El País celebrated its 50th anniversary [1] with a cultural festival in Madrid on April 10 and 11, 2026 [2, 3].
The event serves as a reaffirmation of journalism as a vital space for dialogue and cultural exchange [4]. By gathering intellectuals and artists, the publication sought to highlight the role of the press in fostering public conversation and the exchange of ideas [1, 4].
Central to the celebration was a recreation of the historic Café Gijón tertulia [2, 3]. The tertulia, a traditional Spanish literary salon, brought together a diverse lineup of writers, musicians, and filmmakers at the iconic Madrid venue [1, 2]. The festival used this format to bridge the gap between contemporary journalism and the historic intellectual circles that once defined Spanish public life [1, 4].
Participants in the event included prominent figures such as Manuel Vicent and musician Joan Manuel Serrat [5]. The programming focused on journalism, culture, and the persistence of conversation in an era of rapid digital transformation [1].
The festival was designed to commemorate five decades of publishing while emphasizing the newspaper's commitment to cultural discourse [1, 4]. By hosting the event at Café Gijón, El País linked its own institutional history to the broader tradition of Madrid's intellectual cafes [2, 3].
“El País celebrated its 50th anniversary with a cultural festival in Madrid.”
The celebration of a 50-year milestone through the recreation of a 'tertulia' suggests a strategic effort by El País to anchor its digital-era identity in traditional intellectualism. By linking its brand to the historic Café Gijón, the newspaper asserts its role not just as a news provider, but as a curator of Spanish cultural heritage and a facilitator of the high-level discourse that historically shaped the nation's public sphere.
