More than 5,000 people, according to the council, enjoyed the activities organized at the JuveFest festival last weekend. This fourth edition of the comic, video game, film, anime, cosplay, Kpop and arts festival of Lanzarote, dedicated to the 80s, has thus fulfilled the objective that both the mayor, Yonathan de León, and the Councilor for Youth, Rosmen Quevedo, and the director of the event, Daniel Moisés Pérez, highlighted during its presentation: to respond to the demands of the capital's youth, through an alternative culture that goes out into the streets to revitalize the neighborhoods.
And, on this occasion, and for the first time, JuveFest was presented as a large-format event that took place behind the Lanzarote Open Mall Shopping Center, where the different spaces were distributed to accommodate dubbing actors and actresses, such as José Posada and Patricia Rada; youtubers such as Hache, Keunam and Hermoti; the Anime singer: Miree (voice of the One Piece intro); the Star Wars Gran Canaria Association and the cosplayer Tayri con Y; in addition to illustrators and singers from the world of Anime and concerts with soundtracks from 80s films.
The festival also featured magic performances with a tribute to Harry Potter; musical performances, a dance tribute to Queen, Japanese culture workshops, board games, Hama, etc. One of the most successful spaces was, according to the organization, the Gaming Zone, where attendees could access computers, online tournaments, virtual reality, retro consoles and workshops related to the 80s culture for the whole family.
The mayor of the city, Yonathan de León, highlights how "very positive it is to bring these events to the neighborhoods of Arrecife", because "it favors the active involvement of youth, due to its proximity". The first mayor of Arrecife has emphasized that the celebration in 2024 of JuveFest, in this area, next to the neighborhoods of Los Alonso and Valterra, is part of the objectives of his group of "Municipal Government to promote revitalization throughout the municipality".
The Councilor for Youth, Rosmen Quevedo, an active participant in JuveFest, appreciates the response from the citizens and the involvement of the associations that have made this new edition possible (La Legión Perdida, Shin sekai, Lánzate and Softcombat), whom he encourages to start thinking about the program for next year.
"It has been a healthy and very familiar festival, in which everyone has had fun", said the councilor, who stressed that "the space chosen for its celebration has been a success" and that the objective set by the Department of Youth is to "continue working hand in hand with youth groups and associations because they are the ones who best know their tastes and demands".
"It is about listening and working based on those demands, because only then can we design a program of events and activities that is truly attractive to our young people, and that takes place throughout the year and in all the neighborhoods of the city", emphasizes Rosmen Quevedo.