Festivals in Andalucía
Festivals
There is no better way to get to know Andalucia than through its myriad of fascinating traditional festivals. The local fiesta is the moment when every town and village strives to put on a splendid show, not only for themselves but also for those who come from afar to admire and enjoy. Over 3,000 fiestas are celebrated every year in Andalucia, including fairs, pilgrimages, carnivals, mock battles between Moors and Christians and religious processions. Each town and village has at least one patron saint and the processions in their name. In fact, there is scarcely a day in the year without its fiesta.
Below is our descriptive guide to the more popular festivals taking place each year. They are listed more or less in the order that they take place in the year. Alternatively consult a larger listing of the Festivals and Fiestas in Andalucia in a month by month format. Also consult our list of the summer ferias and this extensive guide to the main modern music and dance festivals.
Traditional Festivals in Andalucia
Theatre Festivals in Andalucia
Music and Dance contemporary Festivals
Festivals in Andalucia
Here is our long list of hundreds of pages of Festivals in Andalucia in the towns and villages of Andalucia.
Festivals in Bebarraba - Calle Pósito is turned into a medieval village and where a large proportion of the villagers dress for the occasion. The street is full on both sides with local products,… More →
Like all the towns in Andalucia Torremolinos celebrates numerous traditional festivals. Here are some of the more important. See our festival page for more background information on these… More →
Festivals in Ronda: Fiesta de la Virgen de la Paz, Feria de la Reconquista, La Virgen de la Cabeza, Feria Goyesca and more.
On the evening of the 5th of January there is a procession (Cabalgata), when the Three Kings parade through the streets on colourful floats. Sweets are thrown to the many children lining the… More →
Like most of rural Andalusian, traditional fiestas and religious festivals are very much a part of village life. April is a particularly festive month, with the "Fiestas de San León" taking place… More →
This is a strange outpost of the Wild West, with wide, sandy streets lined with houses complete with broad verandas and wooden rails for tying up horses. It is famous for its annual Romería, the… More →
Cabra is famous for the National Gypsy Pilgrimage, which traditionally takes place on the third Sunday of June. Click for more on the Cabra Gypsy Festival, and more on other festivals at Cabra.
If visiting San Roque village or one of the other suburbs in the area, bear in mind the following dates (dates change slightly each year to take in weekends where possible): February: Carnival… More →
There are a number of summer cultural festivals in Rota which are based on the Castillo de Luna. These include flamenco, classical music and theatrical events. In August there is a week of… More →
During its famous Semana Santa celebrations, the Toro de Aleluya, two bulls (toros) charge through the streets of the old town on Easter Sunday. In early August is the Fiesta de la Virgen de las… More →
Algeciras, the lively port town still makes time for the traditional festivals and fairs that take place each year. Here is a look at Algeciras' main traditional festivals such as Cabalgata Reyes… More →
Popular festivals in Pampaneira are Feria Agrícola, del Turismo y la Artersanía, Semana Santa and Día de Santa Cruz.
Popular festivals in Busquístar are Fiestas de San Felipe y Santiago, Fiestas en Honor a San Pedro y San Pablo, Semana Cultural and Festival de Jazz & Blues.
Popular festivals in Alpujarra de la Sierra are Fiestas de San Miguel, Romería de la Virgen de Fátima, Fiesta de San Juan, Semana Santa and Virgen Fátima.
Popular festivals in Bérchules are Santo Cristo de la Misericordia, San Pantaleón, Fiesta de San Marcos, Semana Santa and Romería de San Isidro.
Popular festivals in La Tahá are Fiestas de San Antón, San Juan and Fiesta de las Castañas.
Popular festivals in Capileira are Chisco de San Antón, Mauraca, Semana Cultural and Fiestas de la Virgen de la Cabeza and Fiestas de la Virgen de las Nieves.
Popular festivals in Dílar are Fiesta del Libro y Mosto, Three Kings, Día de San Sebastián, Semana Santa, Summer Feria, Chestnut Festival.
In Andalucia, as in the rest of Spain, there is a bit of a debate regarding how deeply foreign Christmas customs should be allowed to take root.
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are generally celebrated as a family with one rich meal after another served from mid-day on Christmas Eve through late night Christmas Day.
Cártama celebrates a wide range of traditional festivals throughout the year. Two of the most important — Verdiales and Holy Week (Semana Santa) — have now been officially recognised as Festivals… More →
Here are some of the most popular festivals in Beas de Granada
Dreambeach 2019 was the seventh edition of Dreambeach. It took place on 7th and 10th August 2019. There were 160.000 auditorium gate passes over the five days. Some of the best DJs in the… More →
El Colorado is a small village to the north of Conil de la Frontera, situated on the N-340 coastal road. Since the construction of the A-48 motorway, heavy traffic has bypassed the village which… More →
There a lots of festivals that take place in and around Conil de la Frontera and nearby El Colorado including Cabalgata Reyes Magos, Romeria de San Sebastian, Carnival, Semana Santa, Festival… More →
The sixth edition of the grass roots Pueblos Blancos Music Festival which held first edition in 2016, returned on weekend 27 to 30 July 2023 to the Serrania de Ronda.
The fourth edition of the grass roots Pueblos Blancos Music Festival which held first edition in 2016, returned on weekend 6, 7, 8, 9 September 2018 to the Serrania de Ronda.
The second edition of the grass roots Pueblos Blancos Music Festival which held first edition in 2016, returned on weekend 7, 8, 9 and 10th September 2017 to the Serrania de Ronda.
Popular festivals in Úbeda are la Fiesta del Corpus Cristi or las Cruces de Mayo
In 1993, a young woman from the village of Luque in Cordoba had the idea of creating an hermandad (church brotherhood which goes out in a procession in Holy Week) specifically for women. The… More →
The “Romería Nacional de los Gitanos”, or National Gypsy Pilgrimage” traditionally takes place the third Sunday in June and attracts not only gypsies, but also “gachos” (non-gypsies). In fact,… More →
Holy Week, Semana Santa, in Andalucia is an event that literally transforms towns and cities across this region. Processions of elaborately decorated floats with Jesus and Mary statues, groups of… More →
In Spain, the equivalent of All Fools' Day is “Día de los Santos Inocentes”, which takes place in the middle of the long Christmas season (Spanish Navidad runs all the way through to 6 January,… More →
Religious icons are hugely popular in Andalucia; they are normally handcrafted from wood and porcelain and spend 99.9 per cent of the year in glass-covered alcoves at the local church. Most are… More →
On 1 November, Tosantos (a contraction of todos los santos, or "all the saints") is celebrated throughout Andalucia, particularly in the villages of Cadiz and Malaga. It is traditional to visit… More →
Several villages though-out the municipality of Vélez-Málaga celebrate the Virgen del Carmen, patron saint of fishermen day. On July 16th you will find processions over both land and out into… More →
December 28th, right smack in the middle of the Spanish Christmas season, we have the annual Verdiales competitions taking place right outside Málaga City. The festival will bring together… More →
Possibly you thought the Christmas season was over on New Year’s Eve, but in Spain this is just the mid-point of all the celebrating. In this country, the tradition is to have a rather late dinner… More →
More information
Hopefully this overall guide has been a help in planning your trip or in understanding the many varied festivals of the the region. For more dates try our events home page or look up an individual town in our destinations section.