Current Fiestas - Madrid and rest of Spain

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Remember to check with local tourism office or city hall, as exact dates for celebrating specific events can vary depending on how the dates fall.   If you are in a village and there is no tourism office, ask at the local bakery or bar.

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FIESTAS OUTSIDE MADRID

August is so packed with fiestas that it's hard to know where to begin.  Just about every region celebrates the "August Virgen" (Aug 15) + San Roque (Aug 16). These fiestas are sometimes celebrated together, and even if separate, usually start at least 4-5 days, if not a full week, before the saint's day.  Aug 5 (Virgen of the Snows) is also celebrated in a lot of places. Here are some suggestions for August fiestas: Aug 2, Pollensa (Mallorca), for a "Moors and Christians" fiesta in memory of pirate attacks in the 16th century. Aug 4, Argentona (Barcelona) for the "Fiesta del Cántaro", when traditional clay drinking jugs are sold. 5 Aug and night before, Agaete (Gran Canaria), for Virgen of the Snows fiestas that may be a continuation of pre-Christian traditions, with local dances and procession. Aug 5, Esinosa de los Monteros (Burgos), traditional dances. Same day celebrated in Trevelez (Granada), Almagro (Ciudad Real), Puebla de Lillo (Leon).  First Saturday: Famous descent o the Sella river, between Arriondas and Ribadesella; the elite kayakers and canoers race is followed by people just out for a good time. Aug 10, Foz, San Lorenzo (St. Lawrence), procession through the seaside neighborhood and crafts fair. Same day , Frontera (Hierro, Canary Islands), crafts fair, procession and local style of wrestling.  Same day, celebrations in Covaleda (Soria), Guecho (Vizcaya), Laredo (Santander), San Lorenzo del Escorial (Madrid). Aug 14, Carcelejo (Jaen), Moors and Christians festival where the Virgen is "stolen" during the procession and recovered the next day. Mid August, can vary so check: descent of the Pisuerga river from Alar del Rey (Palencia). Aug 15, La Virgen del Asuncion or Virgen de la Paloma (Virgen of the Dove), celebrated all over the country under this name or other names including: Central Madrid (see Madrid page link at left). Bilbao, their "Semana Grande", traditional dances and music. Cantalejo (Segovia), procession, dances and bullfights. Chinchón (Madrid), processions and bullfights in the main square. Elche (Alicante). Guecho (Vizcaya), with traditional dances and rural sports competitions typical of the Basque country. Jumililla (Murcia), fiestas coincide with the grape harvest. La Alberca (Salamanca), traditional theater piece; some local people wear the tradtional regional dress, which is very attractive. Melgar de Fernamental (Burgos), fiesta ends with traditional dance. Olivenza (Badajoz), interesting fiesta as this town belonged to Portugal for several centuries. Peñafiel (Valladolid), fiesta centered around running the bulls and bullfights. Santa Pau (Girona), dances and procession in a pretty medieval village. Vejer de la Frontera (Cadiz) procession with the local Virgen statue, dances.  Vinuesa (Soria), with tpical dances and songs; also raise big trees in the town for part of the fiestas. Aug 16, San Roque, celebrated in these towns among others: Alfaro (Rioja), with running of the bulls, processions and dances. Amer (Girona), procession, "giants" and an unusual line variation of the regional dance which is usually in a circle. Betanzos (A Coruna), with dances and boats crossing river estatuary, Bronchales (Teruel) with a typical dance in which only people over 65 can participate, also bullfights. Burgo de Osma (Soria), with processions and typical dances. Llanes (Asturias), typical dances and processions. Mombeltran (Avila), processions and typical dances in this town with a great castle. Vivero (Lugo), procession up San Roque peak, communal meal. Aug 19: Tarragona, with procession of "giants" and "castells" - human pyramids with people standing on each other's shoulders. Aug 22: Luarca (Asturias)procession with typical regional dress and bagpipe music. Aug 24, San Bartolomé, celebrated in: Almagro (Ciudad Real), with bullfights and theater in a small 16th century theater. Barro-Llanes (Asturias) "witch-burning" with costumed "witches" dancing around a bonfire, chasing the crowd with brooms, and ending with fireworks. Marcilla (Navarra), centered around running the bulls, typical dancing and rural sports competitions. Montuiri (Mallorca), with procession and very old regional dance. Aug 25, La Granja de San Ildefonso (Segovia), with typical music and all the fountains of the Granja Palace gardens going full squirt. San Luis (Menorca), with display of horsemanship in the processions. Aug 28, Bocairente (Valencia), traditional dances several nights in a row. Aug 28, Toro (Zamora), with bulls, processions and a "wine fountain" in the square. Last Sunday, celebrated in a number of places including: Arenas de Cabrales (Asturias), best to check as this is not celebrated every year: traditional dances and fair of the Spanish version of blue cheese. Cuellar (Segovia), with one of the oldest running of the bulls in Spain. Sangenjo (Pontevedra), procession to a chapel on the beach; this chapel and beach are connected to semi-pagan fertility rites. Aug 30: Villafranca del Penedes (Barcelona), competition between groups making the human pyramids called "castells" - there are a number of variations. Processions with "giants" and the "dragon".   

