Entertainment in Spain
Essential Guide to What's on when and where in Spain
Spanish
Fiestas, Concerts, Festivals, Events
Spain's
Tourist, travel and holiday guide
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Spanish travel guide
Entertainment in Spain Spain National Holidays, Religious Holidays in Spain, Bank Holidays in Spain Dates for holidays in Spain
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Jan 1st Año Nuevo (New Year's Day) Jan 6th Dia de los tres Reyes (12th night, when Christmas presents are given) Mar 19th San Jose (Father's Day) Variable Viernes Santo (Good Friday) Variable Dia de Pascua (Easter Sunday) May 1st Dia del Trabajo (Labour Day) Jun 24th San Juan (St.John's Day) Variable (mid June) Corpus Christi Jun 29th San Pedro y San Pablo (St.Peter & St.Paul) Jul 25th Santiago (St.James, patron saint of Spain) Aug 15th Asuncion (Assumption) Oct 12th Dia de la Hispanidad (Columbus Day) Nov 1st Todos los Santos (All Saints Day) Dec 6th Dia de la Constitucion (Constitution Day) Dec 8th Immaculada Concepcion (Immaculate Conception) Dec 25th Navidad (Christmas Day) Madrid Holidays January 1 - New Year's Day (national holiday) January 6 - Epiphany (national) March 20 - San José (moved from Sunday March 19th) Easter Thursday (Madrid and others) and Easter Friday (national) [for 2007, these Easter holidays are the 5th and 6th of April] May 1 - Labour Day (national) May 2 - Fiesta de la Communidad (Madrid community only) May 15 - San Isidro (Madrid capital only) August 15 - Feast of the Assumption (national - in Madrid called Virgin de la Paloma) October 12 - Spain's National Day (national - called Día de la Hispanidad) November 1 - All Saints Day (national) November 9 - Almudena (Madrid capital only) December 6 - Constitution Day (national) December 8 - Feast of the Immaculate Conception (national) December 25 - Christmas Day (national) On public holidays, all shops and banks are closed. Taxis will add a small surcharge to the fare on these dates. If the public holiday falls on a Tuesday or Thursday, you will find many Spaniards talking about "doing a bridge" (haciendo puente). This involves taking the Monday or Friday off as well in order to enjoy a 4-day long break. Madrileños need little prompting to enjoy themselves, and regularly take to the streets to go out for a drink, a meal or just pasear (go for a stroll). It may be the climate, the way most families live in small apartments or the fact that the city of Madrid has more bars than many entire countries but, as its inhabitants regularly say, this is a city with mucha marcha (loosely translated as lively spirit). This page describes mostly day-time activities, but you may also like to check out Madrid's nightlife. The most important popular celebrations take place between April and October. During the spring and summer the Madrileños take to the streets in droves, enjoying a series of constant fiestas throughout the city. In general, we could say that the major Madrileño fiestas (as opposed to national or international ones) are those of Dos de Mayo (2nd of May), San Isidro, La Paloma and La Almudena. All banks and most shops and museums will close on these feast days. At the beginning of May, the Madrileños enjoy two consecutive public holidays, the 1st of May due to a national holiday and the 2nd to celebrate Dos de Mayo. On the 2nd May 1808, a popular revolt started in Puerta del Sol, eventually leading to the War of Independence and the defeat of the French invaders. San Isidro is the male Patron Saint of Madrid. His feast day is celebrated on the 15th May with typical popular gatherings such as romerías (local festive pilgramages), verbenas (fairs) and bullfights. The most important bullfights in Spain (and thus the world) take place in Madrid's Plaza de Ventas bullring at this time. Lasting more than 20 days, this series of fights held in Spain's premiere bullring attracts the best fighters and breeders, together with the most knowledgable aficionados. If you want to see a bullfight, this is the time to go. Click here for more information about bullfights in Madrid. The fiesta of the Virgin of La Paloma comes immediately after those of San Cayetano and San Lorenzo, converting the old centre of Madrid in a constant stream of street parties, dances and popular celebrations during the first half of August. On the 15th August (a Spanish national holiday) a statue of this Virgin is paraded through the streets to cries of "Guapa!" (beautiful). On the 9th of Novembre, the female Patron Saint of Madrid - the Virgin