VENUES AND HOW TO GET HERE
Fantastic Cinema in the heart of Galicia

Traveling from Galicia | Traveling from Outside Galicia | The Venues of the Festival

Total freedom to move at your own rythm

Getting to Vilagarcía by car is very easy thanks to the modern motorway connections. Furthermore, unlike in larger cities, parking here is much easier (and often free).

• From the North (Santiago/A Coruña) or the South (Pontevedra/Vigo): The fastest route is the Atlantic Highway (AP-9). Take Exit 119 (towards Cambados/Sanxenxo/Vilagarcía) and connect to the VRG-4.1 expressway, which will take you directly to the city center in just a few minutes.

• From the Plateau (Madrid/Ourense): You will enter Galicia via the A-52. Upon arriving in Vigo, connect with the AP-9 towards Pontevedra/Santiago and follow the above signs to Exit 119.

WHERE TO PARK DURING THE FESTIVAL?

Forget about driving around in circles. Vilagarcía has ample parking areas very close to the Curtas venues:

1. FEXDEGA Exhibition Centre (Free): It’s the “jewel” for visitors. A huge, free parking lot just a 5-8 minute walk from the Municipal Auditorium and the Salón García.

2. Port Area / O Ramal: Large parking areas by the sea, next to the Miguel de Cervantes Park and the Cinexpo.

3. Paid parking: You have several options, one very close to the McDonald’s in the Port Area.

💡 The Fact: Getting from the FEXDEGA parking lot to your cinema seat will take less time than looking for a spot in the center of Vigo or A Coruña. It’s been proven!

ARE YOU COMING FROM OUTSIDE GALICIA? HERE’S HOW TO GET HERE

We know that the journey is part of the experience, so we’ve summarized the best options to get you to Vilagarcía without stress.

Vilagarcía is very well located between two main airports. Depending on your origin, one or the other will be more convenient:

• Santiago-Rosalía de Castro Airport (SCQ): It is the most international (London, Frankfurt, Paris, Zurich, etc.).

  • Distance: Approx. 45 minutes by car to Vilagarcía.

• Vigo Airport (VGO): An excellent alternative if you’re flying from Madrid or Barcelona, ​​as it’s just as close.
  • Distance: Approx. 45 minutes by car.

• A Coruña Airport (LCG): If you find a better offer here, it’s also viable, although the journey is a bit longer.

  • Distance: Approx. 1 hour and 15 minutes by car.

💡 Tip: If you fly to Santiago or Vigo, you can rent a car there or even take a direct train to Vilagarcía (from the city’s train station, not the airport).

Vilagarcía de Arousa has its own High Speed ​​station and is on the “Atlantic Axis”, so the connections are unbeatable.

• From Madrid: Look for direct tickets to Vilagarcía de Arousa station (Alvia/AVE). The journey takes less than 4 hours and drops you off in the city center.

• From other Galician cities: There are frequent trains from Santiago, Vigo, and A Coruña every hour.From the station, you can walk or take a taxi to almost anywhere in the city in 5-10 minutes.

This historic building is the heart of Curtas. Opened in 1884, the Salón García has a classic charm that perfectly complements the event’s atmosphere. It’s a more intimate space, yet constantly bustling with activity. It has been hosting screenings since the early days of cinema.

• What’s going on here? It’s the main venue for short and feature film screenings.
• Bonus Fact: The lobby or entrance of the Salón García is often transformed thematically. It frequently hosts striking exhibitions (such as “Monstrorama” with life-size figures of horror monsters) that greet you as soon as you enter.

Located very close to the other spaces (right next to the García Hall), this multipurpose room is dedicated to everything related to cinema but not screenings per se.

• Ground Floor (Exhibitions): This is the room that houses the main exhibition of the Festival (the largest and most spectacular) and is also the one that opens days before the official start of the event.
• Leve 1 (Talks, Masterclasses, and Exhibitions): This is where meetings with directors, roundtables on film or comics, masterclasses, and book and comic book launches take place. It’s the place to learn, see, and listen.
• Level 2 (Artist Alley and Games Room): Usually on the second floor is the Artist Alley (where illustrators and artists display and sell their work) and the Games Area (video games, virtual reality and board games) to rest between films.

It is the largest and most formal venue. With 750 seats, the Auditorium hosts the Festival’s closing ceremony and other events that require a larger capacity.

• What’s going on here? This is the venue chosen for the Closing Ceremony and the presentation of Honorary Awards for the Festival. It hosts everything from educational events to large-scale productions like “A Noite dos Mortos ao Vivo” . This event screened George A. Romero’s iconic film “Night of the Living Dead,” accompanied by a symphony orchestra, a sound creator, and four voice actors performing a new version of the film’s script.

This spacious and versatile venue is completely transformed to host the festival’s most social and spectacular side. Far from the traditional cinema seat, the atmosphere here changes radically: it’s a flexible space that allows cinema to transcend the screen and become something you can experience and savor.

• What’s going on here? It’s the chosen venue for the iconic Halloween Immersive Experience, a complete themed experience combining gastronomy, live entertainment, and a special (often cult) screening in a specially decorated setting. Furthermore, thanks to its versatility, the space can also be used to host other large events or gatherings that require greater capacity or logistical flexibility during the festival.

The festival isn’t confined to the venue. During the event, it’s common to see festival elements in the surrounding pedestrian streets like plaza de Galicia or Rua do Rio.

• What’s going on here? Photocalls are usually set up with iconic vehicles (like the Ghostbusters car or the Batmobile in past editions) and sometimes parades or cosplay events are held that connect the different buildings.