Liérganes will celebrate the first Festival of the Fish Man legend on June 21, 22, and 23, marking the 350th anniversary of this story to highlight it as a «cultural fact» linked to the municipality with various activities revolving around it.
For the people of Liérganes, it is a source of pride to have had a neighbor like Francisco de la Vega, the protagonist of the legend. The festival program includes games, storytelling, and performances about the underwater world and the people of the sea. The festival’s first edition will feature the Cuban singer Lucrecia as its ambassador, paying tribute to the story she popularized with her song on the RTVE program Los Lunnis.
In addition to the concert by Lucrecia, the three-day event will also feature a GastroRoute with 14 establishments offering themed snacks and a talk on apnea by Cantabrian Almudena Calvo, bronze medalist at the 2023 Indoor World Championship in Dubai.
The event will conclude on June 23 with a light parade on the Night of San Juan, coinciding with the date when Francisco de la Vega, «one of the most universal residents of Liérganes,» disappeared in 1674 after going swimming with his friends in the Bilbao estuary. This anniversary is part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Cantabria and Spain and aims to be included in the European Route of Tales and Legends.
Five years after being presumed drowned, he was found in the waters of Cadiz and managed to return home, according to this legend, one of the best-known and beloved oral traditions of Cantabria and widespread throughout the Hispanic world.
The festival was presented on Thursday by the Minister of Culture, Eva Guillermina Fernández; the mayor of Liérganes, Ángel Bordas; and the festival’s organizer, Montserrat Cubría. Cubría, who has been working on this «exciting» project for seven years, hopes it will continue to highlight the cultural richness of the Fish Man legend.
One of the festival’s goals is to correct versions that portrayed the legend’s protagonist as a mythological or paranormal being. The residents of Liérganes want their Francisco de la Vega to be represented as a human, not a creature with a tail. The sculpture of Francisco de la Vega by Javier Anievas near the Puente Mayor is a popular tourist attraction in the town.
While Liérganes boasts a historic ensemble and a beautiful landscape, the legend of the Fish Man remains a unique cultural asset. The Minister of Culture and Tourism emphasized the importance of preserving traditions and legends as they connect generations and form part of our universal heritage.
The mayor highlighted the festival’s significance for the town, expressing pride in their cultural heritage and the legend of Francisco de la Vega. He emphasized the need to continue growing the legend’s legacy.
The festival will kick off on Friday, June 21, with the official opening followed by a GastroRoute at 14 hospitality establishments in Liérganes and Pámanes. The day will feature children’s games, storytelling, a TV episode of Los Lunnis dedicated to the Fish Man legend, a talk by Almudena Calvo, and a carousel of short films about free diving.
On Saturday, the activities will continue with a lantern-making workshop, a theatrical performance by the cultural association ‘El Palenque’ from Laredo, and a musical performance by the Liérganes polyphonic choir. The day will culminate with Lucrecia’s concert and a flash mob inviting attendees to join a choreographed dance.
The festival will conclude on Sunday with more activities for all ages, including a light parade through the streets of Liérganes, a theatrical performance near the Puente Mayor, bonfires, and a burning of wishes, coinciding with the celebration of the Night of San Juan.