Goya inspires Zaragoza: the 2025 Goya Festival fills April with art and passion

Zaragoza will celebrate the fourth edition of the Goya Festival from April 25 to 27, 2025.The city will dress up to pay tribute to one of its most illustrious figures: Francisco de Goya. These events are part of the events leading up to the Goya Bicentennial and represent a significant cultural event to pay homage to the universal figure of the genius from Fuendetodos.

Plaza  del Pilar will be the epicenter of most of the activities, but there will also be events in other spaces around the city, including tours on the tourist bus decorated with Goya-esque themes and visits related to the painter and the history of Zaragoza.

Zaragoza City Council , together with the Government of Aragon and the Zaragoza Chamber of Commerce , is organizing this new edition of the Fiestas Goyascas, and information will be provided in the coming days. In the meantime, we’ll share the current program information. 

1st INTERNATIONAL QUICK PAINTING COMPETITION

For three days, the Aragonese capital will be transformed into a stage for art, history, and tradition. As a major new development, the 1st International Quick Painting Competition “Pincel Goyesco” 2025 has been announced, taking place on Sunday, April 27th in the Plaza del Pilar. 

This competition seeks to promote the participation of painters in the Goya Festival, while fostering a better understanding of the illustrious painter. The competition consists of only one work, which must be completed that morning in the Plaza del Pilar during the competition hours (which begin at 9:30 a.m.) using canvases provided by the organizers. Registration is open until April 24, and the competition rules are available on the website www.goyazaragoza.com.

FILMING GOYA

The organizers of the Goya Festival have once again held the “Filming Goya” film reel competition for young people for the third consecutive year. This initiative seeks to encourage young people to participate in these festivities through social media. 

“Goya in action. Create your own reel inspired by his artistic legacy in Zaragoza” is the theme of the contest, which opens on April 20th. Videos can be uploaded, with prizes ranging from 500 to 250 euros.

Goyaesque Needle

It’s now a tradition to hold the ” Aguja Goyesca ” design competition during the holidays. In fact, this year’s 9th edition will be held next Saturday, April 26th. The aim of this competition is to promote the Zaragoza brand by highlighting the work of Francisco de Goya. 

The collections of the eight finalists will be presented on stage, competing for the award before a special jury, as always. Among them is  Arantxa Ezquerro, a Zaragoza-based costume designer for film, theater, and television who won the Goya Award for Best Costume Design for the feature film “La virgen roja.”

WINE TASTING

To get things moving before the Goya Festival begins, Grandes Vinos and the Zaragoza Chamber of Commerce have organized the wine tasting “Garnacha, the Grape of Goya.” It will take place at the Hotel Palafox on Thursday, April 24th, at 7:30 p.m.