The "Rapa das bestas" festival in Sabucedo

At the celebration, young people from Sabucedo and the surrounding area (Pontevedra province, Region of Galicia) head for the mountains at dawn. Their aim is to find wild horses living in the area, bring them back to the village and cut their manes. When night falls, they all come together to enjoy food, music and wine. ...

Los Caballos del Vino

Xinzo de Limia Carnival

It is the longest carnival celebrated in Spain. The fiestas begin three Sundays before the actual carnival on 'Fareleiro' Sunday, a comic battle in which the entire townspeople get covered in flour. ...

Horse races on the beach

Since 1845, during the evening's low tide in the month of August, the beaches of Sanlúcar de Barrameda have been used for horse races. Popular tradition has it that the origins of these celebrations go back to the informal competitions that took place between fishmongers, to see who could get to market first. ...

"Cascamorras"

In September, Guadix and Baza, in the province of Granada, live one of the most long-awaited moments of the year: the "Cascamorras". This fiesta dates back to the Middle Ages, and the appearance of the statue of the Virgen de la Piedad, which made enemies of the two towns. In the end, the statue remained in Baza. ...

Corpus Procession

The celebration of Corpus Christi in Béjar combines the procession of the saint with the procession of the Moss Men. This tradition dates from the mid 12th century, and has its origins in the legend according to which the Christians reconquered the town by entering under cover of the night covered in moss so as not to be seen by the Muslim ...

Corpus Christi in Ponteareas

It is the most important celebration on the calendar of this town in the province of Pontevedra. The festivities are notable for the spectacular floral carpets that are prepared for the solemn Sunday procession. ...

Corpus Christi in Toledo

Corpus Christi is Toledo’s most important festival and one of its oldest. Although its exact date of origin is unknown, it is recorded as having been celebrated in the 15th century. This solemn religious procession is celebrated on the day of the Corpus Christi and presided by the Archbishop of Toledo, cardinal primate of Spain. ...

Bull and Horse Droving in Segorbe

Excitement and risk go hand in hand at this unique, spectacular celebration, which brings thousands of people to the village of Segorbe year after year. The Droving of Bulls and Horses takes place during the second week of the patron saint’s fiestas in Segorbe. ...

Albacete Fair

The event started life as a cattle fair, but evolved over time to become a festivity with immense popular participation. It is performed in honour of the Virgen de los Llanos and has a varied programme: concerts, theatre, popular dancing, activities for children, parades, bullfights, sporting competitions... ...

Horse Fair

The Jerez Horse Fair consists of joy, fun and purebred animals. The nobility of the horses you can see during the event has made it internationally famous. Of ancient origins (1284), it was originally a livestock market. Over the years it evolved into today's conglomerate of festivities. ...

Festivities of La Magdalena

These festivities established in the 15th century became popular starting in 1945. The main activities are: the colourful Pregó parade which announces the festivities, the Canyes procession towards the Santa María Magdalena chapel, where the original settlement that would become Castellón de la Plana once stood, the Retorno night procession, ...

Main Fiestas in Almansa

Every year, an extensive programme of events pays tribute to the patron of this town in the province Albacete, the Virgen de Belén. The streets are decked out to receive colourful cavalcades such as the Opening Speech Parade, the Moors and Christians Parade, and the Festive Parade. ...

Aranjuez Mutiny Fiestas

In each district in Aranjuez scenes of the mutiny are depicted, by about a hundred residents in the town, with texts based on 'Episodios Nacionales' by Pérez Galdos; attack and burning of Godoy's House; staging in the street of Goya's paintings concerning witchcraft, covens, etc. ...

San Fermín bull-running festival

The city of Pamplona is world-famous for its fiestas of San Fermín Festival. Thousands of people go there every year to experience the risk and the thrill of the running of the bulls, a tradition immortalised by Ernest Hemingway in his novel Fiesta. ...

Santísima Vera Cruz Fiesta

This fiesta has been celebrated since the Middle Ages and is a mixture of culture, history and legend, where all the locals get involved. It has two main spectacles: the Wine Horses, and the Moors and Christians celebrations. The latter represent the battles that took place between the two sides way back in history. ...

Bonfires of San Juan

To celebrate the arrival of summer, the people of Alicante would traditionally flock to the countryside on 23 June for a festive dinner: they feasted on typical products, and at midnight they would light bonfires and dance around them, set off fireworks and go swimming in the sea. ...

The San Juan Bonfires

Different activities related to this fiesta get underway as early as May, and throughout June there are a large number of cultural, social, sporting and traditional events. Chamber music concerts, recitals, exhibitions, ballet and regional dances can be seen at customary locations around the city. The long-awaited day, however, is 23 June. ...

