Give the gift of culture in Malaga style: from a work of art to a performance

It's a Christmas classic: the countdown begins for finding the perfect gift for mom, a partner, or a grandparent. And, if possible, something original. If you're tired of placing the latest French-named perfume or the viral jacket from some 'influencer' under the tree, here's a selection of cultural offerings linked to Málaga to break the mold. In the shopping basket, there are stories from the city, a piece of art from a Málaga gallery, a gift card to spend on theater, and a wide range of concerts with tickets already on sale.

The Cervantes Theater and the Soho CaixaBank Theater encourage gifting an experience in their auditoriums. Both venues offer gift cards redeemable for tickets to any of the shows in their season. At the municipal coliseum, they can be purchased for 50 and 100 euros at the box office or through the theater's website, and can be used for performances at both Cervantes and Echegaray as well as at the Albéniz cinema screenings. The full program is already announced, with the 43rd Theater Festival as the immediate highlight: a premiere by Els Joglars kicks off a calendar with 33 offerings and names like Magüi Mira, Pou, Peris-Mencheta, Echanove, Imanol Arias, Adriana Ozores, Fran Perea, Coque Malla, and Las Niñas de Cádiz.

At Antonio Banderas' venue, the purchase of the gift card (for 50, 100, and 150 euros) must be made from the Córdoba street box office. On the bill, the theater features the musical 'Godspell', directed by Banderas himself, followed by the deep art of Flamenco in the Soho, the avant-garde commitment of Autóctonxs and its new Tiptoe dance cycle, directed by dancer Lucía Lacarra. With the Cánovas fully reintegrated into the theater circuit, the formula for gifting theater here involves purchasing one of their season passes from their website: 10 tickets for season performances for 100 euros. Its stage will host contemporary live art proposals, from Boris Charmatz to Luz Prado, through Atalaya, Vaivén Circo, and a tribute to Alessandra García's career.

The musical summer is almost fully revealed in winter to position itself as a Christmas gift. Starlite has enabled on its website the possibility to gift a 'gift card' for a minimum value of 50 euros and a maximum of 1,000 euros. In its lineup, for now, shine Lenny Kravitz (June 29. From 143 euros), Deep Purple (July 9. From 45 euros), Antoñito Molina (August 19. From 41 euros), and Grupo Frontera (July 6). Up to 24 dates are already confirmed at Marenostrum Fuengirola, with tickets already on sale for the anticipated tour of Alejandro Sanz (July 24. From 71.50 euros), the reunion of La Oreja de Van Gogh (June 27. From 60.50 euros), the mass phenomenon Dani Fernández (July 4. From 49.50 euros) or the return of Pablo Alborán to his home (June 6. From 49.50 euros). This week, the lineup of a new edition of the Brisa Festival at the Port of Málaga will be revealed. And passes for the Weekend Beach Festival in Torre del Mar (69.50 euros), from July 9 to 11, with Mike Tower, Ana Mena, Medina Azahara, and Alcalá Norte in their 'line up', are already on sale.

These are unique and exclusive gifts: no two pieces are alike. With a price range from 270 to 35,000 euros, the Málaga galleries Yusto/Giner, Javier Marín, La CasaAmarilla, and Benedito recommend some of the works they now have in their catalog. They are joined by the debut of Mármol&Fa with a limited edition by Julio Anaya.

The shipwreck of the German frigate Gneisenau off the port of Málaga, the conquest of the city in 1487, and the secrets of its streets are rediscovered in the books proposed for these holidays by the bookstores Luces, Rayuela, and Proteo. A selection that includes Málaga authors, from Javier Castillo to Candela Sierra, through Violeta Niebla.