of La Almudena - is remembered. Her image was supposedly brought to Spain by the Apostle Santiago (St. James) and hidden away inside a city wall when the Moors invaded in year 783. Two centuries later, the legend goes, the wall fell away exposing the same lit candles she had been hidden with. At Easter, Semana Santa (Holy Week) is celebrated in Madrid as it is in all Spanish towns, with multiple religious celebrations. However, don't expect to see the same fervour and extroverted dedication you can experience in Seville - the Madrileños are a little more moderate in that respect. Forty days before Holy Week, Madrid's inhabitants are out on the streets once more, this time in diverse costume to celebrate the Carnivals. A curious phenomenon here is the tradition of the Burial of the Sardine (El Entierro de la Sardina) to mark the end of Carnival week. This act, complete with soberly dressed mourners, tongue firmly pressed into cheek, commemorates the day a shipload of rotting sardines arrived at Carlos III's court whence he ordered them away to be immediately buried. Traditionally, the Spaniards will celebrate the Christmas period with several large family meals on the following occasions :- Christmas Eve dinner (Noche Buena) Christmas Day lunch (Día de Navidad) New Year's Eve dinner (Noche Vieja) New Year's Day lunch (Día de Año Nuevo) Epiphany (Jan. 6th) lunch (Día de Reyes) Christmas Eve / Christmas Day (Noche Buena / Día de Navidad) Of the above mentioned occasions, Christmas Day lunch is obviously important, but Christmas Eve dinner is equally so and possibly even more. Although Father Christmas/Santa Claus/Papa Noel does visit some families in Spain, the more traditional gift-bearers are the "Reyes Magos" (see below). An increasingly popular custom now is the "Amigo Invisible" (literally, invisible friend). Within a group of friends, colleagues or family members, a maximum cost is specified and all the participants' names are written on slips of paper, which are then put in a bag of some sort. Each member then takes one slip of paper from the bag, and then has to buy a present for that person, effectively becoming his or her invisible friend since the recipient of the present doesn't know who is the buyer. A further variant of the game allows for everybody to try to guess who their "amigo invisible" is, on opening the presents. The Boxing Day concept doesn't really exist in Spain, since it is a holiday only in a couple of autonomous regions, but not in Madrid. Traditional foods for Christmas Eve dinner include all types of seafood. "Angulas" (baby eels) used to be one of the most traditional dishes, but their increasing scarcity and thus cost has made them prohibitive for all but the richest families. They have now been replaced by "gulas", artificially made to look like baby eels, but made of a fish mix. Oven-baked "besugo" (sea bream) and "lombarda" (red cabbage) are also popular dishes. Christmas Day lunch usually involves heavier dishes; roast lamb and other roast meats are the norm in Madrid. New Year / New Year's Eve (Año Nuevo / Noche Vieja) New Year's Eve in Madrid basically revolves around 1 of 3 possible options :- 1) Going to the Puerta del Sol with all the crowds and celebrating the 12 chimes at midnight in Madrid's main square, then heading off to a private party, or a discotheque, bar or club 2) Having a late dinner with family or friends and watching the 12 chimes on TV, after which the younger members of the family will head off to a private party, or a discotheque, bar or club 3) Having dinner at a restaurant, where your meal, drinks, the party and often a dance with live music will all be included in a fixed price. New Year's Eve involves the tradition, unique to Spain (although in Portugal they sometimes have 12 raisins), of eating 12 grapes in time to the 12 chimes of the clock at midnight. This tradition dates from the year 1909, when a surplus of grapes during that year's harvest obliged the wine industry to find a creative selling idea. They invented the ritual of taking 12 grapes to bring in the New Year, a tradition which is still thriving all over Spain today. After the evening meals on Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve and also the eve of Epiphany, the over 18's will tend to go out to parties, discos or bars until the early hours. It's amazing to see the traffic jams start immediately after midnight on New Year's Eve! Epiphany (Día de Reyes Magos) As mentioned above, although some children do receive presents on Christmas Day, it is much