Noche Blanca del Flamenco Córdoba 2014

On our very last weekend in Andalusia there was one more event that was waiting for us, the seventh White Night of Flamenco. We hired a car and drove, for the last time, to this lovely city to listen to some of the best performers of flamenco in Spain.

This year was the seventh occasion that the White Night was organised and this time it was dedicated to the memory of Paco de Lucía, the flamenco guitarist genius who passed away earlier this year. In the historic centre of Córdoba ten different stages were set up to host the most distinguished figures of this art.

After meeting up with some Spanish friends we went to see the first performer of the night at 22.30pm. The opening act of the night was Sara Baras. Is her name familiar? No? We didn’t know who she was either, until we went to see her 2 hour show in Seville. She’s basically one of the most famous flamenco dancers in the world. 

She and her team of dancers and musicians are just simply incredible! The dance, the choreography, the music, everything is in perfect harmony in her show. If you have a chance don’t hesitate and go to see her. Here’s a little teaser from her show in Córdoba.

After Sara Baras we went to the San Basilio area where instead of street lights the streets were washed in candle light. Some of the famous patios were open to the public and lit up by many tiny tea lights. It was magical. (Read more about the patios here.)

This was the area where we came to see famous guitarists paying homage to Paco de Lucia however there were so many people around that we couldn’t get in!

The last performance we attempted to enjoy was in the garden of the Mesquita (read about this amazing building here) in the Patio de los Naranjos. There was a staggering amount of people here to listen to Niña Pastori, a famous flamenco singer. The garden looked magical at night however the crowd took out all the enjoyment of it. At the end we gave up and after a few tries we managed to get out through the gates without any harm.

We have to admit that we didn´t plan our evening very well. If you have a chance to go and enjoy the Noche Blanca next year, here is some advice for you to consider:

-          Don’t make the mistake of planning to see every performer, it’s impossible. Choose about three or four and go to the stage at least an hour before the performance starts (no kidding, an hour at least!!)

-          Make sure that you either bring dinner with you or book a restaurant in advance. It’s impossible to find a table this night, we were forced to eat outside of a bar, holding the plates in our hands.

-          Plan ahead for trips to the toilet.

-          If you don’t know the performers, ask some Spanish people. All of them will be very good but if you have to pick only a few you might as well see that ones that are recommended.

But above all, enjoy this special, very Spanish experience!