The Durango Fair celebrates its 58 edition from December 6-10. It's fantasy! In addition to the new motto, this year’s poster was presented at the press conference in Landako. This poster was made by Ximon Agirre (Hernani, 1994). Nerea Mujika, president of the association Gerediaga, said that the organizers’ intention is to “give a boost” to Basque culture: “Our fantasy is to be a multitudinous and rich Durango Fair.” It also explains the reason for this motto: “Fantasy is the illusion of the new creators, the smell of the books, the color of the records, the smile of the lovers of culture, the work of the volunteers, the encounter with friends they had not seen long ago, the magic that exists in the history of each creativity, the verb of the joyful people, the bizigical, the heat of culture.”

The fair has become an “inescapable quote from Basque culture”: “The dream of the initiators, that fantasy became a reality”. Mujika stresses that this year “offers of all kinds” and “excitement and fantasy” will be highlighted: talks, music, talks, projections, workshops, books... Furthermore, Gerediaga coordinator Beñat Gaztelurrutia recalls that the possibility of making proposals on the programme is open until 15 October in www.durangokoazoka.eus.

In the press conference, the participants were responsible for the different spaces of the fair: Miren Narbaiza (Ahotsenea), Irati Agorria (Iruenea), Diana Franco (Kabia), Martxel Zubia (Saguganbara), Arantza Arrazola (Szenatokia) and Oihane Agirre (Azoka Telebista), as well as representatives of collaborating and sponsoring entities.

This year the organization has chosen the exhibition. Since 2020 the opportunity for the online fair has been preserved, but this year the presence will be prioritized. Gaztelurrutia has announced that they will “close” the online model window for the time being: “Without throwing the blind completely, because if in the future we need to be careful to adapt.”

3D colorful poster

Ximon Agirre (Hernani, 1994) is the author of this year's poster. The Hernaniarra artist has worked with known musical groups and worked in illustration, video and animation. In the words of Aguirre, the Durango Fair “is a great showcase of culture”, the proposal “with great enthusiasm” was gathered. “The main idea of the poster was to create a world of its own, combining the typical elements of the fair (books, music, video, new technologies...) with fantastic characters, with bright and saturated colors,” he said. Agirre wanted to use the “freedom” of virtual reality to create the poster: “It was clear from the beginning that I wanted to do it in 3D and then be able to enter that world.” Through the poster the artist wanted to visualize the “festive character” of the Durango Fair.