race, which allows participants up to the age of 13. The price is €10 for walkers and runners, and €5 for the children’s race.

According to San Javier’s Councillor for Sports, Sergio Martínez, Aidemarcha is the sporting event with the highest registration of all those held in the municipalities. This race also forms part of the popular race league in the Region of Murcia.