The Spain-India Dual Year 2026 is a joint initiative of both governments to strengthen strategic, economic, cultural, and technological ties between the two nations. This celebration, sponsored by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, coincides with the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
The program includes cultural festivals, business forums on innovation, artificial intelligence, renewable energy and sustainable mobility, as well as conferences, academic programs and university exchange programs in Barcelona, Madrid and New Delhi.
Together with Casa Asia, institutions such as the Spain-India Council Foundation —which held the 5th Spain-India Forum in October 2025 in Barcelona—, the Instituto Cervantes The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) will play a key role in the programming. In addition, regional and municipal governments—such as the Generalitat of Catalonia, the Barcelona City Council, and the Madrid City Council—will contribute with specific initiatives within the framework of their strategies for Asia.
Spain and India established diplomatic relations in 1956, and in 1958 Spain opened its resident embassy in New Delhi. Since then, the relationship has evolved with notable milestones such as the visit of the Reyes to India in 2012, the commemoration of the 60th anniversary in 2016, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Spain in 2017, which laid the groundwork for this celebration. In October 2024, the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, agreed with Narendra Modi to organize the Spain-India Dual Year in 2026, thus consolidating a future-oriented strategic relationship.
With this initiative, both countries seek to strengthen mutual understanding and project a long-term strategic relationship, in a global context where Asia-Pacific is consolidating itself as an economic and political center of gravity.
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Activities of Casa Asia
JANUARY
Hindi National Language Day – participation of José Pintor, CEO Casa Asia
January 9. Barcelona
Online Hindi language courses
From January 13 to April 14. Online
Republic Day – participation of José Pintor, CEO Casa Asia
January 26. Barcelona
Online course: "Learning with 'Kumbha Mela, pilgrimage to immortality'"
From January 28 to February 18. Online
Conference: "Between Spices and Masala Chai: A Sensory Journey Through India"
January 29th in Barcelona
FEBRUARY
Online course: "The many Indies through transoceanic literatures"
From February 3 to March 17. Online
Online course: "We learn with Hinduism for Modern Life»
From February 4 to March 4. Online
Meeting: "Sonia and Sunny's loneliness by Kiran Desai
February 9st in Barcelona
Meeting: "Sonia and Sunny's loneliness by Kiran Desai
February 13th in Madrid
Conference "Beyond Orientalism: Classical Indian Philosophy"
February 19th in Madrid
Lecture series: "Thought and Religion in India"
From February 19th to June 4th in Madrid
MARCH
Casa Asia at ARCO
From March 4th to 8th in Madrid
Contemporary dance performance with dancer Shreya Nag at ARCO
March 5th in Madrid
Interview with Anoushka DasGupta on the occasion of International Women's Day (March 8)
Online
Workshop: "Discover the art of Indian Kantha embroidery"
From March 4th to 25th. Online
Screening of the documentary: "Mudras, dancing the invisible threads"
March 16 in Barcelona
Conference "From India to the world: the influence of its epic on the performing arts"
March 18th in Madrid
Lecture: "A Guide to Understanding Hinduism"
March 25th in Madrid
APRIL
India-Spain Seminar: "AI and Engineering Driving Responsible Innovation"
April 14th in Barcelona
Dance performance "Roots that migrate, rhythms that return: from tradition to transformation"
April 19th in Barcelona
Screenwriters' Meeting: "Golda Sellam's Masterclass"
April 22th in Barcelona
Conference: «Public Diplomacy and People-to-People Connections in the Spain–India Dual Year»
April 28th in Valladolid
Lecture: "The Birth of Buddhism and the Formulation of Indian Art"
April 29 in Madrid
MAY
Spain-India Meeting
May 6th in Madrid and May 7th in Valladolid
IndiaIndie programming in the "New Asian Cinema" film program
From May 9th to 30th in Barcelona
JUNE
Online course: "Understanding India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia through travel"
From June 1st to 29th. Online.
Lecture: "Jainism and Indian Society"
June 4 in Madrid
Jaipur Literature Festival Valladolid
From June 11th to 14th. Events in Barcelona and Madrid
World Yoga Day
June 21st in Barcelona
Spain-India Dialogue: "Geopolitics: Dialogue on the Indo-Pacific with the Spain-India Council Foundation"
JULY
Spain-India Journalists' Panel
July 7th in Madrid
SEPTEMBER
Festival de las Ideas with Vijay Prashad present at the inauguration
OCTOBER
Casa Asia in PRINT
Madrid
Asian Film Festival Barcelonand | AFFBCN 2026 – India Special
22 from October to 1 from November
NOVEMBER
VI Spain-India Bilateral Forum
India
Music Day: "Tabla and Sitar Recital"
November 18 in Madrid
Activity within the framework of LOOP
Barcelona
Electronic music concert
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News
Website of the Spain-India Dual Year of the Spain-India Council Foundation
What is the Spain-India Dual Year 2026?
The foreign ministers of Spain and India present the Dual Year in New Delhi
Pedro Sánchez: "The Spain-India Dual Year is a great opportunity"
Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun opens the New Delhi Book Fair
FITUR and the Spain Film Commission bring the Spain-India Dual Year to the audiovisual sector
Spanish presence at major Indian literature festivals in 2026
