[1] Run by the non-profit Teatro a Mil International Festival Foundation (FITAM), the festival aims to provide affordable access to quality cultural events for the Chilean public, to support the development of theatre and the performing arts in Chile, and to promote Chilean theatre to the international arts scene.

It was conceived in response to the surge in theatre and the arts experienced in Chile after the end of the military government of Augusto Pinochet in 1990.

Prices for some events have risen over the years but affordability is still a central factor, with several free performances and many low-cost tickets at the 2014 edition of the festival.

[6] The 2014 edition of Santiago a Mil runs from January 3–19 and includes 390 events: 67 stage shows (35 by Chilean companies and 32 from abroad) as well as music, street theater, workshops, and talks.

[8] To mark 21 years since the festival's launch in 1994, the 2014 edition also includes two retrospectives of theatre companies that have taken part in Santiago a Mil since its debut: Viajeinmóvil and Teatrocinema.