The Fundación Contemporánea Culture Observatory has published the results of its analysis of Spain's cultural scene in 2021. San Sebastian Festival ranks as the fourth most important cultural event of 2021.
San Sebastian Festival occupies fourth place in the ranking headed by the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, the Prado Museum and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. The Teatro Real and the Guggenheim Bilbao Museum occupy fifth and sixth place, respectively.
The Basque Country is the second most highly valued community for its programme, only beaten by Madrid. San Sebastian is the seventh most valued city for the quality and innovation of its culture, also topping the list of those with fewer than half a million inhabitants.
The Culture Observatory is an instrument devised to take the pulse of the sector, analyse trends, promote debate and identify shortcomings and opportunities. Since 2009, it has held an annual consultation to establish the year's most outstanding cultural institutions and events. The latest questionnaire had 358 participants, of whom 44% work for a public cultural organisation, 39.9% for a private cultural organisation, and 15.5% are independent professionals in the sector.