June brings with it an array of cultural events as the Costa del Sol joins the rest of Spain in cautiously approaching something near business as usual. Covid-19 still lingers in the background but governments and event organisers in the region are confident the situation is under control, and the social calendar is being swiftly filled to reflect this fact.
Some restrictions will remain in place throughout summer; venues will have to operate with limited capacity, for starters, but one considerable silver lining is that Starlite Catalana Occidente – an upcoming boutique festival in Marbella – will expand its programme this year so as to compensate for the limited entries at each event.
This means that, as from Thursday the 17th of June, the Cantera de Nagüeles, Marbella will serve as the epicentre of a blend of music, culture and gastronomy in the 10th edition of a festival that is set to serve up a dizzying variety of talent and entertainment.
With Thursday 17th serving as something of a warm up, the first concert takes place on Friday the 18th with Ella Baila Sola headlining as part of their 25th anniversary reunion tour. The duet of Marta and Marilia will be familiar to any fans of Spanish pop rock, and Starlite will be the perfect opportunity for them to give their greatest hits an airing.
Speaking of classic Spanish duos, Estopa will be gracing the stage on August 19th, with the indefatigable Muñoz brothers sure to bring their usual high octane performance on the night.
The schedule lists a who’s who of Spanish artists which range from superstars of recent decades – such as La Oreja de Van Gogh (25th June), Melendi (13th July), Rosario (4th August) and David Bisbal (23rd August) – to veritable legends in the shape of José Luis Perales (28th July) and Tomatito (13th August) among others. Perales has served as a huge influence to generations of musicians, and the 50 million records sold over his 50 year career speak to his immense, timeless popularity. Aficionados of flamenco will need no introduction to Tomatito; his partnership over two decades with the peerless Camarón de la Isla has been written into Flamenco’s lore. His collaboration with Camarón and Paco de Lucia resulted in truly genre-deciding classics, and while he has outlived his erstwhile companions, their spirit lives on through his performances.
On the subject of musical legends, none other than Sir Tom Jones (16th August) will be part of the cohort of international visitors returning to the stage at Starlite as the festival once again welcomes artists from abroad. Bonnie Tyler (14th August) joins her compatriot and will be sure to delight fans.
Younger music fans will be more than happy too: Omar Montes (23rd August), Lola Índigo (4th September) Camilo (17th & 18th July) and Beret (26th June & 31st August) are among the new wave of musicians which may have less familiar names to older crowds but rack up billions of plays across their online platforms.
This is all without even mentioning the numerous DJ sets, the ballet, the gourmet menu of the Starlite restaurant (With services offered pre-show 10:00 – 22:00 and post-show 23:00-01:30) or the dozens more artists with performances scheduled over the coming months.
It is currently expected that audiences will be limited to 65% capacity and that masks will be required during performances, with temperature checks and disinfectant points ensuring Covid-safe standards of hygiene.
For more information, visit starlitemarbella.com.
Tickets are available on starlitemarbella.koobin.com.
or by calling 0034 902 750 787.
To make a reservation at the restaurant, email reservas@starlitecatalanaoccidente.com
or call 0034 910 059 778.
