BrightMed Gibraltar Festival

Bringing the best of art, music and culture to Gibraltar

If you visit Gibraltar in June you will find it alive with music and culture. You can join a street party, listen to intellectual talks, take part in music workshops and enjoy concerts – in an underground limestone cave. There’s even a film festival organised in partnership with cinemas in Europe and Africa.

The BrightMed Festival is a major event in the cultural and educational calendar. Artists, musicians and special guests share their talents with Gibraltarians and visitors of all ages.

We’re giving a grant of £75,000 over three years to support the festival. Each year, festival organisers BrightMed come up with a theme for the festival, which ties in with the overarching values of peace and ‘convivencia’ (‘togetherness’). In 2017, the theme was ‘Uprising (for peace)’ followed by ‘Borders’ in 2018.

  • We’re giving a grant of £75,000 over three years to support the BrightMed Gibraltar Festival.
  • 2019 was the 8th year of the festival which has grown into a major cultural event in Gibraltar.
  • 5,000 people went to the 2019 festival’s street party; 600 people attended the concert finale at St Michael’s Cave.

BrightMed Festival 2019: ‘Out of Chaos…’

In 2019 the festival theme was Out of Chaos. Events included:

  • A street party attracting 5,000 people. More than 20 schools, dance academies, choirs, local artists and restaurants were involved.
  • An exhibition of five local photographers’ work relating to the theme Out of Chaos, hosted at the art and culture centre ‘Space 92’.
  • BrightMed Talks for students featured eminent and inspirational speakers – from financiers to musicians, consultants to coaches.
  • Music workshops run by international artists, performing and teaching students from local schools.
  • The BrightMed International Seminar, where eminent speakers, diplomats, activists, thinkers and NGOs encouraged audiences not just to listen but to take part in the sessions.
  • The festival climax where 600-strong audiences were treated to live music in the awe-inspiring St Michael’s Cave.

 

The University of Gibraltar hosted a ‘Managing Chaos’ seminar. “The speakers provided insight and solutions to managing the volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity so prevalent in today’s chaotic world,” said Catherine Bachleda, the University’s Vice Chancellor. “As an educational institution, we were particularly pleased to be part of this initiative because we recognise that although chaos brings uneasiness, it also allows for creativity and growth.”

“I love the range of amazing events, from the film festival to the arts festival, from the street party to the concert in the cave, from the BrightMed Talks to the BrightMed conference! These are an extraordinary and unique set of events that elevate Gibraltar on a world stage, showcasing our ability to bridge souls and lands and to bring together, to entertain, to inform and to inspire people of all ages, from all socio-economic backgrounds, from all faiths, and from all cultures. It’s potential and its impact are infinite.”
Kathryn Temple, Founder, Happiness Foundation

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