The Eibar Theatre Festival 2026 Once again, the Gipuzkoa city is on the map of the performing arts in Spain, with an edition that lasts for more than two months and combines tradition, reflection, and a diverse program of shows. With almost half a century of history, the festival remains one of Gipuzkoa's most recognizable cultural events and a key reference point for companies and audiences from across the country.
This 49th edition takes place during the winter months, with performances running from the beginning of February to the end of March, and a program that mixes street theatre, comedy, drama, dance, clowning and children's showsin both Basque and Spanish. The audience response, with thousands of tickets already sold and several shows showing "no tickets available," confirms the appeal of a festival that has gained a loyal following over the years.
A start marked by the discussion and the return of Imanol Arias
Within Eibar Theatre Festival 2026The traditional opening discussion once again serves as the starting gun for a "long month" of performances. This time, the main guest is actor Imanol Arias, who returns to the town in what feels like a true homecoming, accompanied by actress María Barranco, with whom he shares the stage in the play. Better not to say it.
The meeting, presented by Irene HernandoThe discussion revolves around the theme of "The Home" and takes as its starting point a quote from the character Tiresias, from classical mythology, addressed to his daughter Manto: "Daughter, always have a place to which you can return." From there, the conversation delves into the idea of what that place is for actors and actresses who spend a good part of their professional lives traveling, linking tours and stages.
The conversation invites one to ask oneself where the interpreter's "home" actually residesWhether it's the childhood home one returns to after wandering streets and schoolyards, whether it's family, whether it's the living spaces of the characters one brings to life, or perhaps every stage, set, and film shoot one sets foot on throughout one's career. The long periods away from home, the small "odysseys" of each performance, and the need for a place to return to set the tone for a talk that aims to open the Conference with reflection.
The opening colloquium, scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at the Coliseum, has generated considerable interest among local and visiting audiences, to the point that advance ticket sales have served as a preview of what the following days would bring: a program with high demand and a very intense rate of ticket acquisition.
“Better Not Say It”: Comedy Featured on the Poster
Following the opening talk, Imanol Arias and María Barranco will take to the stage of the Coliseum to star in the comedy on February 10th and 11th. Better not to say itA play by Salomé Lelouch, directed by Claudio Tolcachir and produced by Pablo Kompel and Pentación Espectáculos. The show arrives in Eibar after its run in Buenos Aires and a tour of Uruguay, Chile, and Paraguay, where it garnered a sold out absolute in each function.
In this proposal, He (played by Imanol Arias) and She (played by María Barranco) are a long-married couple whose formula for living together has been based on knowing when to speak and when to remain silentThe plot takes off when they decide, for once, to tell each other everything without filters, opening the door to a cascade of truths, reproaches, and situations recognizable to the audience.
The play draws on classic love triangle comedies, but updates them with a brisk pace and humor that plays on the "best left unsaid" aspects of everyday life. As Claudio Tolcachir emphasizes, it is a theatrical provocation, an interpretive delight in which two well-known actors of the general public "open the doors to what we always think is better not to say", questioning commonplaces, changing the point of view and working with complicity and irony.
The anticipation of seeing both performers share the stage, combined with the buzz surrounding the discussion about "The House," has caused tickets for Better not to say it Tickets sell out in advance. The Eibar City Council's Culture Department has confirmed that this title, along with the show Ask melon Millán Salcedo's is among the major programming attractions, with the "no tickets available" sign posted days before its performances.
Diverse program: street theatre, comedy, drama and family-friendly shows
Beyond the big media figures, the program of the Eibar Theatre Festival 2026 It is built on a mix of styles and formats that seeks to reach different audiences. The City Council highlights the combination of top-tier names and local companies, a formula that has been key to to build audience loyalty and strengthen the local and regional performing arts scene.
The 49th edition brings together 24 companies and totals around 44 actresses and 43 actors across various venues, with a total budget of around 220.000 euros. Throughout January, February, and March, street performances, comedies, contemporary dramas, dance pieces, clown shows, and performances specifically aimed at children and families will alternate, with productions in both Basque and Spanish.
The calendar kicks off strongly in February, with a series of very different titles. In addition to Better not to say itThe program includes works such as Ask melon, in which Millán Salcedo resorts to improvisation based on questions from the audience, or productions such as Candida, Casting Lear, Against Anna, Nor naizen baneki o Dysphoriaas well as performances in spaces such as Uni Eibar and various family-oriented events throughout the city.
In the case of Ask melonThe dynamic is based on direct interaction with the audience: Millán Salcedo responds on the spot to questions posed from the audience, transforming the theater into a space of complicity and shared memories centered around television and theatrical humor. The show has generated considerable interest and has also sold out. sold out, reinforcing the idea that comedy is one of the main driving forces of these Days.
