The Embassy of Spain in Manila, through its Cultural and Education Office and the Instituto Cervantes, has kicked off its month-long celebration of the Spanish National Day this October with a vibrant lineup of cultural events open to the public.
The program features a wide range of activities that celebrate Spain’s rich heritage and deep ties with the Philippines — from art and design to history, engineering, and film.
One of the highlights is Mezcla: Interwoven Cultures and the Mantón de Manila, an exhibition in collaboration with the Ayala Museum that will run from October 10, 2025, to February 22, 2026. Two other ongoing exhibits include Four Centuries of Spanish Engineering Overseas at the Centro de Turismo in Intramuros and A Synergy of Ventures: The Post-War Art Scene, commemorating the centennial birth of artist Fernando Zóbel, hosted by the Ateneo Art Gallery until February 2026.
Spanish National Design Awardee for 2024 Héctor Serrano will visit three major universities — DLSU-St. Benilde (October 14), UP Diliman (October 15), and the University of Santo Tomás (October 16) — to present The Journey in Between, a talk on his creative process developed over a 25-year career. He will also appear at Manila FAME on October 17 and the Manila Design Week closing event on October 18.
Meanwhile, Spain’s leading scholar on Philippine studies, Lola Elizalde, will give three public lectures on 19th-century interactions between Filipinos and Spaniards. Her talks, hosted at Intramuros and UP Diliman, will explore population dynamics, colonial reforms, and leisure culture during Spanish rule.
A staple of Spain’s cultural calendar, the Pelikula Spanish Film Festival returns from October 10 to 16, showcasing films from Spain and Latin America. This year’s edition includes short features by young Filipino filmmakers, one of which is in Chabacano, reflecting Spanish linguistic influence in the Philippines.
The festivities will culminate with the 7th edition of Jornadas de ELE Manila, a two-day conference for Spanish language educators to be held on October 24 and 25 at the University of Santo Tomás. The event, organized by Ateneo de Manila, UP Diliman, UST, the Embassy’s Education Office, and the Instituto Cervantes, will focus on teaching methodologies, lesson planning, and didactic resources.
Through this month-long celebration, Spain and the Philippines reaffirm their enduring cultural connection, with events designed to inspire appreciation of shared heritage and creativity.