The colorful, lively and passionate culture of Spain attracts millions of visitors each year, all of whom are eager to experience this fun and vibrant country for themselves. Without a doubt, there is no better time to experience local culture at its best than during one of the countless traditional festivals in Spain throughout the year. Each festival has a completely unique atmosphere, with unforgettable traditions and customs that make it different from any other celebration in the world. Be sure to try and experience one of these unforgettable traditional festivals in Spain on your next trip.
Holy Week
You may have heard of Semana Santa, Semana Santa, but you’ve probably never seen it celebrated on the Spanish level before. In many parts of Spain, elaborate processions take to the streets every day during the week leading up to Easter, as members of local parishes and religious brotherhoods parade ornate floats representing Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary throughout the city.
These processions have been carried out throughout Spain for centuries, and they look very much like those from hundreds of years ago. Elaborate floats, traditional costumes, and somber music played by live bands make the Easter celebration unique.
You can see Holy Week processions in many cities in Spain, but Seville and Malaga are home to some of the most famous. Don’t underestimate the celebrations in Castilla y León either: the cities of Valladolid and León also host incredible processions.
In 2020, Easter will take place from April 3 to 12.
San Fermín (Bull Run of Pamplona)
A controversial but popular festival that draws hundreds of foolish souls and hundreds of more eager spectators, Pamplona’s Bull Run might just be the most action-packed traditional festival in Spain.
The bullfights are actually part of a larger local festival known as San Fermín, which takes place in the northern city of Pamplona for a week in early July (scheduled for July 6-14, 2019). Every morning for the duration of the festival, participants and bulls take to the streets in a scathing race to the bullring, where a bullfight will take place later in the day.
The first documented official celebration of San Fermín took place in 1591, and was supposedly a much more low-key affair compared to the raucous celebration we know today. Although the rest of the festival is full of unique local traditions, the confinement itself is dangerous and is considered unethical by many.
TripSavvy does not recommend running with the bulls and trusts its readers to make their own decisions about the ethics of the event and bullfighting as an attraction.
Tomatina Tomato Fight
Not everyone can say that they have participated in the biggest food fight in the world. Except for the thousands of people who take to the streets of the small town of Buñol, near Valencia, to do so every year. The food of choice at La Tomatina is, unsurprisingly, tomatoes. Dirty? Yes. Unforgettably fun? Also if.
Sources vary as to the origins of the Tomatina, but the festival’s official website claims it all started in 1945, when an interruption during a parade resulted in spectators and participants throwing tomatoes from a nearby fruit stand. Tradition became fashionable, and now every year, on the fourth Wednesday in August, Buñol transforms from a quiet town into a party center.
La Tomatina 2019 will take place on August 28. Participants must now purchase a ticket, which includes traveling to Buñol from one of several larger cities, in order to participate.
The failures
If you’ve celebrated Guy Fawkes night or attended a homecoming party, you might think you’ve seen a huge bonfire. The truth is, unless you’ve been to Las Fallas in Valencia, you haven’t seen anything yet.
Over the course of several nights in mid-March, the streets of Valencia come alive with giant paper sculptures, carefully crafted with ornamental details. Then on the last night, most of the sculptures, or fallas , are burned in epic bonfires throughout the city. A few are saved from the flames each year and end up in the Fallas Museum in Valencia.
The first documented celebration of Las Fallas took place in 1784, and every year it gets bigger and better than ever. It takes place every year from March 15 to 19, with more than 700 incredible failures .
Sevilla’s fair
Seville’s most iconic celebration, the annual April Fair, is a colorful extravaganza of flamenco, horses, and sherry. Think of it as everything Andalusia is famous for in one epic week. (And despite its name, the 2019 fair will take place entirely in May – May 4-11, to be exact.)
Although it began as a humble cattle fair, the Fair is now a place to see and be seen, with luxuriously dressed men and women riding in horse-drawn carriages between the booths or tents. Many booths are private, but there are several public tents available, so anyone can enjoy the party.
During the day, Feria is a healthy family affair, with children enjoying fair rides and families sitting down for long, relaxed meals inside their booths while traditional music fills the air. At night, however, the event becomes practically hedonistic, with alcohol and parties flowing long after the sun has set.
Carnival
Before the grim solemnity of Lent and Holy Week, most cities across Spain erupt in vibrant and happening celebrations, not unlike Mardi Gras in New Orleans. No matter where you are in the country, you can find a Carnival celebration nearby. While each city’s celebration retains its own vibe, in general, expect extravagant costumes, exciting parades, and lots of music and alcohol.
Keep in mind, however, that not all Carnival celebrations are created equal. Sure, you’ll have a good time no matter where you end up, but some select destinations really go the extra mile. Island Paradise Tenerife is home to Spain’s most famous Carnival, with gay-friendly Cádiz and Sitges not far away.
Due to the change in the Easter date, the Carnival date also varies by year. In 2020, the celebrations will take place on February 23.
Christmas and new year
They say that Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, and nowhere is that saying more true than in Spain.
What makes Christmas in Spain so special? First, you have the undeniable European magic of winter. Think of the charming Christmas markets and the Christmas lights that twinkle through the streets. However, Spain’s pleasant Mediterranean climate and abundant sunlight make it a much milder alternative to colder destinations around the same time of year.
Spanish families usually get together for a long and hearty dinner on Christmas Eve, with plenty of after-dinner drinks and conversation that prolongs the relationship for hours. Christmas Day itself is more low-key, with Santa Claus taking a back seat to the Three Wise Men appearing a few weeks later, but it is still a significant day shared among loved ones.
Christians and Moors
Read any Spanish history textbook and you will quickly learn that Spain was dominated by two conflicting cultures for much of the last century: the Moors and the Christians. Today, the battles between the two cultures come to life once again in the Moorish and Christian festivals that take place in various cities throughout Spain throughout the year.
The celebrations condense 700 years of history into a night filled with mock battles that take place in a giant papier-mâché castle. And of course there is also a lot of partying during the rest of the night.
Without a doubt, the most popular Moorish and Christian celebrations take place in Alicante, with several different mock battles scheduled for 2019. However, other cities like Granada also host notable ‘battles’ to celebrate the occasion.
Big Week, Bilbao
Big Week, Big Week, Aste Nagusia (which is Basque, by the way), whatever it’s called, is one of the most important traditional festivals in northern Spain. A unique legendary celebration in the Basque Country, this massive festival takes place every August in one of the largest cities in the region, Bilbao.
What can you see in Semana Grande? A bit of everything! Two main attractions are the giant puppet parade and the unrivaled number of concerts, with performances ranging from rock and pop to classical music and jazz.
For visitors looking for a bit of friendly competition, many contests are also held during the week, from an international fireworks competition to a strongman showdown and even an ‘ugly contest’.
Sounds good? Save the date for the 2019 celebration, which will take place from August 17 to 25.
Tamborrada, San Sebastian
While we talk about the subject of the Basque Country, let’s move on to San Sebastián a bit. Not surprisingly, in a Catholic country like Spain, every city celebrates its patron saint in style. In San Sebastián (whose patron saint is, wait, San Sebastián), that means a great drum parade known as the Tamborrada.
The fun begins at midnight on January 19 with the ceremonial raising of the flag in the Plaza de la Constitución. From there, it’s 24 hours of music, while dozens of drum lines make their way through the streets of San Sebastián throughout the day. At the end of the celebration, the flag is lowered, signaling the end of the music until next year. It is loud, colorful and the only traditional festival of its kind in Spain.
