This January, the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) will turn its attention westward.
From 12 to 31 January 2026, Ithra will host Ithra Cultural Days featuring Spain, a multi week cultural season that will transform the Dhahran landmark into a site of movement, sound, taste, and exchange. Titled Live Spain, the program invites visitors to encounter Spanish culture not through a single exhibition or performance, but across a constellation of spaces, disciplines, and experiences designed to be explored at one’s own pace.
The announcement follows the success of last year’s Japan edition, which welcomed more than 200,000 visitors in just two weeks, reinforcing Ithra’s growing role as one of Saudi Arabia’s most active platforms for international cultural dialogue.
A Festival Across the Senses
Rather than being confined to one hall or gallery, Spanish Cultural Days will activate almost every corner of Ithra. The Plaza, Museum, Theater, Library, Cinema, Lush Garden, Idea Lab, Children’s Museum, Energy Exhibit, and Ithra Tower will each host distinct elements of the program, encouraging visitors to move between experiences and discover different facets of Spanish culture in a single visit.
The 2026 edition is shaped around the five senses, framing culture as something to be seen, heard, tasted, touched, and felt. Exhibitions will explore Spanish photography, fashion, sport, and modern art, while interactive installations examine deeper historical and linguistic links between Spain and the Arab world.
Among the major exhibitions are Legends in Action, spotlighting La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation, Threads of España: Fashion Across the Regions, which explores regional identity through dress and craftsmanship, and Eterno Picasso, a visual exhibition inspired by the enduring legacy of Pablo Picasso. Photography also takes centre stage with Spain Through the Lens, developed in collaboration with Spain’s national news agency EFE.
Performance, Movement, and Public Space
Live programming will form the heartbeat of Spanish Cultural Days, with daily performances unfolding across multiple stages and public spaces. Flamenco inspired works, roaming performances, and Spanish parades will animate Ithra’s plazas and gardens, while larger scale productions will punctuate key moments throughout the 18 day program.
One of the central theatrical highlights will be a production of Carmen, presented as part of Ithra’s theater program, alongside an open concert reinterpretation of the classic work through flamenco performance. Daily main stage programming ensures that each visit offers something new, whether encountered intentionally or by chance.
“Cultural exchange is a core part of Ithra’s approach to programming,” said Noura Alzamil, Head of Programs at Ithra. “Celebrating Spain’s culture and history reflects this focus, particularly as this year’s Cultural Days takes on a distinctive character by exploring Spain’s cultural heritage.”
Learning, Language, and Shared Histories
Beyond performance and spectacle, Spanish Cultural Days places strong emphasis on participation and learning. Talks and discussions hosted in the Idea Lab and Library will explore architecture, literature, and creative practice, including sessions examining the linguistic overlaps between Arabic and Spanish.
Interactive installations such as Arabic Words in Spanish Language and The Andalusian Wall highlight centuries of cultural exchange, inviting visitors to engage directly with shared histories through collaborative and tactile formats.
Cinema programming will run throughout the event, presenting a curated selection of Spanish short and feature films. Screenings will be accompanied by post screening discussions, offering audiences additional cultural and historical context beyond the screen.
Workshops, Families, and Food
Hands on workshops form a significant part of the experience, ranging from Gaudí inspired mosaic and architecture sessions to clay craft, leather embossing, weaving, and football inspired creative workshops. These run alongside a dedicated children and youth program featuring storytelling, puppet shows, flamenco activities, and interactive experiences developed specifically for families.
Food extends the cultural conversation into Ithra’s outdoor spaces. An El Mercado market will host Spanish themed vendors, while culinary activations across the Lush Garden will explore Spain’s social and regional food traditions. Highlights include live cooking sessions such as The Story Behind the Paella, combining food preparation with storytelling.
A Platform for Cultural Exchange
Since opening in 2018, Ithra has positioned itself not simply as a venue, but as a meeting point for ideas, creativity, and public engagement. Spanish Cultural Days continues that mission, offering an immersive, accessible way for audiences to encounter international culture while reflecting on shared traditions and influences.
Rather than presenting Spain as a distant or fixed idea, Live Spain invites visitors to experience culture as something unfolding across disciplines, generations, and senses in real time.
As January of the new year kicks off, Ithra prepares once again to become a place of discovery, where movement between spaces mirrors the movement between cultures, and where exchange takes place not only on stage or screen, but in the act of participation itself.
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