Are you ready, once more, for a time travel back to Roman period? If so, note it down in your agenda: from the 4th until the 17th of May, it is time for the seventeenth edition of Tàrraco Viva, Tarragona‘s Roman festival par excellence. After commemorating the 2,000 anniversary of Caesar Augustus’ death, this year’s edition, with over 400 scheduled acts, will be dedicated to the emperor’s great legacy.
This will be the thread of an edition that, despite keeping some of the most exciting shows, areas and materials, such as the Ara Pacis or the polychromatic Augustus, is also adding a dozen of new projects. Some will be, on the one hand, related to the 25th anniversary of the Associació Sant Fructuós and, on the other, to the 15 years since the first collaboration by the historical recreation group Projecte Phoenix with the festival.
In relation to the activities, one of the key new shows will be the so-called “Diàlegs amb la història” (Dialogues with history), which will be the centre act for the festival’s closing ceremony. This is a live debate with historians, archaeologists, journalists and experts in the history of Augustus’ legacy. Spokespersons for the closing event will be Joaquín Ruiz de Arbulo, professor of ancient history in Universitat Rovira i Virgili; Víctor Amela, journalist and writer; Toni Puig, cultural manager, cultural communication and city marketing expert; Joan Gómez Pallarès, doctor of Classical Philology and director of the Institut Català d’Arqueologia Clàssica; and Xavier Bru de Sala, writer, journalist and thinker. Presenter and moderator will be Magí Seritjol, manager of the Tàrraco Viva festival.
As for the main areas during the festival, we find Camp de Mart, with the museums and recreation fair; the exhibition grounds, a number of UNESCO‘s World Heritage sites and other towns that are taking part in the festival, such as the Roman village of Centcelles, in Constantí; the Roman village of La Llosa, in Cambrils, and the Priorat region.
Furthermore, the festival will present, once more, an oenogastronomy section, thanks to the celebration of a new edition of the Tàrraco a Taula, which will gather 13 restaurants this year.
Instagram competition
Finally, and as the Tàrraco Viva festival takes place, an Instagram competition will be set. What to do? Very easy! You just need to upload pictures of the Tàrraco Viva festival to Instagram tagged as #TarracoViva2015. A jury will select and award the best 3 pictures. More information about the Instagram competition will be soon revealed, so keep updated!
Text: Ivan Rodon (@irodon on Twitter)
Pictures: Pere Toda (@ptodaserra on Instagram)
Translation: Artur Santos (@artur_1983 on Twitter)
