Lille Flamenca

Flamenco in Lille with Peña Estrella

Lille Flamenca is a local flamenco festival hosted by the Peña Estrella school and association. It runs throughout the season, from October to March, in the form of "Domingos Flamencos": Sunday afternoons from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM at the Auberge de jeunesse Stéphane Hessel. The 2025-2026 season features three dates: October 12, 2025, January 25, 2026, and March 22, 2026.

What to expect at a Domingo Flamenco

Each afternoon follows the same format: a performance, a flamenco dance workshop open to everyone, and a Sevillanas and Rumbas flamencas dance party. Musicians from COMPANŸA and the group LOS DE LA NOCHE provide live accompaniment throughout.

An open flamenco stage is also available, where musicians and dancers from other troupes or flamenco organizations are welcome to perform live.

Peña Estrella: Flamenco in Lille since 1984

Flamenco officially appeared in Lille in 1984. Patricia Wartelle, known as "la Zambrana," was one of the founders and later served as president and artistic director of the Lille Peña. She programmed shows at the Halle au Sucre from 1997 to 1999 and at the Biplan from 2000 to 2001, and organized the 25th anniversary of flamenco in Lille at the Maison Folie de Wazemmes in 2010. Artists such as Paco de Lucía, Pedro Escalona, and Paco el Lobo have been featured in these programs. In 2005, she became president of the European Federation of Peñas Flamencas.

Her daughter, Estrella "La Peli" de Linares, a dancer and choreographer, trained at the Lille Conservatory, the Ballets du Nord in Roubaix, and studied flamenco in Linares, in the province of Jaén. She is now the artistic director of Peña Estrella. The association offers year-round classes in dance, guitar, singing, and cajón in Lille and Seclin.

A free festival

The Domingos Flamencos are open to all, with free admission and no booking required.