Last weekend, adults and children enjoyed a fantastic event at the ‘Playita’ in Zahara de la Sierra. For the fourth time, the Arroyomolinos recreational area hosted the two-day Sierrasur Ecofestival: the great autumn festival that caters for people of all ages
There are many people whose festival-going days are now a thing of the past, left behind along with their adolescence and their youth. Many of them now have children of their own. However, this doesn’t mean that they no longer enjoy going to concerts. Well, what better way to enjoy a concert than by taking your whole family?
If you haven’t heard of it yet, we’re talking about the Sierrasur Ecofestival. This festival is far from Lollapalooza, Burning Man or the chic Coachella Festival; however, one thing it shares with these renowned festivals is its originality. A new festival format that combines music, nature and children. We say that the event “combines” these things, as it’s not one of those modern festivals—as is often the case nowadays—that builds a designated kid’s area to keep the little ones away from the stages and the hustle and bustle of the crowds.
Sierrasur has created a festival concept for people of all ages, where children and adults alike are able to dance to the rhythm of the music, zoom along a zip wire or compete in sack races, where adults—without even realising it—become children for the weekend, enjoying themselves like they did ‘back in the day’.
We’d heard very good things about this festival, but we had to attend the event last weekend to see it with our own eyes. The festival is held in Zahara de la Sierra, a small inland village in the province of Cádiz, located in the heart of the Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park.
We feel that the expression “you have to see it to believe it” applies here. Cádiz is truly special, with a unique glow found nowhere else on the planet, regardless of whether you’re visiting the coastline or one of its inland villages. A quick getaway to the province of Cádiz always leaves a pleasant taste in the mouth, allowing you to return home with your batteries recharged, good as new.
This year’s festival was held on October 11-12, with festival-goers finding it almost impossible to find last-minute tourist accommodation in Zahara de la Sierra and surrounding villages. Increasing numbers of families are choosing to repeat the experience, with greater numbers also buying festival tickets for the first time for the event held in “La playita” of Zahara de la Sierra.
For the fourth year running, this privileged natural location shone once again with its characteristic Cádiz glow, with an original format and a capacity limited to 2500 attendees. During this festival, all attendees were able to dance and sing along to tunes by the likes of Rozalén, La Mare, El José, Mario Díaz, Malamanera, Sabor a Calle, Festykids, La Canalla, Depedro, Antílopez, Eskorzo and Derby Motoreta’s Burrito Kachimba.
Far from your average Friday
This was a true family experience, during the day and after the sun went down. The festival site opened at 4.30pm on Friday, October 11, with attendees able to choose between attending La Mare’s live performance or enjoying some water-based adventures and land-based activities.
Each of these activities were included with the ticket (apart from the zip wire, which cost €5 per person). Attendees were able to try their hand at paddle surfing and kayaking, ride a giant float, throw themselves down an inflatable slide and play with the kids’ entertainers until 6.30pm. The land-based adventures could be enjoyed until 9.00pm, with sack races, treasure hunts, handcrafts, fake tattoo workshops, gymkhanas and a free balloon bar, amongst many exciting activities.
Mario Díaz’s set started at 8.00pm, bringing a feel-good factor to the crowd during the famous sunset slot. Next up was Rozalén, who blew away those of us who had never seen her in concert before, with fantastic music and intimate and ironic audience interaction. Once night had fallen, the festival organisers surprised us between concerts with music and projections on the venue’s lake, leaving adults and children alike open-mouthed. Well into the night, the Tarifa-based band Malamanera made everyone dance to their smash hits such as Soy rebelde and Como una ola.
Children were the protagonists
If children find something enjoyable, they will always want to do it again. Thankfully, the second day of fun allowed everyone to try out the activities that they didn’t have time to do on the first day.
The adaptation of the venue’s space and activities to audiences of all ages—paying particular attention to children—culminated in the first performance on Saturday, where the monsters of Festykids took to the stage with their covers of classic rock songs, starting a day of music bursting with good vibes.
At 6.00pm on this sunny day, typical of a Spanish autumn, La Canalla took to the stage. This group is comprised of five “practising Andalusians” who embody the soul of Cádiz. They are led by Antonio Romera, more commonly known as ‘Chipi’, who added to the fantastic atmosphere with a unique concert mixing jazz, pop and flamenco styles.
A night to remember
Next up was Depedro—real name, Jairo Zavala—who performed his biggest hits in the most stripped-back and purest manner possible, using only his guitar and his vocal cords. It’s clear that Jairo has always been, in the best of senses, a “clever guy”; a real bright spark who has found a way of bringing together various genres that always manage to bring smiles to the faces of his diverse audiences. This, combined with his honesty and an admirable work rate, has allowed him to shape a loyal fan base, which made this celebration of music and hard work even more enjoyable.
Before Depedro, Antílopez and Skorzo filled the stage with their upbeat Latin rhythms, winning over the audience and getting them to dance along to hit after hit. By this point, those in attendance had already decided to buy a ticket for next year’s event.
Derby Motoreta’s Burrito Kachimba delivered the final concert. With barely a year’s worth of shows under their belts, this Seville-based group, which boldly mixes Andalusian rock music with psychedelia, convey artistic energy that allowed them to win over the audience from the very first song, putting on a live set that is bursting with authenticity.
A Sunday trip around the Sierra de Grazalema
The Sierra de Grazalema is the perfect location for a weekend getaway, brimming with alternative plans that allow you to squeeze every last drop out of your trip. If you visit the area, you could have a look around the town of Grazalema, take a food tour, explore a nearby Spanish fir forest, travel back in time along the Roman road from Benaocaz to Ubrique and discover the Acinipo Archaeological Site, located 21 kilometres outside of Ronda.
Talking from experience, we can confirm that Sierrasur Ecofestival—which has only been running for four years—is now a benchmark for festivals in Andalusia, where Cádiz has managed to constantly surprise us. This Andalusian province, in under ten years, has reinvigorated its music scene, holding events such as the exclusive Wakana Reunion in the middle of the Los Alcornocales Natural Park and the highly regarded No Sin Música festival in the Quay of Cádiz, in the heart of its historic centre. These festivals are held at different times of the year, with each one offering different styles and formats and providing an added value to a territory that is bursting with art.
