Vitality, our seduction capacity and the opportunities generated by Sitges are our best allies, and the tools that we can exhibit to insure greater assurance and confidence. Just today, our town will host another festival that receives the unanimous approval, thanks to the good results generated and its high economic impact: the International Festival of Patchwork. For four days, participants at the festival, practically from every European country, will contribute actively to create movement and dynamism and, for this reason, the City Council is totally committed to insure its survival in Sitges.
Also, about one hundred Irish artists and cultural agents will arrive today to participate in the first edition of the Creative Connections Festival. It is an initiative of the Irish Council of Arts with the active involvement of several institutions and organizations from Sitges. They have created an interesting, varied and interactive program of events, including concerts, poetry reading, debates, exhibitions, audiovisual shows and cultural routes, among other proposals. Creative Connections allows artists to exchange ideas and experiences and show them to the public. And Sitges, as a cultural flagship, is the setting and the lab for such an attractive meeting.
Next Sunday we will close the first edition of the Catalan-Irish festival, but five days later we will inaugurate another first edition, this time the Catalan-American meeting. The Festival Catalunya - Amèricas, promoted by Joventuts Musicals, also supported by different organizations including the City Council, includes music, literature and art during Easter Week. The festival is thus a quality offer for visitors who come to Sitges during the Passover, and at the same time, it allows to preserve a part of our collective legacy: the journey of many of our ancestors to the Americas in search of opportunities.
Just after Easter, we will greet a new festival: the Jazz Antic Sitges Festival, a classic jazz festival promoted by the Department of Culture, led by Mireia Rossell and the valuable contribution of experts and music professionals. The JAS represents a continuation of vintage jazz festivals, which during the early 70’s transformed our town in an international jazz center. The three days of this new cultural event will publicize our relationship with the world of jazz, and will constitute a proud showcase for our musicians to our visitors at the same times that it will strengthen our cultural programming.
Sitges is alive and kicking, its seduction capacity and charm are intact. I am fully aware of the statement above, that's why it's a priority to promote, collaborate and work in tandem with all positive initiatives such as festivals.
