Fiestas of San Antón and the International “Noche de San Antón” Urban Race in Jaén

Fiesta of Sant Antoni Abat

An enormous bonfire (“la foguera”) is burned in honour of the saint on 16 January, but preparations start on 7 December when the townspeople begin piling up firewood. In fact, the bonfire is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s largest bonfire. The religious celebrations are held on 17 January. ...

August Fair

In August, Xátiva, in the province of Valencia, celebrates the oldest fiestas in the Region of Valencia. This traditional event dates back to the 13th century, a privilege granted to the town by king Jaime I. ...

Sant Joan

The summer solstice is traditionally a night of magic, spells and portents. Tarragona celebrates this date with street dancing, popular feasts and firecrackers until the early hours of the morning, and of course the rite of the bonfires which are lit symbolically at various points throughout the city with the 'Canigó flame' (the fire which is ...

Virgen de Gracia Pilgrimage

The processional events begin in the morning of the second Sunday of September with the image of the Virgen leaving for the hermitage, transported on a 'serrana' cart richly decorated with garlands and accompanied by thousands of pilgrims reciting the Aurora Rosary, culminating with the Ángelus before the Cross of the pilgrims; once the image ...

Nuestra Señora de la Barca Pilgrimage

This is one of Galicia’s most famous pilgrimages. It has been held since the 14th century in this fishing village on the Costa de la Muerte coast, and unites fishermen’s devotion to the Virgin Mary and other pre-Christian traditions such as the worship of stones. ...

Asturcón Horse Festival

The festivities begin in the morning with an open-air mass, and continue throughout the day with a dance competition, brass bands, bagpipe bands and a communal meal laid on by a local social club. Then there is a display of riding and dressage, which includes marking all Asturcón colts born that year.

Vaqueira Festival

The festivity is dedicated to the vaqueiros or cattle-herders (an Asturian group with deeply-rooted traditions and ancestral customs, devoted primarily to migratory cattle herding). ...

Nuestra Señora de la Asunción Fiesta

The day of the Asunción is when the offering is given to the Virgin, performed by the major-domo in the Plaza Mayor, in the presence of the inhabitants of the 'mountain villages, in traditional costume normally worn at fiestas. ...

Lobster Festival

On the last Sunday in June, this coastal town in the province of Pontevedra pays homage to the typical regional shellfish in a celebration where all the local people take part. At the port there is a popular menu including half a lobster, Rosal wine and a “roscón de yema” (typical local cake made with egg yolks). ...

Medieval Festival in Briones

This is a popular event which is attended by over 50,000 people and which takes place the third weekend in June. The activities on offer include a light and sound show which narrates historic events from the 14th century on the balcony of the Palace of San Nicolás when the sun goes down. ...

Santa Tecla Fiesta

The central axis of the celebrations is the traditional parade, made up of “big-head” carnival figures and characters who dance to music played on different traditional instruments. One of the most popular events is the Correfoc or fire-running, which is also the closing event of the fiesta. ...

Traditional bull-running

Traditional bull-running takes place during the festivities in honour of San Antolín, and the streets are filled with fun and music. The bulls are taken from the countryside to the town entrance, and there the young men run in front of the bulls through the streets of Medina del Campo. The races are very exciting to watch. ...

Botillo (local cured meat) Festival

This fiesta is held in the town of Bembibre (León province). It began its history in 1973 during a procession that is held every seven years known as the Saint’s Outing. Each February (may vary according to Easter date) since then, it has been traditional for all the restaurants in the region to offer “botillo” on their menus for a week. ...

Valladolid Fair

Concerts in the Plaza Mayor, attractions and rides in the designated fairground and a culinary display with the participation of various regional restaurants, are just some of the events to be held during the celebrations. There will also be a programme of bullfights held in the city's bullring.

Corpus Christi in Villa de Mazo

The festival programme includes sporting events, exhibitions, competitions, theatre, children’s games, music, concerts, and more. But what stands out above all are the streets carpeted with flower petals, and the arches decorated with flowers, seeds and plants. ...

Bolantes of Luzaide-Valcarlos

During these days the air is filled with the tinkling of the bells and the colourful ribbons of the dancers' costumes. The dancers wear red berets, hemp espadrilles, white shirts and cotton trousers decorated with gold braiding, costume jewellery and red and yellow ribbons. ...

The Passion in Chinchón

During Easter Week Chinchón, in the Region of Madrid, commemorates the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ with a theatrical representation of the Passion. Some 250 actors take part in the event, held at dusk on Easter Saturday, at emblematic locations around the town such as Plaza Mayor Square, the Town Hall, Plaza de San Roque ...

Mystery of the Passion

This play has been performed since 1481. A curious anecdote, found in a chronicle from 1570, tells that during the passage regarding the Crucifixion of the Lord, several people were injured when the crowd, worked up over what they saw, attacked the stage with sticks to punish the soldiers and the Jews. ...

Living Passion in Castro Urdiales

The festival is a re-enactment of the Passion of Jesus Christ, in which every last detail is carefully planned, such as the script, the décor and the costumes. The final hours of Jesus Christ are movingly depicted in the historic centre of Castro Urdiales, with scenes such as the Prayer in the Garden of Olives, the Arrest, the Trial, the ...

Holy Week Stations of the Cross

The celebration begins with a processional parade that carries the medieval image of Cristo de la O from the Co-Cathedral of Santa María to the Roman Amphitheatre, an integral part of the archaeological complex of Mérida, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The Stations of the Cross are movingly re-enacted in the Amphitheatre.

Easter Week in Cieza

Visitors can attend many processions, especially the Arrest of Christ on Easter Tuesday, Good Friday processions, Christ's Descent into Hell procession (early on Saturday morning), and the Courtesy on Easter Sunday, where the pasos (beautiful sculptures which are carried in procession during Easter Week) meet and revere each other. ...

Easter Week in Alzira

The Pregón (opening) of the fiesta is signalled by a pistol shot. This sees the start of celebrations that live their most crucial moments during the Palm Sunday procession, a colourful event with a theatrical representation, as well as during the Holy Burial procession on Good Friday, with up to 40,000 people in attendance. ...

Easter Week in Riogordo

The most important event of the Easter week celebrations in Riogordo is the theatrical representation of the Passion. The dramatisation takes place on a natural stage, with space for an audience of more than 6,000 people. ...