August 24, 2023.- The Medieval Days of Ávila have been declared a Festival of National Tourist Interest by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism, through the Secretary of State for Tourism. This festival, which is celebrated annually on the first weekend of September, was already declared of regional tourist interest in 2017.

The Medieval Days of Ávila began to be held in 1997 in the historic center of the city, a city declared a World Heritage Site in 1985. Since the first editions, this festival has been characterized by an outstanding scenic quality and decoration, as well as to include in the programming cultural, artistic and historical recreation activities that have allowed it to be endowed with a varied and eclectic cultural content. In addition, special care has been taken to disseminate the history of coexistence between the three Christian, Jewish and Muslim cultures to Abbans and visitors.

For the Secretary of State for Tourism, Rosana Morillo, "the declaration as a festival of national tourist interest of the Medieval Days of Ávila puts in value the Spanish cultural heritage from the point of view of the celebration of the coexistence of three cultures, a unique festival for its characteristics, which contributes to enhance the cultural and historical wealth of the city of Ávila".

On June 23 of this year, the application for the declaration of the Festival of National Tourist Interest was presented, whose recognition has been granted on August 21. As a prerequisite for obtaining it, in addition to the fact that the festival has been declared of interest in the Autonomous Community itself, the origin, antiquity and traditional roots must be accredited, as well as its originality, cultural value, the high degree of citizen participation and its great scope as a tourist attraction.

It is also necessary to demonstrate that this is a festival that has been celebrated continuously over time (without interruptions that exceed five years between one edition and another) and prove that the town has enough establishments, both accommodation and other services, to receive the expected influx of visitors. Además, se exige lograr impactos relevantes –no menos de 20– en medios de comunicación de tirada nacional.

The Sub-Directorate General of Development and Sustainable Tourism of the SETUR is in charge of processing the declarations of festivals of national and international interest through a motion for a resolution that is signed by the Secretary of State for Tourism, Rosana Morillo.

Festivals of the Autonomous Community of Castilla y León declared of national and international tourist interest.

• Festivals declared of national tourist interest to date:

• Festivals declared of international tourist interest to date: