"Culture should be a punch to the heart, the brain, or the stomach."

In the Catalan music and cultural scene, it often seems that visibility accumulates in "vintages"—generations of artists who dominate festivals and the media. According to Marçal Girbau and Estel Solé, co-directors of Perifèria Cultural, each season sees a small group of names appear who are repeated "at all the small and big festivals," creating a dynamic that prioritizes commercialism over artistic quality.

Perifèria Cultural was born with the desire to break away from these dynamics and offer an alternative that highlights emerging artists and peripheral proposals, which are often left out of the mainstream. "We want to differentiate ourselves from what we call microwave culture or music, where little happens as live performance art," says Solé. They believe in culture cooked over a slow fire, in the culture of rigorous live performances: without autotunes or pre-recorded sequences.

This series—which they avoid naming a festival to break with the established connotation of the term—brings five months of culture, country, and cuisine to 35 towns, with 76 artists representing the diversity of the Catalan countries, from the Valencian Community to Alghero, passing through the Balearic Islands, Northern Catalonia, and also open to the sister country of Occitania. The series' programming is "very equal in terms of gender, but also in terms of age," combining emerging talents with established ones.

They work with a wide range of performing arts disciplines, which are different forms of communication: "If the first criterion [in choosing artists] is to have representation from the Catalan countries, the second is, without a doubt, differentiating between a cultural proposal and entertainment." Girbau emphasizes that "culture should be a punch to the heart, the brain, or the stomach. If the performance on stage doesn't move or shake you, it's simply entertainment."

The series brings culture to towns and regions far from major urban centers, with performances in Catalan and Occitan, "treating the Aranese linguistic minority with the same respect that we would like the Spanish State to treat the Catalan language," the co-directors emphasize. For his part, Girbau emphasizes that "Occitan is the country's second official language, and people forget about it. It is as native as Catalan, and therefore, we understand the importance of promoting Occitan proposals in our country."

Gastronomy rooted in the land

The shows are medium-sized, spread out between May and October, with schedules and prices affordable for the whole family and a gastronomic offering based on local products and producers.

All events are accompanied by a tailor-made culinary offering, featuring local produce and no intermediaries, so each one "is unique and unrepeatable because it's authentic," Solé emphasizes. Along the same lines, he believes that "there is no other event that features a chef cooking a menu live, with tastings, using locally sourced produce."

This year, the series incorporates two new features that exemplify this characteristic combative spirit: the glosa—the traditional improvised song, laced with satire and criticism—and the Asados Periféricos, performing arts moments where figures from different fields, from gastronomy to journalism, "roast" someone with scathing criticism while literally cooking a barbecue.

A project with a will to transform

Periferia Cultural is not just a cultural event, but a political and social tool that champions undergrowth culture, local gastronomy, sustainable tourism, and linguistic activism. Its motto, "Voluntarily Direct," symbolizes this dual focus: a clear political commitment and a program that emphasizes the proximity and authenticity of live performances.

Periferia Cultural constructs alternative narratives to the macro-festival model. The co-directors explain that it's a project with both a geographical and cultural focus "to bring culture to these peripheral territories that couldn't afford this type of event." It shifts from concentrating people in one place for many hours to diversifying and moving them around the region. The series "is an invitation to discover the corners of the country that are not only on the periphery, but also off the tourist radar, because we have a very complete country and at the same time, one that's largely unknown to most of us," admits Girbau.

They have the support of the Generalitat of Catalonia and highlight the support of the Lleida Provincial Council, which offers them a multi-year agreement until 2027, giving them stability. The co-directors insist that "it is the model that the administrations of this country should understand is necessary for projects that are cultural, not entertainment. Our project is not about getting rich or selling tickets; it is about guaranteeing cultural rights and the decentralization of culture and the exhibition of less commercial projects throughout the country." Cultural subsidies are part of the general subsidy system, "that is, we are in the same league as building a bridge or a sidewalk." Perifèria has a clear public vocation, and they demand the right to enjoy agreements that allow them stability.

The fourth edition kicks off in Castell de Mur (Pallars Jussà) on May 31st with an Occitan evening featuring singer Alidé Sans, a show by Francesc Ribera (Titot) about the troubadour Guillem de Berguedà, and a Peripheral Asado (Barbecue) hosted by Esperanceta from Casa Gassia. This event connects medieval and contemporary Occitan creations.