more traditional in Spain to give and receive on January 6th, "el día de los Reyes Magos". On the previous evening, January 5th, there are large processions in most Spanish towns to celebrate the arrival of the 3 Kings (known in Spain as Melchor, Gaspar & Baltasar ) bringing the children's presents on the backs of camels, which the children receive on the morning of January 6th, a public holiday in Spain. An interesting aside here is that Santa Claus' predecessor, Sinterklaas, visits Holland on the evening of December 5th - St. Nicholas Eve - together with Black Peter or Zwarte Piet. Nobody really knows why, but both leave from Spain and return there on the morning of December 6th after doing their rounds, taking with them any children who have been naughty during the year. Opening Hours Taking into account the celebrations described explained above, you shouldn't count on any restaurant or shop being open after around 8:30pm on Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve or at any time on Christmas Day (a few may open for dinner on the 25th but it can by no means be guaranteed). Museums will also be mostly closed on December 25th. Public transport systems will close at around the same time on Christmas and New Year's Eve, but will run (albeit at longer intervals) on Christmas and New Year's Day. The 3 Kings will be stocking up on presents right up until the last moment on January 5th, so New Year sales in Spain don't start until January 7th. Some of the many regional holidays in Spain. All Spanish Villages and communities have different Fiestas, Festivals and holidays so the date of Spanish holidays vary from place to place. January 1st National New Year's Day 2nd Granada Reconquest Festival - celebrating the Christian conquest of the Moors in 1492 6th National Epiphany - Three Kings Day - children receive Christmas presents and candy. 17th Mallorca and mainland San Anton - patron saint of domestic animals. Bonfires are lit and demon figures are used. Also celebrated in much of the mainland with bonfires and mounted processions. In Ciudad Real bread rolls are blessed and cockerels auctioned off. 17th Alicante Porrat de San Anton. A traditional market selling local producs. An animal show and the blessing of the animals in the bullring. Held in the quarter of the city named after the saint. 17th La Puebla, Majorca St. Anthony - bonfires, dancing and riotous events 29th Zaragoza, Aragon St.Valerus 20th national San Sebastian (Saint Stephen) February 28th Andalucia Dia de Andalucia 2nd-5th Bocairente, Valencia Reenactment of struggle between Christians and Moors - parades and fireworks, colourful costumes 11th-Mar21st Cadiz Festival de Cadiz - Oldest festival in Spain - parades and colourful costumes Various Madrid Madrid Carnival - masked ball, fancy dress and the burrial of a sardine followed by a concert in Plaza Mayor 1st-2nd Antequera Candelaria (Night) March 31st Pais Vasco (Basque Country) Dia de Patria Vasco 3rd Islas Baleares Dia de Baleares 12th-19th Valencia Fallas de Valencia - fiesta centering around the burning of effigies of winter demons - bullfights and fireworks 12th Gibraltar (UK) Commonwealth Day April 9th - 16th National Semana Santa 14th National Good Friday 2006 17th National Easter Monday 2006 27th Barcelona Virgin of Montserrat 23rd Catalonia St.George, patron saint of Catalonia 25th Saucejo, Seville St.Barbara, patroness of miners 25th Aragon San Jorge 23rd Castilla y Leon Fiesta de la Castilla y Leon 20th-25th Seville Feria de Sevilla - all night Flamenco dancing, bullfights, dancing in the streets and horse riding - the most celebrated event in Spain Varies Alcoy, near Alicante Moros y Christians - battle re-enactment with circus-like atmosphere 28th-April 4th Seville and National Holy week - processions and floats 26th-29th Andujar (Jaen) Romeria - the oldest festival in Spain and of National interest 1st Calatayud, Aragon Sunday of San Lazaro Thursday following Easter week Alicante Pilgrimage of the Holy Visage. A very important and popular event when 200,000 people holding pilgrimage canes walk to the Monastery of Santa Faz to worship at the shrine. They have picnic lunches and a large arts and crafts market is held. May 11th Barcelona Day of Sant Ponc, patron saint of herbalists 1st National Labour Day 2nd Madrid Dia de Comunidad de Madrid 31st Castilla-La-Mancha Dia de Comunidad de Castilla-La-Mancha 30th Canarias Dia de Canarias First two weeks Cordoba Festival de los Patios - residents decorate their patios with cascades of flowers and visitors