Benidorm Poetic Lyceum celebrates its 23rd anniversary with a recital in the Auditorium

Benidorm Poetry Lyceum held a poetry recital this afternoon in the City Hall's Assembly Hall to mark its 23rd anniversary. The event served as a tribute to the organisation's founders in March 2003, many of whom are still active members. The Mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez, and several members of the local government were in attendance.

The event began with a performance by the Manchegan Cultural Association 'Tramontana' and continued with welcoming remarks from President Julio Pavanetti, who described the Lyceum as "a beacon of culture and a meeting place for those who believe in the power of words." He stated that over the years, "we have grown stronger with each recital, with each gathering, and we have learned to value one another. We have also said goodbye to colleagues and witnessed the blossoming of talents. And we have carried the name of Benidorm to unexpected corners of the world." Pavanetti alluded to the role of the Poetry Festival they organize each year, “which has brought together 93 poets from 42 countries,” and praised “the great work behind it.” He concluded by “appealing to the new generations to come to the Liceu and take up the mantle of being an open space and a driving force for the art of words.”

Afterwards, Mayor Toni Pérez welcomed the attendees and described the Liceu as “a meeting place for words.” Pérez recalled that when he became mayor in 2015, “the Liceu had a dream, and in May 2016 we had the first meeting to realise that dream.” He also emphasised that “poetry is now reaching our schools” and called for “a big round of applause” for the Tramontana group, for their great work in promoting culture,” although today, he added, “the focus is on poetry and our poets.”

The recital then began, featuring poems read by Alfredo Molina, Ángel Rebollar, Ángela Alonso, Annabel Villar, Francisco Domínguez, Gloria Lafuente, Guillermo del Pino, Julio Pavanetti, Manuela Martínez, Mario García, Pilar de Juan, and Yovanny Ferrer. They were all accompanied on the keyboard by musician Eduardo Castro.