 September: Sept 1 celebrated in these places among others: Castalla (Alicante) with "Moors and Christians", reinacting a battle and negotiations between the groups. Molina de Aragon (Guadalajara), procession with "giants", running of the bulls, and folkforic groups.Valdepeñas (Ciudad Real), grape harvest festival. Aug 2, Palencia, with processions, crafts fair and descent in kayak of the Pisuerga river. Sept 8, Virgin Mary's birthday, celebrated all over the country under different names, including these places: Alaejos (Valladolid), with traditional dances, processions and bullfights. Alcala de la Selva (Teruel),procession with typical dances done by children and shepherds; theater representing battles between Christians and Moors during the Reconquest. Barbastro (Huesca), procession with music, folkloric groups and "giants"; traditional games and songs. Calatayud (Zaragoza), processions, crafts fair, traditional dances.  Calera de Leon (Badajoz), walk to a pretty medieval monastery in the country, with folkloric groups.  Eibar (Vizcaya) procession with regional costume and competition of rural sports typical of the Basque country. Iznajar (Córdoba), procession with an image of the Virgin, local men struggle for the honor of carrying the statue; pre-dawn procession with songs. Mahón (Menorca) and other towns on the island, processions with exhibit of horsemanship. Miranda del Castañar (Salamanca), procession with people wearing pretty regional costumes, traditional dance and ceremony where local youths present their hopes and problems to the Virgin statue. Olot (Girona), weeklong fiesta with processions, traditional dance, crafts fair; the "giants" from Olot are especially famous. Santoña (Santander), maritime fiestas in this seaside town, with processions, contests of maritime skills. Simancas (Valladolid), fiestas usually start the day before with a bonfire that young men leap over, processions and traditional dance.  Sept 10 San Nicolas de Tolentino (Gran Canaria), procession with roots in the original "Guanche" culture, asking for rain, then communal bath in a huge muddy pond near the sea. Sept 14, Santa Cruz, another important fiesta day in all of Spain, celebrated in these places among others: Ainsa (Huesca), with theater representing apearance of the cross to Christian soldiers during the Reconquest. Cariñena (Zaragoza) where the religious fiestas fuses with grape harvest fiesta and first pressing of the grapes. Elche de la Sierra (Albacete), procession and running of the bulls. Navaconcejo (Cáceres), procession and pre-dawn singing of verses to the image of Christ of the Valley. Olite (Navarra) running the bulls, both men and women, processions and fireworks. Telde (Gran Canaria), where locals ask the religious statue for protection, especially in times of drought; the statue is from Mexico where locals follow the same custom. Villafranca del Bierzo (Leon), processions, traditional music with bagpipers, livestock fair. Second Sunday: Escorca (Mallorca), one of the biggest fiestas on the island, starts a few days before with procession; island folklore groups, typical dress and music. Sueca (Valencia) Rice festival, where different groups have a paella cookoff. Villanueva de Arosa (Pondevedra), processions with "giants", maritime procession and local music complete with bagpipes. Sept 21, Cuenca, where a young cow is let loose in the twisting streets of the old quarter. Sept 21, Logroño (La Rioja), processions, music and first pressing of the grapes; some of the first juice is ovverd to the patron saint of La Rioja. Reinosa (Santander), with origin in the old livestock fairs, bowling chamionship and procession. Sept 23, Tarragona, with processions, music and again with the human pyramids called "castells". Sept 24, La Merced, Our Lady of Mercy. Barcelona, patron saint of the city, with processions showing "giants" from all over Catalunya. Sept 26, Covarrubias (Burgos), fiestas for the patron saints that mix with grape harvest fiestas. Last Sunday. Granada, patron saint of the city, long, elaborate procession, crafts and agricultural fair. Sept 29, San Miguel, celebrated all over the country and sometimes considered the end of the good weather ("Indian Summer" is "San Miguel's little summer" in Spanish) Altura (Castellón), fiestas centered around running the fulls, with local music and processions, too. Cortes (Navarra), traditional dance for this day and usual regional dance; basque sports and folkloric groups. Granada, in the Albaicin neighborhood. Last Saturday: Anguiano (La Rioja), with stilt dancers (usually men) that spin down a steep, narrow hill on their stilts, wearing a short skirt that flares out as they spin. 

