The Donosti Cup Opening Ceremony will be held this year at Donostia Arena
Expansion works at Anoeta force the temporary relocation of the tournament’s major multicultural celebration
The Donosti Cup will change venue this summer for one of the tournament’s most iconic events. The traditional Opening Ceremony will take place this year at Donostia Arena (Illunbe) due to the expansion works that Real Sociedad will carry out at Anoeta Stadium, the usual venue for the event since 2000.
The organization explored every possible option to keep the Opening Ceremony at Anoeta until the very last moment. However, following the latest meeting held this week with Real Sociedad and after learning more about the scale of the works and the tight schedule involved, the event has had to be moved to Illumbe. The change will only be temporary, and the intention is to return to the stadium next summer.
Despite the change of venue, the Donosti Cup will maintain the traditional format of a ceremony that has become one of the tournament’s main symbols and which gathered nearly 20,000 people last year. The parade of participating delegations will once again be the central feature of the show, accompanied by musical performances, dance groups, light and sound shows, and the festive multicultural atmosphere that defines the tournament.
The main novelty this year will be the organization of two identical sessions due to the limited capacity of Illumbe, which can host approximately 10,000 spectators. The two ceremonies will take place on Tuesday, July 7, tentatively at 7:00 pm and 9:30 pm, in order to accommodate more than 16,000 participants, as well as their families and companions.
As usual, the parade will begin with the international clubs, including seven new participating countries this year: Angola, Estonia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Poland, Puerto Rico and Uruguay. National clubs will then parade, representing nine Spanish autonomous communities, followed by local teams from the different regions of Gipuzkoa.
One of the most emotional moments will once again be the participation of the Donosti Authentics Cup teams, the inclusive competition integrated within the tournament. The event will conclude with the traditional participation of the referees’ collective and a final closing show.
Tickets for the general public will go on sale in mid-June.