wander from patio to patio 12th-21st Madrid Fiesta de San Isidro - 10 day celebration of the patron saint - parties, parades, bullfights and dances 9th-16th Jerez de la Frontera Horse Fair - greatest horses in the world on parade 15th Estepona, Malaga San Isidro's Day 2nd Sunday Antequera Romeria day 1-3rd Alicante May Crosses (Cruces de Mayo). The Santa Cruz quarter dresses with sweet smelling crosses made from flowers. The finest win awards and dances and games are organised. June 24th National Saint John (San Juan) see below 23rd Catalonia Dia de Sant Joan Carrion de los Cespedes, Seville Corpus Christi fiesta 9th La Rioja Dia de La Rioja 9th Murcia Dia de la Region All Madrid Veranos de la Villa - dancing, music and concerts, often free of charge - all summer long 6th National Corpus Christi - big parades especially in Toledo, Malaga, Granada and Seville 20th Alicante St.John's Bonfires - bonfires through the night signal 5 days of festivities - business in Alicante comes to a standstill 24th National San Juan - Celebrated with bonfires on the beach, lasting all night through the night of the 23rd. At midnight everyone rushes into the sea to symbloise the baptisms by John the Baptist. The theaory is that you wash your feet in the sea to clense your sins. There is also the tradition of jumping the bonfire, to burn away your sins (or something like that). July 29th Los Morales, Seville St.Marta, local patron saint 28th Cantabria Dia de Cantabria 25th Galicia Santiago Apostle First weekend San Lorenzo, Galicia A Rapa das Bestas - capture and branding of wild horses from the hills attracts equestrian lovers from all over Europe Early July Pamplona Running of the bulls - most popular event in Spain where bulls are released into the streets - also features other events - known as Fiesta de San Fermin 22nd-25th Antequera Feria de Santiago Benidorm Song Festival 13th-22nd LaLinea Annual feria week based on Virgen del Carmen. Town's anniversary on the 20th. 16th Estepona Virgen del Carmen: Annual feast of the fishermen when the waters are blessed and the Virgen is carried to sea in a procession. See more about it here. 14th Aprox Sotogrande Polo season begins. 3rd-8th Estepona Annual feria with large fun fair. See more about it here. 13th Fuengirola Annual feria at the Sohail Castle. 16th Alicante Virgen del Carmen: Annual celebration when the fishing port comes alive to mark their patron saint. Events spread to the Island of Tabarca. August 15th National Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Middle Malaga, Andalucia Feria de Malaga - 10 day long fair - fireworks, horses and gallons of wine Last Wednesday Bunol, Valencia La Tomatina (Battle of the Tomatoes). Tons of fruit thrown between warring towns and villages - followed by music and dancing 18-25th Antequera, Andalucia Fiesta de la Recoleccion - bullfights, shows, parties and cattle market 11-15th Benahavis, Andalucia Virgen del Rosario - Sevillian mass and procession 4-5th Benalauria Moors and Christians - Bonfires are lit and a castle is built All Ojen, Andalucia Festival of Flamenco singing July & August Antequera, Andalucia Flamenco 16th Calatayud, Aragon San Roque 27th Tarazona San Atilano 10-12th Colmenar, Andalucia Annual Feria September 17th Melilla Dia de Malilla 2nd Ceuta Dia de Ceuta 11th Catalonia Dia Nacional de Cataluna - flagwaving and demonstrations celebrating the region's independence 3rd Navarra Dia de Navarra 8th Asturias Dia de Asturias 8th Extremadura Dia de Extremadura 24th Barcelona Festival Setmana Cran - patron saint's day - evening mass followed by a procession to the cathedral then finishing at the harbour 8th Antequera Feria de la Patrona Ntra.Sra. de las Virtudes 5-8th Alicante Virgen del Socorro. The Ravel quarter organises a feast in honour of its patron saint. The fiesta includes cooking competitions, a procession, games and dances. 15-17th Velez-Malaga Annual Feria October 9th Valencia Dia de Comunidad Valenciana 12th Zaragoza Day of El Pilar, procession of giant figures Zaragoza Samples fair November 1st National All Saints Day - relatives lay flowers on graves of the dead December 25th National Christmas Day 26th National Saint Stephen 6th National Constitution Day 8th National Immaculate Conception 28th National Dia de los Santos Inocentes - similar to Fools Day which is just an excuse to do silly things
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National Holidays in Spain
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
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