According to the influential ‘Observatory of Culture’ index produced annually by the Fundación Contemporánea, Malaga is in the top three most cultured cities in Spain behind only Madrid and Barcelona.
In the previous survey, carried out in 2019, Malaga ranked fourth. In 2009, when the index began, Malaga ranked 19th.
The index is produced by sending a questionnaire to a panel of experts made up of more than a thousand top-level professionals in the culture and arts sector including writers, artists, directors and actors, musicians, architects and creators from all fields; heads of foundations, directors of museums, theatres, cultural centres and institutions; editors, producers, promoters, gallery owners and managers.
More than half of those surveyed, 53.6 per cent, singled out Malaga as a cultural haven with many remarking on the city’s resilience and commitment to the arts and culture sector during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Malaga’s film festival was highly ranked and entered the top 10 of Spain’s most important cultural events or venues, a list which includes the Reina Sofía, Prado and the Thyssen Museums in Madrid.
Of the nine Andalusian events or venues that appear on the national list, seven are located in Malaga including the Museo Picasso Malaga, the Eñe Festival, the Centre Pompidou Malaga, Genalguacil Museo Pueblo and the Museo Carmen Thyssen.