Platea Program 2026-27: What Municipalities and Performing Arts Companies Can Do

Key data

Spanish municipalities that want to program performing arts with state support in 2026 and 2027 now have the legal framework activated. INAEM and FEMP have formalized the agreement for the 2026-27 edition of the Platea Program, published in the BOE on April 25, 2026 (reference BOE-A-2026-9071). This agreement activates access to subsidized productions for local entities and opens the distribution window for performing arts companies that want to reach territories with lower cultural supply.

The program is not new, but each edition requires a specific agreement that sets the conditions for participation, selection criteria and co-financing commitments. Understanding this framework is essential for any municipal cultural manager or company that wants to operate within the Platea system over the next two years.

What does this regulation establish?

The INAEM-FEMP agreement for Platea 2026-27 articulates collaboration between the central administration and local entities around four main axes:

The central objective of the program is to promote the circulation of performing arts shows in smaller municipalities, reducing the cultural access gap between major cities and the rest of the territory. FEMP acts as an intermediary between INAEM and the hundreds of municipalities and provincial councils that can join.

Economic and operational impact

The resolution does not detail specific amounts of state financing or the exact percentages of co-financing required from local entities. What it does establish clearly is that participation in Platea involves a shared economic commitment: INAEM provides financing to subsidize the cost of shows, and the municipality or provincial council must assume the remaining part according to the agreement criteria.

From an operational perspective, impacts vary depending on the type of entity:

• Municipalities and provincial councils: access to quality shows at reduced cost thanks to state subsidies, but with the obligation to have adequate venues and meet selection criteria.
• Performing arts companies: opportunity for distribution in a public circuit with presence in municipalities with difficult commercial access, but subject to INAEM selection criteria to enter the catalog.
• Municipal cultural managers: need to manage program membership, coordinate programming with agreement timelines and ensure compliance with venue conditions.

Who does it affect?

• Municipalities with their own performing venues or dependent venues that want to program performing arts with state co-financing in 2026-27.
• Provincial councils that manage performing venues or coordinate cultural programming in municipalities in their province.
• Performing arts companies (theater, dance, circus, opera, live music) seeking distribution of their productions through the Platea public channel.
• Local cultural managers responsible for programming in municipal facilities.
• Producers and distributors in the performing arts sector working with companies interested in the Platea circuit.

Practical example

A municipality of 8,000 inhabitants with a municipal theater wants to program a theatrical work for the 2026-27 season. Without Platea, it would have to assume the full cost of the company's fee, which in many cases makes it impossible to hire productions of significant scale.

By joining the Platea program through FEMP, the municipality can select shows from the catalog approved by INAEM. The cost to the municipality is reduced because INAEM co-finances part of the fee. The municipality must ensure that its theater meets the venue criteria established in the agreement and assume its share of co-financing.

For a contemporary dance company, being in the Platea catalog means accessing dozens or hundreds of municipalities that otherwise could not hire their show. Selection depends on meeting INAEM criteria, so the company must submit its production within the timelines and requirements that the institute establishes for the 2026-27 edition.

What should stakeholders do now?

1. Municipalities and provincial councils: review whether their performing venues meet the selection criteria established in the agreement and contact FEMP to begin the process of joining the 2026-27 edition.
2. Municipal cultural managers: consult the Platea show catalog approved by INAEM for the 2026-27 edition and plan programming within the agreement timelines.
3. Performing arts companies: verify INAEM selection criteria for the 2026-27 edition and submit their productions if they meet requirements, with the goal of entering the Platea catalog.
4. Producers and distributors: identify which productions in their portfolio are eligible for Platea and coordinate with companies the submission to INAEM.
5. All stakeholders: access the full text of the agreement published in the BOE (BOE-A-2026-9071) to learn the specific co-financing conditions and operational timelines for the edition.