In addition to presenting a new skyline, the city will host numerous cultural events to commemorate the bicentenary of "La Pepa."
In 2012, Cadiz will be an mandatory travel destination since the city will be celebrating throughout the year the approval of the first liberal constitution in Europe, enacted at the San Felipe Neri Oratory and known affectionately by the locals as "La Pepa."
As well as the events programmed for celebrating that historic day, the city will also present a new skyline, with the completion of new infrastructures, such as the high-speed train link and the second bridge spanning the bay, 180m above the sea, which is all set to become an emblem of the city. The new bridge is one of the most important engineering works currently underway in Spain.
The celebrations will take place throughout the year, with shows, pageants, historical recreations, congresses, concerts, tall ship meetings, parades and food tastings. For the occasion, Cadiz will even recuperate the flavours of two centuries ago, when, despite the French siege, ice creams and sorbets where always available to be enjoyed while strolling in the city’s neighbourhoods out of range of the bombs.
As regards the cultural programme, Cadiz will be Cultural Capital of Latin America, with the play "State of Siege" by Albert Camus, a concert performed by Daniel Barenboim’s West Eastern Divan Orchestra in August, and the concert cycle "Music of the Cadiz Assembly" featuring among other leisure and cultural activities.
Top events scheduled for 2012 also include the 8th Latin American Architectural Biennial and the 22nd Summit of Latin American Heads of State and Government.
To mark the occasion, enormously emblematic buildings, such as the San Felipe Neri Oratory, where the assembly debated and drafted La Pepa, have been renovated. Both the church and the annex building will be opened to the general public in March as a interpretation centre of La Pepa; a constitution that established for the first time in history popular sovereignty, separartion of powers, freedom of speech and the press, and universal education, and which played a key role in the modernization of Spain, America and also Europe.
Provincial tourism board staff to share lottery tickets with Facebook fans
Another promotional stunt that will put the city on the map on a national scale will be the two national lottery draws to be held on 6 January and 24 March; it is important to remember that it was the Cadiz assembly that introduced the national lottery, as is commemorated by a plaque in the plaza de San Antonio, one of the city’s squares.
Members of staff at the Cadiz Provincial Tourism Board have bought a lottery ticket (no. 01812) and, if it is one of winning numbers, will share their winnings with those visiting the board’s Facebook wall and participating in the promotion. Nonetheless, those wishing to collect their winnings will be expected to do so in person, as a way of motivating visits.
