Panama City, Panama, the Pacific coast’s oldest European settlement, will turn 500 years on August 15, 2019, an event that has not gone unnoticed by large media outlets such as Vogue and The Telegraph.
Panama City 500
Though Panama celebrates 500 years this year, planning began in 2014 when the Municipality of Panama created the 500 Years Since the Founding of Panama City Commission, tasking it with creating the lead-up to the 500 years celebration, including activities and projects that would contribute to raising awareness, to education and to creating spaces for public participation, such as debate on the cultural, historical and patrimonial values of this historic city. The Panama City 500 Commission has the strategic, logistic and administrative support of the United Nations Development Programme(UNDP). Read more about the UNDP’s participation here.
The Panama City 500 commemoration program has been created around 4 key pillars:
- HISTORIC PANAMA
- Activities focused on the recovery of historical memory and the creation of cultural infrastructure.
- DIVERSE PANAMA
- Events that highlight the diversity of cultural expressions that exist and coexist in the city.
- SUPPORTIVE PANAMA
- Activities that will be taken to Panama City neighborhoods in order to highlight the tradition of solidarity and tolerance, characteristics of Panama.
- POSSIBILITY PANAMA
- Activities that facilitate the collective reflection on the city we want for future generations, as well as the actions that allow the celebration to be known outside the country.
Panama City 500 Events
Celebrations began in August 2017, including a variety of arts and cultural activities and events to commemorate this historic moment.
Numerous events are planned leading up to August 15th, including:
- Exhibition: Molas Layers of Wisdom – Interoceanic Canal Museum
- When: February 26, 2019 – July 2, 2019
- Organizer: Mayor’s Office of Panama
- Where: Interoceanic Canal Museum, Casco Viejo, Panama. Google map here.
- Exhibition: “The Earth View from the Sky” by Yann Arthus Berthrand
- When: April 22, 2019 – May 22, 2019
- Organizer: Mayor’s Office of Panama
- Concert: Africa in America 2019 Festival
- When: May 25, 2019
- Organizer: Mayor’s Office of Panama
- Where: Figali Convention Center, Amador. Google map here.
- Creative Cities and Cultural Capitals Congress
- When: May 27, 2019 – May 31, 2019
- Launch of the Exhibition Program for the Museum of Panama City
- When: May 29, 2019
- Where: Gladys Vidal Municipal Theater, Hatillo Building, Calidonia. Google Map here.
- Get detailed information on Museum of Panama City exhibitions here.
- Alfredo de Saint Malo International Music Festival
- When: May 30th to June 9th, 2019
- Organizer: Concert Symphony Foundation of Panama. More here.
- Congress of Anthropology and History of Panama
- Book Launch for General History of Panama
- When: June 19th, 2019 from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m.
- Where: Convention Center, City of Knowledge. Google map here.
- Forum – Encounter with my City: The history of the city through mobility
- When: June 21st, 2019 from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
- Where: Gladys Vidal Municipal Theater, Hatillo Building, Calidonia. Google Map here.
- XVI Panama Guitar Festival
- When: June 29th – July 3rd, 2019
- Where: Gladys Vidal Municipal Theater, Hatillo Building, Calidonia. Google Map here.
