The International Guitar Festival of Córdoba has been running since 1980. That's 45 editions. It's one of the few festivals in Europe where classical guitar, flamenco and contemporary music share the same programme — not as a compromise, but because Córdoba is one of the few cities where all three traditions have genuine roots.
The 45th edition runs 25 June – 11 July 2026.
Historic venues
The three main venues are chosen deliberately. The Gran Teatro (1,000 seats) handles the larger classical and rock acts — the acoustics work, the formality fits. The Teatro Góngora (500 seats) is where the flamenco guitar masters perform; the smaller space changes how you hear it. You can see a player's hands, track the attack on every note. The Teatro de la Axerquía is the outdoor stage for contemporary and rock acts, starting later in the evening when the heat breaks.
2026 programme
Gran Teatro (20:30)
| Date | Artist | Tickets |
|---|---|---|
| 25–26 June | Vicente Amigo (opening nights) | — |
| 27 June | bROTHERS iN bAND | €11–27 |
| 3 July | Teddy Bautista: El Periplo de las Heroínas | €11–27 |
| 4 July | José Antonio Rodríguez Quinteto | €10–24 |
| 11 July | La Reina Blanca (Homenaje a Blanca del Rey) | €11–27 |
Teatro Góngora (20:30, classical/flamenco, €12–15)
| Date | Artist |
|---|---|
| 2 July | Manuel Barrueco |
| 5 July | Mª Esther Guzmán |
| 7 July | Juanfe Pérez |
| 9 July | David Russell |
| 10 July | Leo & Leo (Leonor Watling + Leo Sidran) |
Teatro de la Axerquía (22:00–22:30)
| Date | Artist | Tickets |
|---|---|---|
| 1 July | Love of Lesbian | €40–45 |
| 2 July | Sanguijuelas del Guadiana + Aslándticos | €30–35 |
| 4 July | WarCry – Ángelus Apatrida | €30–35 |
| 5 July | Siloé | €25 |
| 8 July | Luz Casal (with Nat Simons & Aurora Beltrán) | €40–45 |
| 9 July | Loquillo: Gira 2026 | €25 |
Education alongside the concerts
The festival has always run an education strand alongside the main programme: masterclasses with visiting artists, guitar-making courses (lutherie), flamenco initiation, and related courses in flamenco accompaniment, dance, singing and contemporary techniques. More than 200 students from around the world attend each year. If you play, or you're interested in how the instrument is made, this side of the programme is worth investigating separately.
What the experience is like
July evenings in Córdoba run hot into the night. The walk from your hotel to the Gran Teatro through the historic centre at 20:00, the outdoor cafés still busy, the sense that the evening is only just starting — it's a good setting for live music.
The Teatro Góngora flamenco concerts are where the festival earns its name. The venue is small enough to watch a guitarist's hands in detail, hear the attack on each note. These are working musicians at the peak of their form, not tourist shows. If you've seen flamenco before and want to go deeper, start here.
The Gran Teatro classical concerts attract well-known soloists and ensembles. Quality ranges from very good to exceptional. Check the lineup carefully — a few concerts each edition stand out clearly from the rest.
After the concert
The Judería and Centro are ten minutes' walk from most venues. Terrace tables on Calle Cardenal Herrero stay open until midnight. A concert followed by dinner on a terrace near the Mezquita is one of the better ways to spend a July evening in Andalusia.
Practical tips
Concerts start at 20:30 (Gran Teatro, Teatro Góngora) or 22:00–22:30 (Teatro de la Axerquía). Tickets run €10 to €45 depending on the event.
Season passes (abonos): If you're attending three or more concerts at the same venue, the same-venue abono gives a 25% discount. The Abono à la Carte — three or more shows across any venue — saves 20%. Note that the Loquillo and Siloé concerts are excluded from both passes.
Book ahead for popular concerts. Flamenco evenings at the Teatro Góngora sell out quickly, sometimes within days of going on sale. The programme publishes on the official website roughly two months before the festival opens.
→ Complete guide: Guitar Festival 2026 — artists, tickets, masterclasses
