This was announced by Zaragoza Mayor Natalia Chueca at a meeting held Thursday with Zaragoza’s Venezuelan community at the Moralepa restaurant. The news was met with shouts and tears of emotion from the dozens of Venezuelan women who filled the establishment around midday.
Zaragoza City Council is already working with the Venezuelan community to define its participation in the Pilar Festivities and design proposals to bring the traditions, music, folklore and cultural diversity of the Ibero-American country closer to residents and visitors. As part of this initiative, on October 14 at 8:30 p.m., the Ámbar Fuente de Goya stage will host a concert by the Carlos Cruz-Díez Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Manuel Jurado.
Choosing Venezuela is also intended as a gesture of closeness toward the thousands of Venezuelans who have made Zaragoza their home and contribute daily to the city’s social, cultural and economic development. According to the latest municipal publication, Cifras de Zaragoza, compiled using population register data from January 1, 2025, 6,032 Venezuelan nationals lived in the city, compared with 4,876 registered a year earlier.
ZARAGOZA, WITH VENEZUELA
Venezuela’s selection as guest country also comes at an especially painful time for its population, following the earthquakes that caused serious personal and material damage and triggered a major humanitarian emergency.
Being named guest country of the Pilar Festivities is therefore a new gesture of support and recognition for a people hit by tragedy, but also characterized by its strength, resilience and commitment to freedom.
