Launched in 2013, Gibunco Gibraltar Literary Festival is now an important part of Gibraltar’s cultural calendar, attracting speakers from all over Europe and the rest of the world. Lord Patten – the former Conservative Party chairman and Governor of Hong Kong – and journalist Mr Esler, who stood for anti-Brexit party Change UK in the European Parliamentary elections earlier this year – were just two of the names of a diverse line-up. Festival director Nicky Guerrero said: “We wanted to create a cultural event, not only for audiences in Gibraltar and surrounding areas but as well.
“The festival helps to promote Gibraltar in so many ways, from a tourism angle as well.
“It gets the message out about our uniqueness, our cultural diversity, history which is very important to us, so it makes us stand aside from other festivals in the English-speaking world because you are in this brilliant place, where you can stand on the Rock where you can see three countries and two continents, with such wonderful and rich heritage.
“It does help to promote Gibraltar, to get people talking about Gibraltar, and to understand Gibraltar.
The event includes an schools festival allowing pupils to benefit from the talks and conferences delivered by the world-renowned speakers.
Mr Guerrero said: “We’ve got thousands of schoolchildren and youngsters benefiting from all this.”
Special advisers in UK, who also run the Oxford Literary Festival, help arrange the guests, Mr Guerrero added, with organisers needing to be selective about who they invited to participate.
He said: “It’s about creating a very diverse range of subjects in a place where we are very proud of our diversity and the colour and the richness of our environment.”
With talks by prominent Remainer Lord Patten, and Mr Esler, who talked about his book, Brexit Without the Bull****, the UK’s impending departure from the EU has inevitably been on the agenda.
Mr Guerrero said: “Obviously Gavin’s subject was very topical.
“It’s about subject matter. In our social media marketing and our marketing this year we have done things by subject.
“Because I think if you say to somebody we’re going to be talking about animals, or we’re going to be philosophy or history, people look at that first and think ‘Okay, I’m interested in that subject’ and you go to somebody who is in their own right experts.
“You can’t expect people to know all of our guests but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give somebody a chance.
Gibraltar’s venues including the famous Garrison Library, which serves as the hub of the festival, as well The Convent, King’s Chapel, Mackintosh Hall, Kings Bastion and the Sunborn.
The festival – which now has the honour of royal patronage from HRH the Princess Royal – enables constant interaction between authors and audiences, with books on sale at each of the different venues.
History, literature, popular culture, politics, religion and the world of ideas all feature heavily in the programme, with this year’s festival featuring an eclectic blend of subjects ranging from gastronomy, art appreciation, jazz music and poetry, the history and significance of the Rock’s famous barbary macaques, and Gibraltar’s world-renowned Gorham Caves, home of a priceless treasure trove of Neanderthal fossil records.
Mr Guerrero concluded: “We are very proud of the festival, and how different it is from other festivals.
“If you want a weekend away full of enlightenment and culture, where better?”