Festival Cervantino 2026

To kick off the 2026 Territories of Hispanic Studies series and as a continuation of the partnership launched in 2025, the Cervantes Institute in Los Angeles (ICLA) is joining forces with the Society for the Sister Cities of San Diego and Alcalá de Henares (SDAHSCS) to help promote its Cervantino Festival, which the Society has organized since 1982. In its 2026 edition, the event will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Mission Valley Public Library San Diego.

As in previous years, the event will include a public reading of Don Quixote, which will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. A group of schools from the San Diego school district is collaborating on this event. Each school will present groups of students who will read selected excerpts from Miguel de Cervantes’ masterpiece in Spanish, English, and other languages spoken at their schools.

From 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., various music and dance groups from the SDAHSCS area will entertain attendees with Spanish and Mexican music and dance. Meanwhile, the event’s children’s and youth program will offer illustration and drawing workshops for children and teenagers centered on Cervantes and the characters from his novel. The figures of Don Quixote, Sancho Panza, Dulcinea del Toboso, Sansón Carrasco, and many others will come to life once again this year on dozens of sheets of drawing paper, thanks to the ever-innovative hands of the young readers of Don Quixote. A day to spend with the family outdoors, enjoying the Spanish-inspired culinary offerings that the SDAHSCS provides for attendees.