FIDAE 2026 Brings Performing Arts to Three Cities in Uruguay
URUGUAY · THEATRE
Key Facts
- —What The Festival Internacional de Artes Escénicas, or International Festival of Performing Arts, in its tenth edition.
- —When 9 to 18 October 2026. The Paysandú leg runs from 11 to 18 October.
- —Where Montevideo, Paysandú and San José, using theatres, galleries and cultural centres in each city.
- —Who runs it The Instituto Nacional de Artes Escénicas, a body inside Uruguay’s Ministry of Education and Culture.
- —Practical Every show in Paysandú is free. Ticket terms for the other cities had not been published on the festival site.
FIDAE 2026 is the tenth edition of Uruguay’s international performing arts festival, and it spreads ten days of theatre, dance and circus across three cities.
What FIDAE Is and When It Runs
FIDAE runs from 9 to 18 October 2026 in Uruguay. The letters stand for Festival Internacional de Artes Escénicas, which translates as International Festival of Performing Arts.
This is the tenth edition. The festival is not held in one place, and it spreads across Montevideo, Paysandú and San José, three cities in different parts of the country.
The Instituto Nacional de Artes Escénicas organises it. That body sits inside the Ministry of Education and Culture, and it works with the local governments of the host departments.
The theme of this edition is Lo grande y lo pequeño, which means the big and the small. It points to a programme that places large productions and small, intimate pieces side by side.
Where the Shows Happen
Montevideo carries the largest share of the programme. Listed venues include the Teatro Solís, the Sala Verdi, the Auditorio Nacional del Sodre and the Auditorio Nelly Goitiño.
Independent houses take part as well. The Teatro Circular, the Teatro Victoria, the Teatro Alianza and the two halls of El Galpón all appear in the Montevideo listings.
Spaces outside the theatre world are also in use. The Espacio de Arte Contemporáneo, the Fundación Mario Benedetti, the Subte gallery and the Centro Cultural de España each host part of the programme.
Paysandú hosts its leg from 11 to 18 October. Shows there run at the Teatro Florencio Sánchez, the Casa de Cultura and the Espacio Imagina.
The Programme and the Countries Involved
Work from nine countries is on the bill, according to the Uruguayan magazine Revista CERO. Companies from France, Chile, Spain and Italy are among those travelling to the festival.
Uruguayan work is the backbone of the edition. The Comedia Nacional, the state theatre company, appears in the programme, and so does Edipo en Ezeiza, a Florencio prize winner from 2025.
The disciplines go beyond spoken theatre. The listings include dance, circus and puppetry, which lowers the language barrier for a good part of the audience.
Paysandú alone carries close to 17 productions. The local government says every show in that city is free to attend, and training sessions run alongside the performances.
What Is Not Yet Published
Ticket arrangements for the whole festival were still incomplete at the time of writing. The festival’s own ticket page carried a note saying the content would be updated shortly.
That gap matters for planning. The free entry confirmed for Paysandú does not automatically apply to the Montevideo venues, which have their own box offices.
Start times for individual shows sit in the downloadable programme rather than on one summary page. Readers should treat the festival site as the reference and check it close to the date.
Venue capacity is another open point. Several of the listed rooms are small, and the festival had not said how many seats each production would offer.
Why This Edition Is Worth Noting for Residents
Uruguay concentrates most of its cultural activity in Montevideo. A festival that also books San José and Paysandú is a deliberate step against that pattern.
Paysandú lies on the Uruguay River in the north-west of the country. It is several hours by road from the capital, and San José de Mayo is much closer to Montevideo.
For foreign residents, the practical value is simple. Ten days of programming in one country makes it possible to see companies from several continents without long travel.
The festival has also built a steady rhythm. Ten editions mean it is no longer an experiment, and the October slot in the calendar has become predictable.
There is a wider point about access. Touring work rarely reaches the interior of Uruguay, so a festival week in Paysandú changes what is available there for the rest of the year.
Public money pays for most of this. The festival is run by a state institute. Its choices are therefore a matter of public record rather than private taste.
October is a reasonable month to travel inside Uruguay. Spring weather is mild, the summer coast crowds have not arrived, and bus fares are lower than in January.
The festival also runs training work. Workshops sit alongside the performances in Paysandú, which matters for local companies that rarely meet visiting directors.
None of this guarantees a full house. Uruguay has a small population, and a ten-day festival spread over three cities depends on local audiences turning up.
Sources
- FIDAE — official festival site, Ministry of Education and Culture
- Intendencia de Paysandú — FIDAE returns to the city
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What does FIDAE stand for?
FIDAE is short for Festival Internacional de Artes Escénicas. In English that is the International Festival of Performing Arts. It is organised by Uruguay’s Instituto Nacional de Artes Escénicas.
When and where is FIDAE 2026?
It runs from 9 to 18 October 2026. Three cities take part, namely Montevideo, Paysandú and San José. The Paysandú leg runs from 11 to 18 October.
Are FIDAE 2026 shows free?
Every show in Paysandú is free, according to the city government. Arrangements for Montevideo and San José had not been published on the festival ticket page. Readers should check that page before making plans.
Do I need Spanish to enjoy the festival?
Not for every show. The programme includes dance, circus and puppetry, which carry across languages. Spoken theatre is mostly in Spanish, with visiting companies from France, Italy and Spain.
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