Santander International Festival "FIS (EN)

"Santander International Festival"

The festival did not begin as a commercial event, but rather as an academic one. Its roots date back to 1948, when it was established to offer cultural activities to foreign students attending the Menéndez Pelayo International University (UIMP).

Santillana del Mar is one of the main venues for this series, which brings classical and early music to heritage sites throughout Cantabria.

One of the most iconic venues has traditionally been the Cloister of the Collegiate Church of Santa Juliana, where early music and choral concerts have been held.

The FIS has used these unique spaces to decentralize the cultural offering, turning the town into a key hub for chamber music.

The programming in this area typically focuses on the early repertoire—Visigothic-Mozarabic and Baroque music—taking advantage of the acoustics of local monuments.

In August 2026, the FIS will celebrate its Diamond Jubilee (75th edition), reviving opera with Mozart’s The Magic Flute and a stellar program that will tour 19 Cantabrian municipalities.

When you attend a concert in Santillana, you not only enjoy the music but also take part in a tradition that began 67 years ago in that very Romanesque cloister, uniting the town’s heritage with international excellence.