The inter-institutional collaboration program MARES, focused on organizing music and performing arts events across the Canary Islands, held its annual meeting this week. The performing arts team from the ICDC and municipal representatives gathered in Gran Canaria to evaluate the program's progress and establish the main guidelines for the 2027 fiscal year.
During the meeting, data for MARES from 2025 and the first part of 2026 were shared. Modifications implemented based on suggestions from the town councils were reviewed, and strategic planning for the upcoming year was addressed. The day also included a dialogue session to gather proposals from municipal representatives.
The work agenda was completed with an additional meeting with representatives from the island councils, thereby strengthening coordination among the various involved administrations. In the coming weeks, the period for municipalities to join the program will open.
MARES, whose name alludes to inter-island mobility, maintains and updates a platform (mares.icdcultural.org). This platform currently integrates over 900 active productions, offered by more than 400 companies or professionals from the sector, all produced in the Canary Islands. The programming is intended for over 200 public performing arts venues on the islands.
The program brings together all stakeholders: companies, distributors, the catalog of shows, and public administrations requesting collaboration. Proposal evaluations consider criteria such as quality, balance between performing arts and music shows, promotion of inter-island mobility, diversity of artistic genres and audiences, Canarian authorship, territorial diversity, accessibility and social inclusion measures, and the existence of a plan for audience creation, development, and loyalty, among others.
