From 6 to 9 May 2027
17th SEPTEMBER TO 15th OCTOBER 2026
The International Street Arts Festival in Puerto de la Cruz MUECA held in Puerto de la Cruz, will celebrate its 25th edition from May 6 to 9, 2026. The festival offers an exciting program of theatre, music, dance, and circus arts, designed for all ages. With 24 successful editions, MUECA has cemented its position as one of the Canary Islands’ most prominent street theatre festivals and a standout event on the national stage. Over the years, it has become a defining cultural feature of Puerto de la Cruz, drawing thousands of visitors to its streets each year.
This festival is a cultural project that, from its inception, has sought a unique connection with its audiences—both residents and visitors. Its innovative approach to cultural management, centered on community participation, has been a cornerstone of its identity and earned it international recognition.
The involvement of the local community is exemplified through the creation of a collaborative platform called “Cómplice MUECA”, bringing together artists, entrepreneurs, third-sector organizations, and engaged citizens to ensure the festival’s success.
Beyond its economic impact and city promotion, Festival MUECA provides significant social benefits. It fosters empathy as a communication tool, promotes social engagement, and offers a refreshing break from routine for residents and the thousands of visitors who enjoy the event.
APPLICATION CONDITIONS
Selection criteria for participating companies
Festival MUECA is primarily aimed at professional companies, artists and collectives that use urban space as a medium for artistic expression and communication. Proposals from all street arts disciplines will be accepted, with priority given to works that use public space or distinctive locations as the context for their development and presentation.
The festival aims to transform urban space into a place where culture and people can connect and where art can intervene in meaningful ways. Artistic proposals in a wide range of formats and disciplines will be considered. However, the artistic direction will pay particular attention to innovative proposals addressing priorities such as:
- Projects aimed at diverse audiences and/or encouraging intergenerational and/or intercultural dialogue.
- Projects incorporating themes related to popular culture.
- Synergies or collaborations between two or more collectives/companies, with particular attention to groups involving people with disabilities.
- Proposals connected with water and/or the sea.
- New forms of interaction and participation within urban space.
- Proposals involving processes of engagement with local residents and visitors.
- Projects making use of the material and intangible resources of the surrounding environment.
- Projects that promote the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Festival MUECA will give particular consideration to local proposals that incorporate the approaches outlined above.
Proposals specifically designed to transform the urban environment of Puerto de la Cruz into a space that fosters relationships between people and the festival’s artistic language will also be positively assessed, particularly those involving collectives and organisations active within the municipality.
Selected companies undertake to:
- Complete and submit the technical requirements form and any requested materials within the timeframe established by the MUECA Festival organisation to ensure the proper planning and promotion of the programme.
- Enter into a written agreement with Festival MUECA confirming acceptance of the agreed financial and technical conditions, with both parties assuming the legal consequences of any subsequent breach of that agreement.
- Present at Festival MUECA the same production, under the same conditions and with the same cast, as stated in the application.
- Authorise the use of their data and materials for purposes related to Festival MUECA, including communication and contractual procedures.
- Should the company make any changes to the submitted proposal, it undertakes to notify Festival MUECA as soon as possible.
Application to Festival MUECA implies acceptance of the selection criteria and the commitments undertaken by both parties.
SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS
If you would like to take part in the next edition of Festival MUECA, you must submit your artistic proposal exclusively online by completing the application form.
A separate application form must be submitted for each artistic proposal.
Once your proposal has been submitted, a confirmation message will appear on screen indicating that the process has been completed successfully. IF THIS MESSAGE DOES NOT APPEAR, we recommend contacting us at the email address provided in the “ENQUIRIES” section to confirm whether your proposal has been successfully registered.
To ensure that your application is submitted correctly, please follow these steps:
- Read the application conditions carefully.
- Complete all the information requested in the online application form using the link provided below.
Please note that during the application process you will be asked to provide the following documents:
- An information dossier on the company/production, including artistic and technical information about the proposed production (PDF).
- As much audiovisual material as possible relating to the proposed production (URL linking to an online video of the production). Having access to a full recording of the proposed production would greatly assist us in the selection process.
IMPORTANT NOTES
- A maximum of two artistic proposals may be submitted per artist/group/company. If more than one production is submitted, a separate application form must be completed for each one. If more than two proposals are submitted, we will contact the applicant to inform them of this and ask which two proposals they wish to enter in the call. If no response is received by the application deadline, none of the artistic proposals submitted by that artist/group/company will be assessed.
- Submitted proposals will be required to hold the festival dates until 15 December 2026, unless a decision is communicated beforehand. If the proposal is declined, this commitment to hold the dates will cease immediately.
- The application form must be completed in full and all required documentation must be attached, ensuring that the materials provided are as specific and relevant as possible to the proposal submitted, as this information will form the basis of the assessment.
- Festival MUECA will take into consideration whether applying companies may be eligible for government funding, sponsorship or other mobility grants available in their region or country of origin. Where such funding opportunities exist, applicants are requested to indicate this in their application, specifying the name of the programme, the organisation responsible for it and the type of support that could be received.
OBSERVATIONS
- Proposals received after the deadline will not be considered.
- If all required documentation has not been submitted by the application deadline (23:59 Canary Islands time on 15 October 2026), the application will be deemed invalid.
- Decisions will be communicated as follows:
- Once the application period has closed, unsuccessful proposals will be notified within the first 30 days (before 23:59 on 15 November 2026).
- All remaining applicants will receive a response by 15 December 2026. Therefore, if no response has been received by that date, the commitment to hold the festival dates will expire.
IMPORTANT: If a company or production submitted to the festival receives an offer to participate in another event or programme that coincides with the festival dates while the commitment to hold those dates remains in force, the company must notify us at informacion@festivalmueca.com. Within no more than three working days, the Festival’s artistic direction will inform the company whether it is released from its commitment to hold the dates.
- Information submitted by companies will be included in the Festival MUECA database as a resource for future editions, unless the applicant expressly indicates otherwise when submitting the material.
ENQUIRIES
For any questions or comments, please contact:
informacion@festivalmueca.com
