The 61st edition of the Caracolá Lebrijana concluded this Saturday with a 'sold out' sign in the Plaza del Mantillo. The Diputación de Sevilla received the Caracol de Oro, and performances by La Reina Gitana and Anabel Valencia were applauded by the audience.
The Plaza del Mantillo in Lebrija was too small this Saturday to accommodate the final day of the 61st Caracolá Lebrijana. With the 'sold out' sign hanging since hours before, the flamenco festival wrapped up two weeks of programming with a night where institutional recognition and artistic quality came together.
Caracol de Oro for the Diputación de Sevilla
The mayor of Lebrija, Pepe Barroso, was responsible for presenting the Caracol de Oro, the festival's highest award, to the president of the Diputación de Sevilla, Javier Fernández. In his speech, Barroso highlighted the constant support of the provincial institution for flamenco and the Caracolá: "The Caracol de Oro expresses our gratitude to those who contribute to ensuring that flamenco continues to find stages, audiences, and opportunities to grow."
The mayor recalled that the Caracolá has reached 61 editions, turning Lebrija every summer into "one of the major meeting points for flamenco," a project that preserves the roots of the art while making space for new generations. "Flamenco lives, above all, in the towns, in the peñas, in summer festivals, and in the squares where each recital keeps the flame of this art alive. The Caracolá is a magnificent example of this," he stated.
For his part, Javier Fernández expressed his gratitude for the recognition and emphasized that the Diputación has doubled its investment in supporting flamenco festivals and increased artistic contracts. As an example, he mentioned the recent emergence of the festival 'El duende', featuring figures like José Valencia.
La Reina Gitana and Anabel Valencia, Two Flamenco Women at Their Peak
From an artistic perspective, the night of July 18 will be remembered as one of the great evenings of the Caracolá. The discerning and knowledgeable audience of Lebrija stood up for two prominent gypsy women. Rosario Montoya, the Reina Gitana, took to the stage dressed in a colourful bata de cola and engaged with the piano. She recalled her Lebrijan roots with some seguidillas dedicated to guitarist Miguel Salado and delivered an energetic musical self-portrait that thrilled the audience. The talented Miguel Ángel Heredia, reminiscent of Miguel Funi, sealed one of the most magical moments of the night.
Then came Anabel Valencia. She burst onto the stage with a commanding presence and presented 'Mi esencia', a work that rescues the songs that influenced her sentimental education as a flamenco woman. Images of figures such as Chozas, Pepe Montaraz, Curro Malena, the Lebrijano, and Funi were projected onto the facade of the Casa de la Cultura, adding coherence and added value. Her rendition of 'La nana de los luceros', accompanied on piano by the Reina Gitana, will remain in the audience's memory. She concluded with bulerías, as is customary in Lebrija, with the rhythm of her group: Juan Diego and Manuel Valencia (claps) and Curro Vargas and Juan de Clemente (guitar), among others.
The Caracoles de Oro, Engraved in Stone in El Mantillo
Before the night began, around 10:30 PM, a symbolic event took place: a series of tiles were unveiled, engraved in stone with the names of the artists who have received the Caracol de Oro throughout the festival's history. A tribute that will remain forever in the plaza of Lebrija.
The 61st Caracolá Lebrijana thus concludes a record edition, with the satisfaction of having once again demonstrated that flamenco beats strongly in the towns of the province of Sevilla. For the residents of Lebrija and visitors, this event has become a tradition that fills the Plaza del Mantillo with art and emotion every summer. The next edition, the 62nd, is already eagerly anticipated.
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