The Cabildo has presented this Tuesday the 34th Lanzarote Craft Fair, a traditional event that will be held one more year in the town of Mancha Blanca. This celebration will take place between September 8 and 15, and seeks to enhance the ethnographic heritage of the Archipelago.
More than 100 stalls of different trades from all corners of Lanzarote and the Canary Islands will give visibility to the creativity, work and talent of those who dedicate themselves to this art, among which there will be special guests such as representatives of the Artesanías de Chile Foundation.
The Cabildo announced the new edition of the Fair at an event held at the Mirador de Guiguán, which was attended by the island's president, Oswaldo Betancort; the Councilor for Crafts, Aroa Revelo; the Councilor for Culture, Jesús Machín Tavío, and the Mayor of Tinajo, Jesús Machín, among others.
The president stressed that this is "a event with a high symbolic charge for all that it represents for an island that is moving towards the future without ceasing to look at its roots" and noted that the Fair "will transform Mancha Blanca into a window from which we show the world a small part of the much and good work done by those who do so much to rescue the heritage of our peoples."
Betancort revealed that this edition will be dedicated to spinning, "a trade that we want to highlight through the work of Santiago Ramírez, guide, young master and, at the same time, last guardian of this surprising craft technique on the island of Lanzarote" and, finally, invited the entire population to attend and congratulated the work done by the teams of the Departments of Crafts and Culture, as well as the commitment of the City Council of Tinajo.
The Councilor for Crafts, Aroa Revelo, emphasized that "the Fair will be accessible, inclusive and participatory, so that people can experience and enjoy it, all the people of Lanzarote, without exception." For this reason, physical barriers have been removed to facilitate access for people with reduced mobility and there will be a breastfeeding area and water for pets, among other facilities.
She also detailed that the Fair can be visited on the 8th, from its inauguration, at 5:00 p.m., until 10:00 p.m.; Saturday the 9th and Sunday the 10th, from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.; Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, in the afternoon, from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., and Thursday the 14th and Friday the 15th, again in continuous hours from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
For his part, the Councilor for Culture, Jesús Machín Tavío, stressed that this Mancha Blanca Fair "puts culture, once again, at the service of dialogue and understanding between peoples" and stressed that, during those days, "crafts, tradition, culture, music and gastronomy come together in an event created around the ethnographic heritage and identity of the Canarian people and, on this occasion, also of the Chilean people."
Finally, the Mayor of Tinajo, Jesús Machín, thanked and congratulated the Cabildo "for its involvement and for choosing the municipality again as the venue for the largest and most anticipated tribute to the crafts of Lanzarote."
The event will host various performances by parrandas and music groups; live crafts; an enyesque patio, where you can taste traditional cuisine and a traditional games patio, where children can discover how older people entertained themselves with bolichis, spinning tops or bottle caps. In addition, there will be exhibitions of shepherd's jump and Canarian wrestling.
There will also be 15 workshops, of which seven will be family workshops, taught by artisans from both Lanzarote and Chile, as well as by NGOs and associations that have wanted to collaborate, such as the Milana Association.
Among the participating artisans there will be 14 from Gran Canaria, 21 from Tenerife, three from La Gomera, one from La Palma, El Hierro and Fuerteventura, and 62 from Lanzarote.
The program of the 34th Craft Fair, the concerts and all the other acts and events can be consulted on the web.
New edition of the Nanino Díaz Cutillas Festival
During the presentation, the Nanino Díaz Cutillas Festival was also announced, "an illustrious figure of Canarianism who did so much for the Archipelago, spreading the value of its genuine musical features. Under the direction of another illustrious Canarian, the Lanzarote native Benito Cabrera, the festival will feature an extensive and varied representation of the folklore of the seven islands to become a window of the Canarian musical heritage that opens to the world," added Councilor Jesús Machín Tavío.
The folk festival will be on the same day as the inauguration of the Craft Fair, next Friday, September 8, starting at 9:00 p.m., on the esplanade of Mancha Blanca, with free admission.