As from January 20^th, the Spanish city of San Sebastian (in the Basque region) will be launching the calendar of events associated with its role as the “European Capital of Culture 2016”, an honour it shares with the Polish city of Wroclaw. Five days of shows and parties, including the Tamborrada, have been planned for this first event. The official opening ceremony will take place at the Victoria Eugenia theatre on Saturday 23^rd January, followed by a concert. The exhibition “Constelaciones Gaur” will be opened the day before. The key theme of the events will be “Cultura para la convivenza”, in order to promote “cohabitation between populations” and, as explained by the organisers, “support a better way of living together through art and culture”. Three “beacons” will reflect the programme’s key values: the Beacon of Life (people and society), the Beacon of Peace (cohabitation, integration), and the Beacon of Voices (promotion of diversity and mutual understanding). One of the events is a project that will “bring artists from all over the world through European cities by sea, bus and bike to create, share and spread the works of art that express different languages”. The “Waves of Energy” programme will support cultural projects, which will be proposed and assessed by the citizens themselves all year long.