The parallel program will include interventions in different streets and squares of the city, as has already been seen with the space Kalez-Kale / Street StyleThanks to LEKIM Konpania, which brought theatrical parodies to various locations in Eibar as a prelude to the main program. This line of work seeks taking the theatre to the streetsto bring it closer to those who may not usually go to theaters and to reinforce the presence of culture in everyday urban life.
Cinema within the Conference: section “Theatre in Cinema”
In addition to theatrical performances, the Eibar Theatre Festival 2026 They reserve a specific space for audiovisual media with the section "Theater in Film," integrated within the 26th Eibar Asier Errasti Short Film Festival. This initiative establishes a dialogue between theatrical and cinematic languages, incorporating into the program a selection of short films that address, from different perspectives, themes related to theater or acting.
This block will feature several short films, including All you need is love, directed by Dany Ruz (13 minutes and 41 seconds), Death, by Jesús Martínez (12 minutes and 43 seconds), and Angie, directed by Josep Varo (9 minutes and 23 seconds). Each of these short films offers its own perspective, ranging from intimate drama to portraits of characters in extreme situations, as well as stories more open to interpretation.
The exhibition is completed with titles such as Thanks for nothing, by Laura Zurrón and Roberto Mora (13 minutes and 10 seconds), Insurmountable, by Javier Marco (18 minutes and 10 seconds), Give up smoking, by Javier Rubio (11 minutes and 16 seconds) and The mother's/unmother's cardby Xabier Vitoria (14 minutes). The diversity of styles and durations allows to bring the public closer to a broad overview of short films current at the state level, always with the focus on interpretation and the expressive possibilities of the short format.
This film section is integrated into the very dynamics of the Festival, reinforcing the idea that theater is not a self-contained entity, but rather intersects with and draws inspiration from other artistic languages. By offering short films that engage in dialogue with the stage, the festival's scope is broadened, providing a program that can appeal to both regular theatergoers and newcomers. film fans and short film festivals.
A connection between culture, city and sport: a visit to Ipurua
Within the framework of Eibar Theatre Festival 2026The city has once again strengthened ties between its main cultural and sporting hallmarks. SD Eibar, through its foundation, welcomed actors María Barranco and Imanol Arias, who took advantage of their time in the town to tour the Ipurua stadium facilities firsthand.
During the tour of the Eibar training ground, the actors had the opportunity to experience the daily life of the club and the atmosphere in one of the most distinctive stadiums in professional football. They were accompanied by the producer. Jesus Cimarro and by the mayor of Eibar, Jon IraolaThey were able to chat with institutional representatives and discover some of the most significant corners of the sports complex.
As a memento of the visit, SD Eibar presented both actors with personalized official jerseys, a gesture that was appreciated as they posed for photographs with the authorities present at the event. Beyond the anecdote, the meeting underscores the intention of the club and the City Council to Strengthening the link between sport and culture, understood as complementary parts of the city's social fabric.
These types of initiatives aim to extend the Theatre Festival beyond traditional performance spaces and become more broadly integrated into the daily life of the municipality, involving various organizations and groups. In this sense, the visit to Ipurua exemplifies a line of work that seeks to connect the world of performing arts with other areas of activity, generating synergies and shared visibility.
A well-established project with strong public support
With almost five decades of history, the Eibar Theatre Festival They have become one of the most consistently successful cultural projects on the municipal calendar. The City Council emphasizes that the series is thriving and clearly embodies the concept of culture as a public service open to all citizens.
Mayor, Jon IraolaShe has emphasized in various speeches that these performances are a cornerstone of the local cultural calendar, both for their continuity and for the loyalty of an audience that responds quickly every time tickets go on sale. The Director of Culture also underscored the prestige of the series and the affection many actors and actresses have for Eibar, a city where several of them began or solidified their stage careers.
For its part, the Councilor for Culture, Andoni Zabala, has emphasized the diversity of the program and the role of the talks and parallel activities as tools for looking at theatre also from a reflective perspectiveAnd not just from a purely entertainment perspective. That mix of large-scale shows, street performances, children's programming, and discussion forums would have been fundamental to keeping the event alive for so many years.
In terms of attendance, the goal is to approach, and even surpass, the approximately 8.000 people recorded at the 2025 edition. Advance sales point in that direction: around 5.000 tickets have already been sold across all performances, with some titles sold out and others with very few seats remaining. The sales pace confirms that The theater remains a meeting point capable of filling theatersto activate conversation and sustain, year after year, a long-term cultural project.
Throughout this 2026 edition, Eibar once again transforms into a vast stage spread across theaters, streets, and other spaces throughout the city. Between discussions exploring the meaning of "home" for those who make a living from performing, comedies that ironically address life as a couple, short films that blend cinema and theater, events that bring the world of culture closer to sports, and a diverse range of shows for different audiences, the Festival reaffirms its role as an essential event on the Basque and national performing arts calendar, demonstrating that the sum of tradition, risk and closeness with the public It remains an effective formula for keeping a cultural project alive almost half a century after its birth.