culture

Art, Theatre and Cinema

During the summer, the whole of Santiago becomes a huge theatre, with its many festivals and performances. What is known as the "Teatro a mil" ("mil" meaning a thousand) takes place in Mapocho station every day in January and competes with the many free theatre festivals organized by various councils in the capital city, such as La Florida or Providencia.

For music-lovers, the choices are both excellent and wide. Whether you are interested in seeing one of the concerts of world-famous bands such as Inti Illimani or Los Jaivas, or attending one of the many folk, jazz or classical concerts offered throughout the city, Santiago has something for you, no matter your musical preference. If it's rock you are after, you should have a look and see what is going on in places like La Batuta, Zoom or La Pica de don Chito, where there tend to be many concerts organized throughout the year. During the summer, the Teatro Municipal presents concerts practically every night, presenting some of the new music that has come out during the season.

Summer is also a time for cinema, and there are many festivals and retrospectives in various cinemas located throughout Santiago. The art cinema Normandie offers excellent retrospectives of the best films of the year at very reasonable prices (USD$2 for students). The art cinema Alameda is also worth paying a visit to. It organizes interesting retrospectives of European, Latin American and Asian cinema, as well as entertaining animation features.

There are many other things one can do at night in the center of Santiago. Why not simply have a walk along the Paseo Ahumada, where there are many street stalls selling trinkets and treats? At the end of that street, you will come across the recently refurbished Plaza de las Armas. Surrounded by Colonial buildings, the place is full of street painters and musicians who perform all sorts of concerts on the stage.

Santiago has more than one face. And this is part of its attraction: modern shopping malls on the one hand, and indigenous arts and crafts exhibitions (in the Cerro Santa Lucia) on the other, street performances and juggling outside the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo (Museum of Contemporary Art), and visual art exhibitions in its many galleries and underground stations. Santiago is a city of healthy contrasts between its different areas, with a truly fascinating cultural and architectural diversity