The traditions of Ibiza and Galicia came together in the centre of Ibiza Town on Sunday, September 20, as Sa Colla de Labritja and Grupo Folklórico Mistura performed at Vara de Rey during the second day of the XXVIII Festival Folklòric Mare Nostrum.

The midday performance brought traditional Ibiza dance and Galician folklore together in front of hundreds of residents and visitors.

Ibiza and Galicia Meet in Vara de Rey

The performance began at 12:30 on the Passeig de Vara de Rey, with Sa Colla de Labritja representing Ibiza and Grupo Folklórico Mistura representing San Ciprián in Lugo, Galicia.

The two groups shared the open-air setting as part of Mare Nostrum's programme of cultural exchanges between local and visiting folklore groups.

Traditional Music and Dance

Mistura brought the sounds and dances of Galicia to the centre of Ibiza, while Sa Colla de Labritja presented elements of Ibiza's own traditional folklore.

The performance offered audiences an opportunity to see two distinct regional traditions alongside one another, with Galician music and dance meeting the island's ball pagès.

A Crowd in the Centre of Ibiza

The performance attracted hundreds of people to Vara de Rey, including residents and tourists who gathered around the performance area.

The public setting allowed the festival to bring traditional culture directly into one of the busiest public spaces in Ibiza Town.

An Earlier Cultural Exchange

The connection between Sa Colla de Labritja and Mistura goes back further than this year's festival.

The two groups previously took part in a cultural exchange in 1993, when the Ibiza and Galician ensembles performed and shared their respective traditions.

Their appearance together in Vara de Rey more than three decades later provided another chapter in that relationship.

Second Day of Mare Nostrum

Sunday's performance formed part of the second and final day of the 2026 Mare Nostrum programme.

The festival moved between several locations across Ibiza following its central event at Port de sa Cala in Sa Cala de Sant Vicent on Saturday evening.

The Sunday programme paired visiting groups with Ibiza folklore organisations in different towns and villages across the island.

Folklore Across the Island

At 12:00, the Belgian Koninklijke Volkskunstgroep Reuzegom performed with Grup Folklòric Sant Jordi de ses Salines in Sant Jordi.

At 12:30, Sa Colla de l'Horta performed with Danzantes y Dulzaineros de Gallur from Zaragoza in the Plaza de Jesús.

Later in the afternoon, Sa Colla d'Aubarca performed with Elai Alai Dantza Taldea from Lakuntza in Navarra at the Centre Cultural de Sant Mateu.

The programme allowed audiences in different parts of Ibiza to experience traditional music and dance from several regions.

A Meeting of Regional Traditions

Mare Nostrum is built around exchanges between Ibiza folklore groups and ensembles from other regions and countries.

The 2026 participants came from Belgium, Galicia, Aragón and Navarra, with each visiting group presenting its own traditional culture alongside an Ibiza ensemble.

This format gives the festival a strong focus on cultural exchange rather than a single style of folklore.

Visitors Discover Ibiza Culture

The visiting groups also took part in cultural activities away from the stage.

During the weekend, participants visited Dalt Vila and experienced aspects of Ibiza's traditional cuisine, including sofrit pagès.

These activities formed part of the wider programme accompanying the performances.

Festival Has Been Held Since 1997

The Festival Folklòric Mare Nostrum has been organised in an itinerant format since 1997.

The festival did not take place in 2020 or 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2026 edition was organised by the Federació de Colles de Ball i Cultura Popular d’Eivissa and supported by the Consell d’Eivissa.

A Festival Across Ibiza

Rather than concentrating the entire programme in one location, Mare Nostrum takes traditional folklore to different communities around the island.

This year's schedule included performances in Sa Cala de Sant Vicent, Sant Jordi, Ibiza Town, Jesús and Sant Mateu.

The travelling format allows different local audiences to experience both Ibiza traditions and those brought by the visiting groups.

Keeping Traditional Culture Visible

The Vara de Rey performance demonstrated how traditional folklore can be presented in an accessible public setting.

Residents and visitors gathered in the centre of Ibiza to watch the two groups perform, while the wider programme continued the festival's emphasis on preserving and sharing regional cultural traditions.

Mare Nostrum 2026

The XXVIII Festival Folklòric Mare Nostrum concluded on Sunday evening after two days of performances and cultural activities across Ibiza.

The appearance of Sa Colla de Labritja alongside Grupo Folklórico Mistura in Vara de Rey was one of the festival's central Sunday performances and renewed a cultural connection between Ibiza and Galicia that dates back to an earlier exchange in 1993.

The 2026 edition once again brought Ibiza's ball pagès together with traditional music and dance from different parts of Spain and Europe.