Fiestas in Madrid:  Exact dates may vary depending on how days fall.

San Cayetano, San Lorenzo and the Virgen de la Paloma:  Three fiestas in neighborhoods in Old Madrid, a must-see, must-do, must-celebrate for any resident or visitor, major street parties for young and old. There are some daytime activities, especially on weekends, but the best is the night: go before 11PM if you prefer something more laid-back, after 12 things heat up and there are usually crowds and music until at least 3AM.  Typical drink of these fiestas: "limonada", a kind of white sangria which can be tremendously potent or a pleasant buzz - best to start slow if you plan a long evening. Sangria also available with similiar unpredictable effects.

The exact schedule depends on how the dates fall, so consider this information a basic guideline and get more details at the tourist office or on posters in each neighborhood. All three fiestas have an evening or nightime  procession from the saint's church on the saint's day, and usually things going on for 3-4 days before the actual saint's day. 

San Cayetano (Aug. 7), in the area around Plaza Cascorro and the first part of Embajadores street  and San Lorenzo (Aug. 10) around Plaza Lavapies. Since the dates and the areas are close together, just follow the general flow of people and noise between these two squares to find the fiestas, probably starting August 4 in Cascorro this year, with a street party on calle Oso Aug. 7 - this small street is off Embajadores, right next to San Cayetano church. In the past there have been booths on two squares on Mesón de Paredes - halfway down and at the bottom next to La Corrala. Around Plaza Lavapies there will probably be the usual things on Argumosa, calle de Valencia, and north of the square on calles Lavapies and Ave María. For the saint's day processions around the neighborhoods, San Cayetano church is at calle Embajadores 15 and San Lorenzo church at calle Doctor Piga 4 / calle Salitre - neither has info posted on procession time but will probably leave the churches around 7-8PM on the saint's day. 

La Virgen de la Paloma (Aug 15), Madrid's unofficial patron saint as well as the saint of the center city. Aug 12-Aug 15, maybe something on Aug 11. In the evening and at night, streets off calle Bailen near San Francisco el Grande and La Paloma churches are usually closed to traffic and packed with eateries and attractions similar to the other fiestas, with more “paseo” action on calle Calatrava and surrounding streets. There is usually some spillover to Plaza de los Carros, Plaza de la Paja, calle Almendro and sometimes the Vistillas gardens.  The procession leaves the Paloma church (brick building at the end of Paloma street, just off calle Bailén) at 8pm on Aug 15, loops through the neighborhood before following calle Calatrava and calle Paloma back to the church.

La Melonera (mid September) This fiesta marks the unofficial end of summer. Usually held on lower Segovia next to the Manzanares river, this year's edition may be celebrated elsewhere or not at all, due to the mega construction work in the area. More later.

San Miguel (September 29) Patron saint of the area around Parque de Berlin on northern Principe de Vergara.

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