Since its debut in 1995, La Mar de Músicas has brought world music to the coastal city of Cartagena, Spain, transforming its cultural landscape each July. Now celebrating its 30th edition, the festival remains one of Europe’s key platforms for world music, marking the milestone with its most ambitious focus yet: a South Korea spotlight.
This year’s edition features the largest cultural delegation from South Korea to date in Spain, including music, film, visual arts, and literature. From July 18 to 26, 2025, the core concert series will present 44 performances by artists from South Korea, Mali, Mexico, Argentina, Nigeria, the UK, Senegal, Brazil, Venezuela, Portugal, Pakistan, Bolivia, France, and Spain. Parallel events will run throughout the month.
South Korea’s presence is both broad and deep. K-pop acts like W24 and Bewave share the bill with artists who mix traditional Korean sounds and contemporary experimentation: Jambinai, Leenalchi, Dal:um, and Chudahye Chagis. Jazz vocalist Youn Sun Nah, experimental pop artist Sunwoojunga, and electronic acts Hypnosis Therapy and Fat Hamster & Kang New also reflect the country’s musical range.
Spanish artists play a central role in this edition, underscoring the festival’s commitment to roots and folk-inflected sounds. The 2025 lineup includes Queralt Lahoz, La Tania, Le Parody, Valeria Castro, Silvia Pérez Cruz (in duo with Salvador Sobral), Tarta Relena, Carlos Ares, Dereck V. Bulcke, Guitarricadelafuente, Ortiga, Sanguijuelas del Guadiana, and Kiko Veneno.
A special performance from G5 will reunite El Canijo de Jerez, Diego Ratón, Muchachito, and Tomasito. Emerging flamenco voices Yerai Cortés, Ángeles Toledano, and María Terremoto will also appear. Local acts include El Klan de los Dedeté, also marking 30 years, and Río Viré. Murcia’s Maestro Espada will receive the Paco Martín Prize for emerging global artists.
African and Latin American artists, long central to the festival’s identity, also feature prominently. Salif Keïta (Mali) will perform an acoustic set; Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 (Nigeria) will lead an Afrobeat double bill with UK’s Ezra Collective. Senegal’s legendary Orchestra Baobab returns to the stage as well.
The opening concert belongs to Natalia Lafourcade, Latin America’s most decorated Grammy winner, who brings her acclaimed repertoire to Cartagena. Other highlights include Argentina’s Conociendo Rusia, Bolivia’s Luzmila Carpio, and Brazil’s Toquinho, honored this year for his six-decade career.
Collaborative projects that bridge Latin America and Spain include Çantamarta (Venezuela–Spain) and Calequi y Las Panteras (Argentina–Spain). Rounding out the program are genre-defying artists Arooj Aftab (Pakistan) and Clara Ysé (France), representing new global directions in sound.
More information at: lamardemusicas.cartagena.es/2025/
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