|
Date
|
Event
|
What happens
|
|
January
|
|
|
|
1st
|
New Year’s Day
|
Public holiday in all
Spain
|
|
2nd
|
Granada Reconquest
Festival
|
Public Holiday in Granada City celebrating the
anniversary of the expulsion of the Moors from the City of Granada by
Isabella and Ferdinand in 1492.
|
|
6th
|
Three King’s Day
|
Epiphany-12th Night
where the Spanish traditionally give their gifts. Local processions are held
in the streets followed by the present giving.
|
|
13th
|
Earthquake Day
|
In Motril there is a procession to give thanks that,
during the earthquakes of 1804 and 1884, Motril was not completely destroyed.
|
|
20th
|
Fiestas de San Sebastián
Mártir
|
Barrio San Sebastián in Almuñécar celebrates its
patron saint during three days of fiestas centred around January 20th.
|
|
February
|
|
|
|
28th
|
Día
de Andalucía
|
Public holiday in
Andalucía
|
|
|
Carnaval
Celebrations
|
Celebrated the three
days before Ash Wednesday, with the most extravagant festivities being held
in Cádiz. Local towns and villages celebrate with fancy dress parades and
funfairs etc.
|
|
March
|
|
|
|
12th – 19th
|
Las
Fallas
|
Festival culminating
in the burning of the Fallas at midnight on March 19.
|
|
19th
|
Día
de San José
|
St Joseph is the
patron saint of La Herradura. There's a week-long fair culminating in a
procession on the 19th with fireworks in the evening.
|
|
March/April
|
Semana
Santa
|
Fiestas all over Spain
celebrating Holy Week, with the largest being held in Sevilla. There are religious
processions throughout the week, as well as plenty of music, dancing, eating, and the habitual fireworks.
|
|
April
|
|
|
|
|
La
Feria de Sevilla
|
A spectacular fiesta
starting two weeks after Semana Santa and lasting a week.
|
|
|
Cultural Week Los
Guájares
|
Celebrated at the end
of April, a fiesta of music, gastronomy and creativity held annually in each
of the three villages in rotation.
|
|
May
|
Feria
del Caballo
|
Annual Jerez de La
Frontera horse fair, in the province of Cádiz
|
|
1st
|
Day of the Worker –
Public Holiday
|
Public holiday in all
Spain
|
|
3rd
|
Las Cruces de Mayo
|
Day of The Cross with
festivities in Granada City. Local town and village fiesta days often
coincide.
|
|
May/June
|
Corpus Christi
|
Celebrated on the
Thursday after Trinity with religious processions most notably in the
provinces of Toledo, Granada and Valencia. Granada's official festival lasts
for eight days..
|
|
June
|
|
|
|
13th
|
Moors
& Christians Battle
|
Moors & Christians
battle reenactments are held throughout Spain, throughout the year. Vélez de
Benaudalla, close to Los Guájares is well known locally for its re-enactment.
|
|
23rd
|
Feast
of San Juan
|
San Juan's Day.
Bonfires lit and at midnight on 23rd June one enters the sea
to cleanse oneself of sin. Celebrating the start of summer solstice.
|
|
July
|
Fiesta de San Fermin
|
Famous running of the
bulls in Pamplona in early July
|
|
16th
|
Fiesta de la Virgen
del Carmen
|
Fiesta in honour of
the Virgen del Carmen, the protectress of fishermen, in all coastal towns
including Motril, Torrenueva, Almuñécar, and La Herradura. At dusk, after the
procession around all the streets, the Virgin is taken out to sea on a boat. There
are also fireworks that illuminate the sky over the sea.
|
|
August
|
Fiesta de Los Guájares
|
The first weekend in
Aug is the start of the festivities for the three villages that make up Los
Guájares. The fiesta starts in Guájar Fondón, moves to Guájar Faragüit and
ends in Guájar Alto on the 16th August.
|
|
15th
|
Day of Assumption, Motril Fiesta,
Almuñécar Fiesta and Feria de Málaga
|
Public holiday in
Andalucía. Week long fiestas in Motril in honour of the town’s patron saint,
Virgen de la Cabeza. There are concerts, fair ground attractions, dances,
sports events, music and a firework display all leading up to the procession
on the 15th. Also in Almuñécar, whose patron saint is Virgen de la
Antigua, there is a week long fiesta culminating on the 15th.
The week long Feria de
Málaga always spans across 15th August.
|
|
|
Gigantones
|
Giant puppets are
paraded through the streets of Alcalá de Henares during the last week in
August.
|
|
|
La Tomatina
|
The last Wednesday in
August in Buñol is Spain's craziest fiesta consisting of a two hour tomato
fight.
|
|
September
|
La
Vendimia
|
Annual grape harvest
with celebrations concentrated Jerez, and other major wine areas, starting as
close to 8th Sept as possible.
|
|
29th
|
Fiesta de San Miguel
|
Local fiesta lasting three days in the San Miguel
district of Almuñécar, the old part of town bordering the castle. Processions,
street parties and fireworks are the main attractions.
|
|
October
|
|
|
|
12th
|
National
Day
|
Public Holiday in all
Spain
|
|
November
|
|
|
|
1st
|
All Saint’s Day
|
Public Holiday in all
Spain where cemeteries are decorated and loved ones remembered.
|
|
December
|
|
|
|
6th
|
Constitution
Day
|
Public holiday in all
Spain. Schools and businesses throughout Spain will often bridge the holiday
and close completely until 9th Dec, after the Day of the Immaculate
Conception on the 8th.
|
|
8th
|
Day
of the Immaculate Conception
|
Public holiday in all
Spain
|
|
25th
|
Christmas
Day
|
Public holiday in all
Spain
|
|
31st
|
Nochevieja
|
New Year's Eve when 12
grapes are eaten in time with the 12 strokes of the clock.
|
What to Do