THE Embassy of Spain, through its Cultural and Education Office along with Instituto Cervantes, kicks off a month-long celebration of the Spanish National Day this October.
Exhibits have been a mainstay of the embassy’s calendar of events. Not to be missed is the exhibition Mezcla: Interwoven Cultures and the Mantón de Manila in collaboration with the Ayala Museum that will run until next year..
Open to the public are two other ongoing exhibits: Four Centuries of Spanish Engineering Overseas-a permanent exposition displayed at the Centro de Turismo in Intramuros; while the Ateneo Art Gallery hosts A Synergy of Ventures: The Post War Art Scene in commemoration of Fernando Zobel´s centennial birth until February 2026.
Top Spanish industrial designer Héctor Serrano will take centerstage at leading universities: De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (October 14), University of the Philippines (UP)-Diliman (October 15) and University of Santo Tomás (UST, October 16). The world-renowned Spanish National Design Awardee for 2024 will lead the conference: ‘The Journey in Between’ that will let students and enthusiasts of art and design take a glimpse of his creative and design processes that have developed a career spanning 25 years. The public may also catch him at the Manila FAME on October 17 and at the closing of the Manila Design Week on October 18.
Meanwhile, Spain´s pre-eminent expert on the Philippines Lola Elizalde will hold three conferences. ‘Permeable Borders: Interactions between Population Groups in 19th century Philippines (October 14, Casa Azul in Intramuros); Modernizing an Old Empire? Controversies over the Introduction of a Reformist Policy in 19th century Philippines (October 15, Centro de Turismo Intramuros); and Leisurely Legacies: Social Histories of Recreation in the Spanish Philippines (October 16, UP Diliman).
The month would not be complete without the Spanish film festival Pelicula, Pelikula 2025 which will showcase from October 10 to 16 movies made in Spain and Latin America. Making this year´s edition extra special are short feature films created by young Filipino filmmakers-one even in Philippine creole Chabacano, which is an important manifestation of Spanish influence on local languages.
As part of the celebration of the Spanish language along with ‘Pelicula.’ 2025, Jornadas de ELE Manila’s 7th edition will take place on October 24 and 25 in UST, focusing on lesson planning, content sequencing and didactic resources. This yearly event, aimed at teachers of Spanish , is organized by Ateneo de Manila University, UP Diliman and UST, along with the Education Office of the Embassy of Spain and Instituto Cervantes.