If you are interested in visiting the Calderonian Days in Yepes and learning about its history, here you will find the most important information you need to know.
History of the Festival
The Calderonian Days were first held in 2000. Since then, the festival has grown in both quality and popularity, creating a route that passes through the most iconic landmarks of Yepes’ historic center, attracting more and more visitors each year.
In 2015, the event was declared a Festival of Regional Tourist Interest, recognizing its cultural and historical significance.
In 2022, the Calderonian Days received an award for Best Cultural Event from the Iniciativa Pueblos Mágicos (Magic Peoples Initiative) of the Instituto de Desarrollo Local y Estudios Sociales IDL (Institute of Local Development and Social Studies).
The Calderonian Days played a key role in the recognition of Yepes as one of the Magical Villages of Spain.
Cultural Roots
History, Theater, Music, and Dance
The event commemorates the historical connection of Yepes with Pedro Calderón de la Barca, who wrote the auto-sacramental, El Mágico Prodigioso (The Wonder-Working Magician), to be performed in the town on Corpus Christi in the year 1637.
The Calderonian Days offer an immersive experience that transports visitors to the past, allowing them to explore the history and heritage of Yepes through theatrical routes. These routes are brought to life by community and professional groups, associations, and local and regional participants, making this magical journey possible.
Nobility and clergy, peasantry and bourgeoisie—the experience offers a journey through the social classes of the time, featuring dance performances, music, fencing, comedy, and tragedy throughout the historic center of Yepes.
Come and experience the festivities on June 15, 2025, in Yepes (Toledo), and every year in June.
Appearances in the Press
Due to its significant cultural relevance and touristic potential, the Calderonian Days have received considerable attention from various media outlets throughout its history.
We invite you to explore our Press Archive.
The Prodigious Magician
«El Mágico Prodigioso» (The Wonder-Working Magician), written by Pedro Calderón de la Barca in 1637, was commissioned by the town of Yepes (Toledo) for the Corpus Christi festivities. This religious drama, considered one of the great works of the Spanish Golden Age, intertwines theological, philosophical, and literary elements within a Christian hagiographical framework.
The play was specifically designed to be performed in Yepes’ main town square during the Santísimo Sacramento (Blessed Sacrament) celebrations. The theatrical production featured scenes staged on pageant wagons as they moved through the square, a common practice in religious festivities of the time.
The premiere took place on June 11, 1637. Although no direct records confirm this event, notarial contracts and annotations in the original manuscript support its intended design for Yepes.
This event established Yepes as a significant cultural center during the Spanish Golden Age, a legacy still honored today through its connection to Calderón and the present-day Calderonian Days.
The direction of the Calderonian Days
The Calderonian Days have been conceived, written and directed by Yolanda Mancebo Salvador, who holds a degree in Philology (with a specialization in Linguistics) from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, a Ph.D. from the Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha (with a thesis on the theater of Lope de Vega), and a degree in Stage Direction and Dramaturgy from the Real Escuela Superior de Arte Dramático, where she taught from 2008 to 2013.. She currently teaches at the I.E.S. de Excelencia San Mateo in Madrid and at the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos.
As a director and playwright, she has worked with various companies, including Teatro Previo and Grupo de Teatro Kaos. Some of her works have been recognized in national competitions, including «Hija de Nadie» (No One’s Daughter) in Benavente in 2008 and «El Castigo Sin Venganza» (Punishment Without Revenge) with La Calderona in Chile in 2004.
She has written and directed the following shows: Un Paseo por el Yepes de Calderón (A Walk Through Calderón’s Yepes), Yepes Invisible (Invisible Yepes), Carpetania, Yepes Legendario: El Milagro del Cristo de la Luz (Legendary: The Miracle of the Christ of Light), and Yepes Tres Culturas (Yepes: Three Cultures), all of which were included in the Calderonian Days.
With the company El Viaje Entretenido, she produced a children’s adaptation of Calderón de la Barca’s El Mágico Prodigioso (The Wonder-Working Magician), which received a special mention in the Barroco Infantil (Children’s Baroque) category at the 2015 Festival de Almagro (Almagro Festival).
She has received several awards in the field of education and academics as the director of the Grupo de Teatro (Theater Group) at I.E.S. San Mateo. She has earned multiple distinctions in contests organized by the Community of Madrid (2015–2024), including second prize in the Antonio Buero Vallejo contest in 2020 and first prize from Madrid City Hall for directing Euripides’s Medea in 2022 and Electra in 2024.
She won second prize at the national level of the Concurso Nacional de Teatro Grecolatino (National Greco-Latin Theater Competition) for her direction of Euripides’ Alcestis in 2017 and first prize for her direction of Electra in 2024.
In addition to her dramaturgical work, she has conducted research in the field of classical theater. Her communication papers and monographs have been published in specialized journals such as Anuario Lope de Vega (Lope de Vega Yearbook), Actas de las Jornadas de Teatro Clásico de Almagro (Proceedings of the Almagro Classical Theater Journals), and the Compañía Nacional de Teatro Clásico‘s (National Classical Theater Company) pedagogical bulletins (2006–2011).
