37th Festival Campesino packs Arrecife's Ramirez Cerda park for San Gines

Arrecife's Jose Ramirez Cerda park was already full an hour before the start. On Saturday night, as part of the San Gines festivities, the 37th Festival Campesino staged El poema diario de Titerroygatra, a production that wove together traditional music, the saranda dance and sepia-toned scenes from the island's past to tell the stories of the people who shaped Lanzarote's emotional and poetic imagination.

After a day of intense heat, the evening brought some relief for residents and visitors alike, leaving conditions suited to an open-air show. The loyal audience that has followed the Los Campesinos ensemble year after year filled every corner of the venue.

The night opened with an audiovisual piece using footage provided by Memoria Digital de Lanzarote, plus introductory remarks from Benito Cabrera, a long-standing collaborator of the group. The first half then alternated the ensemble's best-known anthems with more recent compositions: Saranda del viento, Isa en Fa, Folias del nueve, Sorondongo de los campesinos, Malaguenas, Mujeres del litoral, El viejo del mar and Isa marina.

The staging also paid tribute to historical figures connected with the island: Josefina Pla, Felix Hormiga, Agustin Espinosa, Cesar Manrique and Inocencia Paez. With the audience on its feet, Los Campesinos handed over to the second half of the festival: the group Los Cantadores, currently on their 18th anniversary tour, and the Andalusian singer Tamara.

What this festival tells you about Lanzarote's music scene

The Festival Campesino is one of the few moments in the San Gines calendar where the local audience turns out in force, and that has practical consequences. The Jose Ramirez Cerda park is spacious, but arriving at the advertised start time usually means standing at the edges. This year confirmed the rule of thumb: allow roughly an hour if you want a spot near the stage. For visitors, it is also one of the clearest chances to hear Canarian folk music from Lanzarote in its own setting, performed for a local crowd rather than adapted for hotel stages.