The festival, organized by the association Iuventa with the support of the Provincial Council and the City Council of Jaén, will offer nearly a dozen events for all audiences. The program includes historical reenactments, street parades, flamenco shows, storytelling, children's workshops, and guided tours.
The celebration will kick off on Tuesday, June 24, at the Baños Árabes Cultural Center. The opening day will feature the reenactment of the legend by the group Vientos del Tiempo, followed by a flamenco performance titled ‘El Lagarto de la Malena’, with artistic direction by Rocío Martínez.
The highlight of the commemoration will be on Friday, June 26, in the Plaza de la Magdalena. The Guardia Pretoriana de Linares y Cástulo will reenact the presence of the Praetorians in ancient Rome, preceding the grand street parade. This procession will feature nearly 250 participants from Jaén and nearby towns such as Alcaudete, Linares, Mancha Real, Torredonjimeno, Alcalá la Real, Sabiote, Granada, and Puertollano. The route will start from the Plaza de la Magdalena and conclude at the Plaza de San Ildefonso.
Activities will continue on Saturday, June 27, at the Provincial Council's Tourism Promotion Center, with the storytelling session ‘Cuentos y escamas de fuego’ (Tales and Scales of Fire), narrated by Noelia Camacho, and a guided tour of popular legends of the capital, led by Eva de Dios.
The program will conclude with a children's workshop on Monday, June 29, titled ‘Entre escamas y leyendas’ (Between Scales and Legends), focused on creating lizard masks. The following day, Tuesday, June 30, a workshop on making lizard blood will be held, sponsored by Recuerdos del Condestable. The closing event will be on Thursday, July 2, with a nighttime guided tour on legends and ghosts, offered by Lagarto Tours.
