The Provincial Council creates the Provincial Tourist Interest Festival distinction

The Plenary Session of the Provincial Council of Guadalajara, in an ordinary session held on September 24, 2026, initially approved the regulation that creates and regulates the distinction “Festival of Provincial Tourist Interest of Guadalajara.” The agreement, processed as File 5822/2026, is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Guadalajara (BOP) No. 186, dated September 30, 2026, and submits the text to public information and hearing for interested parties for a minimum period of 30 days for the submission of claims and suggestions.

The regulation is established as an institutional recognition of the Provincial Council of Guadalajara, of an honorary, cultural, and promotional nature, intended for festivals and manifestations with a notorious root in the popular tradition of the province. The provincial institution thus recovers the spirit of the plenary agreement of 1984, which already established criteria for the declaration of festivals of relevant provincial tourist interest, and provides it with a regulation adapted to the principles of objectivity, transparency, and administrative cooperation.

The text emphasizes that the distinction is not equivalent to the Festival of Regional Tourist Interest nor does it attribute legal effects inherent to the latter, and that it respects the competencies of the Regional Government of Castilla-La Mancha regarding tourism and culture. Nor will it have the nature of a subsidy nor will it by itself generate a right to financing or economic aid.

Requirements and who may apply

The declaration may be requested by the City Councils of the province, as well as Neighborhood Boards, Cultural Associations, or legally constituted collectives responsible for organizing the festival. If the application does not come from the corresponding City Council, it must be accompanied by a favorable report from the Corporation.

Candidacies must meet, among others, these requirements:

• Continuity in celebration during the ten years immediately preceding the application, except in cases of force majeure.
• Originality, quality, and visual appeal of the events compared to similar celebrations in other localities.
• Historical-cultural roots with at least eighty years of antiquity.
• Ability to attract visitors and public impact, with attendance figures and media presence.
• Periodic celebration on an easily determinable date.

Exceptionally, and with a mandatory technical report, one of these requirements may be waived when characteristics of exceptional relevance are present.

Procedure and effects of the recognition

Applications shall be addressed to the Tourism Area of the Council and shall be submitted exclusively by electronic means, in accordance with article 16.4 of Law 39/2015, of October 1. The processing shall be the responsibility of the competent provincial tourism service, with mandatory and binding reports from the tourism and ethnography areas.

The resolution shall be the responsibility of the Plenary, upon the proposal of the deputy with delegation in tourism matters; denial, on the other hand, shall be decided by that same deputy. The maximum period for resolution and notification shall be six months from the submission of the application, with positive administrative silence. A rejected application may not be resubmitted for the same festival until three years have passed.

The granting of the distinction shall entitle the recipient to receive an accrediting diploma, to use the official designation, to be included in the Provincial Catalog of Festivals of Provincial Tourist Interest of Guadalajara, and to be considered in provincial cultural and tourism promotion activities, such as guides, campaigns, fairs, digital platforms, and audiovisual material.

Validity, withdrawal, and allegations

The distinction shall be indefinite in nature, but may be withdrawn through an administrative procedure with a prior hearing if the festival disappears, its celebration is interrupted for three consecutive editions or five alternating ones, its essential elements are altered, or the designation is used fraudulently. Festivals already recognized by the Provincial Council prior to the entry into force shall retain their title.

The regulation shall enter into force once published in full in the BOP and after the legally established period has elapsed. If no claims or suggestions are presented during the public information period, the initially provisional agreement shall be definitively adopted; otherwise, the Plenary shall resolve it through definitive approval.

The text was signed in Guadalajara on September 28, 2026, by the president of the Provincial Council, José Luis Vega Pérez.

The new distinction offers the municipalities and festive collectives of the province an institutional seal to promote their celebrations and attract visitors, without depending on the regional declaration. For interested city councils and associations, the 30-day period opened with this publication is the means to present allegations to the text before its definitive approval.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Guadalajara, No. 186, September 30, 2026, Section I (announcements), p. 1-14 (official reference: File 5822/2026; verification code 18d34b551b4c9e873004e2fa2ac38038f3958bd2).