Enjoy urban dance sessions in solidarity with Gaza, theater against racism, or a family reggae show with Emeterians themselves. Learn to make ice cream with liquid nitrogen or embark on a journey through the universe. Get excited with acrobatic evenings united under the universal language of the circus or listen to stories of ancestral wisdom with the indigenous leader and minister of Brazil Sonia Guajajara.

These are just some of the many proposals that consolidate Rototom Sunsplash as a festival to experience also during the day and without age limit, and that transform it, one more summer, into an ode to culture and family plans. Under the colorful tents and scenography designed with great care, seven thematic areas are set up, offering diverse activities to enjoy this global experience.

This is the program that will take the stage in Benicàssim, from August 16 to 23, on the occasion of the 30 editions of Rototom Sunsplash. Culture in capital letters for the summer of “Celebrating Life”. To make the most of the festival afternoons in a unique environment and prepare for the concert evenings, with more than 200 shows on the bill.

A journey through science: Discovery Lab returns

Discovery Lab, the space dedicated to science and its dissemination, from a fun and practical perspective, returns to the festival together with renowned international scientists and with the support of the prestigious European research center CERN.

Among the twenty or so proposals that Discovery Lab will share are the tour of the craziest, and real, side of the Universe with José Luis Crespo, promoter of the science dissemination channel “Quantum Fracture”, with almost 4 million followers on Youtube; or the talk on the role of mathematics as allies of everyday life that will be detailed by the professor and presenter of the RTVE program “Órbita Laika”, Eduardo Sáenz de Cabezón. In addition, among the workshops is the theremin workshop, which will be taught by the Austrian composer Dorit Chrysler, who will land in Benicàssim directly from New York, where she collaborates with several museums, or the activity to learn, with the help of science, how to prepare homemade ice cream with liquid nitrogen.

Radioactivity, the technological adventure of cinema, the challenges of AI and the tips to protect yourself from cyberattacks are other topics that will be covered in this space, where there will be other attractions such as “magnetic appetizers” or the possibility of getting to know interesting, and young, projects to avoid climate drift such as PureDae, within the framework of Project Earth.

Six hours of youth culture daily in Teen Yard

The urban dance sessions of the Teen Yard for the festival’s teenage audience will this year forge ties with Gaza, specifically with the project Camps Breakerz, a dance school in the Strip. Shark, one of its founders, will participate in this contest with dancers from all over Spain that will be guided by Let’s Grow Valencia and that will serve to raise funds in support of Camps Breakerz. In addition, together with the parkour and basketball areas, and the football workshops with the Villarreal Foundation, and beat box, the public will be able to learn about the experiences of emerging and transformative art of the collectives La Simulación and Fractals, from Castelló and València, respectively. Finally, Batalla de Promesas, together with its song contest with a broader view of styles, organizes for the first time a “reggae battle” based on improvisation in which the participants will go through rounds until reaching the winner.

Magicomundo: a living and open space for the “little ones”

Free play and creative learning merge in Magicomundo, whose range of activity will also pass through the workshops (on how to build robots with recycled materials, a “Ciutat Feliç” or fantastic beings of mud without flags or borders); through music (from family reggae with Emeterians to the “History of reggae” with Joseleska); storytelling and dance, culminating in a surprise party for the 30 editions of Rototom.

The most acrobatic Rototom Circus

Six very powerful proposals in acrobatics and with the collaboration of the Circo Diverso School of Madrid will take the stage (from 9:00 p.m. to 9:50 p.m.) in Rototom Circus, whose program will open on Sunday, August 17 “Inkógnito”, from the company Express. Shows for all audiences and united by the universal language of the circus to reach all the languages represented at the festival.

Jamkunda: theater, literature and dance until midnight

Jamkunda, one of the most vibrant spaces of the festival, dedicated to African culture, has programmed eight sessions of Afro-modern dance, which become nocturnal (11:00 p.m.) to vibrate until midnight. In the afternoon, in its reflective Ataya area, the public will be able to attend book presentations (“Tierra de Luz”, by the journalist Lucía Mbomio); theater (with the play “No es país para negras”, by the actress, director and anti-racist activist Silvia Albert Sopale; or “El sueño es vida”, with Thimbo Samb); and African cooking workshops with the cooperative Abarka. This space will also host the presentation of the creative collective “Winner Circle”, which combines fashion, art and roots.

Pachamama: connect with the body and with the earth

The Pachamama agenda will open with agroecology and seed workshops together with collectives such as Llavors d’Ací, Demente Sostenible or Cuarzo Verde, and yoga and dance sessions, among which The Movement Spirit emerges as a novelty, which together with Eric Imbernon will explore the art of movement. Every day, starting at 7:00 p.m., the program will give way to workshops, presentations and round tables, such as those that will address the stories of solidarity and community behind the dana; the Dabkeh workshop, a traditional Palestinian dance Heritage of Humanity; the session on “Ancestral Wisdom” that will unite the Minister of Indigenous Peoples of the government of Brazil Sonia Guajajara and Agustín Ostos (from Soy Tribu, the project with which he has traveled the world by motorcycle to document tribes); or the presentation of the book “El milagro azul”, by Mariano Bueno.

Craft Market: where creativity comes to life

In this space, creativity is lived, shared and transformed into experience. With author’s crafts as the protagonist, the Craft Market will offer unique proposals that combine tradition, innovation and sustainability. Visiting its stalls means discovering a handmade universe: from leather pieces to silver and macramé jewelry, accessories with African fabrics, art on recycled wood and even robots built with reused materials. The spirit of upcycling jumps to clothing, accessories and jewelry created from electronic waste and disused objects. Every day, the market becomes a living space thanks to the participatory workshops proposed by the artisans themselves (giant dream catchers, painting or sculpture); and the juggling or African percussion animations.