Murcia to stage musical feast this summer
The Spanish Region of Murcia will be hitting all the right notes this summer with a mouth-watering feast of international festivals to appeal to lovers of all types of music.
A host of internationally-renowned performers from music genres all around the world will be showcasing their talents over the coming months.
The area in south-east Spain is set to celebrate a wide and diverse mixture of music and culture including jazz, folk and African sounds, as well as one of the country's most famous exports - traditional flamenco dancing.
The fun starts in San Javier with its prestigious International Jazz Festival from June 29 to July 27. The likes of Squeeze and Mike & the Mechanics star Paul Carrack and American band Chicago have all appeared at the event in the past and the month-long series of concerts offers visitors the chance to enjoy some of jazz's leading performers at an open-air venue, with the sea nearby.
The musical delights continue in July when Cartagena stages its popular La Mar de Músicas from July 19-27, which this summer will celebrate music forms from Peru and also feature Irish songstress Sinead O'Connor as the opening artist in her only concert in Spain in 2013.
Cartagena will again be the place to head for later in the year when it hosts the 33rd edition of one of Spain's oldest festivals, the Cartagena Jazz Festival, between October and December.
And prior to that at the beginning of September, the city of Murcia will host The International Folklore Festival, with performances by national and international folk groups.
As well as celebrating the wide variety of worldwide art-forms, Murcia will not forget one of Spain's most famous cultural exports - flamenco.
From August 1-10, the mining town of La Union will become the venue for Cante de Las Minas, one of the biggest events in the world flamenco calendar. The 10-day festival attracts a first-class field of international competitors including singers, musicians and dancers, with world-renowned performers such as Paco de Lucia and Camarón among those who have competed for the coveted miner's lamp trophy.
Murcia is the ideal destination for travellers to combine culture with beaches and glorious sunshine. As well as a Mediterranean coastline, Murcia boasts more than 30 sandy beaches between the unique La Manga strip and the impressive Mar Menor - Europe's largest saltwater lagoon - and enjoys more than 300 days, and 3,000 hours, of sunshine every year.
For more information and tickets to the San Javier Jazz Festival and La Mar de Musicas, go to jazz.sanjavier.es/en/entradas.html and lamardemusicas.com/2013/info_entradas.asp
For further details about places to stay, visit murciaturistica.es/en/tourism.where_to_stay and to see a list of all the cultural festivals taking place in the Region of Murcia, go to murciaturistica.es/es/turismo.fiestas.