Misterio de Elche religious theatre

It is a lyric drama of medieval origins, that has been staged since the 13th century, one of the customary representations of the Assumption in Mediterranean Europe. The play is based on several texts from the Apocryphal Gospels, quite popular during the Middle Ages. ...

All Saints' Fair

It was first held in 1346 as a regional agricultural and cattle market. Today it has become established as a major showcase for traditional farming activities, crafts, farm machinery and means of automation. ...

Cante de las Minas Festival

The old La Unión Public Market is the site for this major festival, representing the flamenco history of the mining tradition in this area of Murcia. Flamenco is the absolute star of the event, which, since its creation in 1961, has promoted the musical genre in its most classical to contemporary, avant-garde incarnations. ...

Arrival of the Caravel La Pinta Festival

In order to remember this important historical event, there are many celebrations in March. A real medieval festival takes place on the streets in the old quarter and in the nearby avenues, selling typical 15th-century crafts. Musicians, minstrels, jugglers and artisans provide entertainment for visitors. ...

Fiesta of the Moors and Christians in Crevillente

In October, Crevillent, in the province of Alicante, celebrates its Moors and Christians fiesta in honour of its patron saint, Francis of Assisi. The fiesta is packed with parades, colour, music and fun, filling every corner of the town with joy. ...

La Patum de Berga Fiesta

The fiesta coincides with Corpus Christi and includes a whole series of theatrical representations, characters and figures that fill the town of Berga every spring. It is a religious commemoration that dates back to the Middle Ages, which has managed to preserve both its religious and profane roots. ...

Canoe festival. International descent of the Sella River

Every year, on the first Saturday in August, canoeists from all over the world come to Asturias to take part in the Sella River race. In order to participate you must have a valid competition license. ...

Festivities in honour of Santiago Apóstol

According to legend, it was the discovery of the remains of Saint James the Apostle that led to the creation of the Galician capital. Santiago de Compostela would soon become a holy city on a par with Jerusalem and Rome, as well as a site of pilgrimage that eventually gave rise to the Way of Saint James, which nowadays has World Heritage ...

Carnival in Águilas

Carnival is celebrated enthusiastically, with four big parades filling the town with colour, splendour, and beauty. They take place on Carnival Sunday, Tuesday, and Friday, and on Piñata Saturday (the weekend after Carnival proper). ...

Carthaginians and Romans Fiesta

A landing commemorates the capture of the city in 209 BC by the Roman troops of Escipion, marking a festive week in which alternate days are devoted to one or the other band. ...

Fallas bonfire festival of San José

The Fallas are Valencia’s most international festival. In a competition of art, ingenuity and good taste, during the week beginning on 19 March the city fills with gigantic cardboard monuments, the ninots. ...

Pilgrimage of El Rocío

The celebration combines religion and fiesta, and is held 50 days after Easter. Hundreds of thousands of people come from all over Spain, and even abroad, to make this annual pilgrimage to the shrine of La Blanca Paloma in the village of El Rocío, 17 kilometres from the town of Almonte (Huelva province). ...

Viking Pilgrimage

Thousands of people flock to this town in Galicia every year on the first Sunday in August to attend this fun festival. Since 1960, the inhabitants of Catoira, dressed as Viking warriors, recreate a pirate attack on the town. ...

Religious Music Week

Cuenca Religious Music Week coincides with the Easter week celebrations. Every year it features important international orchestras and soloists. There is a wide and varied line-up of concerts, including new compositions, rarely performed works, old pieces recovered from history, and, of course, the great traditional works of religious music. ...

La Tomatina tomato festival

The “Tomatina” is held on the last Wednesday in August in the town of Buñol. This unusual fiesta brings together crowds of people every year, ready to have a great time of laugher and fun, hurling tomatoes at each other. Participants at this joyful pitched battle have a wonderful time throwing tomatoes at anything that moves. ...

April Fair

The April Fair is one of the most international and popular of Seville’s fiestas. It was created in 1847 as a cattle fair, and over time the festive atmosphere that had grown up around the occasion took over the business aspect, and it became a permanent fixture in Seville’s social calendar. ...

International Habaneras and Polyphony Contest

The Torrevieja International Habaneras and Polyphony Competition is the most outstanding event of its type in Spain. This village on the shores of the Mediterranean has been hosting the competition since 1955. Its gentle songs serve as a point of encounter for people from many different countries. ...

Courtyards Festival in Cordoba

The people of Cordoba proudly open the gates of the courtyards in the old quarter of the city during the days of the festival. They deck the courtyards out specially for the occasion with pots full of geraniums, carnations and jasmines that hang from the whitewashed walls. ...