Festivals and Ferias

There is no better way to get to know the Andalucians than through their many and fascinating feast days. The local fiesta is the moment when every town and village strives to put on a splendid show, not only for themselves but also for those who come from afar to admire and enjoy.

Over 3,000 fiestas are celebrated every year in Andalucia, including fairs, pilgrimages, carnivals, mock battles between Moors and Christians and religious processions, throughout the some 800 communities of the region.

In fact, there is scarcely a day in the year without its fiesta, with special emphasis on the periods before and after the autumn harvests. Each town has its own patron saint and yearly procession.

Every town and village in Andalucia has its own feria or fair, they usually start midweek and finish on Sunday night. In the larger towns they start at midnight on the Sunday night with fireworks. (Monday after the feria is often a local holiday designed for recovering from the festivities).

The first of the summer fairs take place in Seville where the festivities of the April Fair were born in 1847 and are a perfect expression of the Andalucian personality. Always two weeks after Easter Week.

Other local town fairs are generally as follows:

Marbella - Second week in June
Estepona - First week in July
Malaga - Third week in August
Mijas - Second week in September
Torremolinos - Last week in September
Fuengirola - First week in October

For a detailed calendar of local and regional festivals, fiestas and events we recommend clicking through to www.andalucia.com/events/

Bank Holidays

Andalucians enjoy 14 banks holidays a year. 10 National, 2 regional and 2 local. we list here the national and regional ones.

Over 3,000 fiestas are celebrated every year in Andalucia, including fairs, pilgrimages, carnivals, mock battles between Moors and Christians and religious processions, throughout the some 800 communities of the region.

National holidays in Spain and national fiestas in Spain for 2009
October 12th Día Nacional de España National day of Spain
November 1st Todos los Santos All Saints day
December 6th Día de la Constitución España Day of the Spanish constitution
December 8th Inmaculada Concepción Immaculate conception
December 25th Natividad del Señor Christmas Day

National holidays in Spain and national fiestas in Spain for 2010
January 1st Año Nuevo New Years Day
January 6th Dia de los Reyes Three Kings Day (Epiphany)
January 20th Festival of Saint Sebastian
February 16th CARNIVALE
March 19th San José (Día del Padre) St Joseph's day (Fathers Day)
April 1st Jueves Santo Maundy Thursday
April 2nd Viernes Santo Good Friday (Friday before Easter)
April 5th Lunes de Pascua de Resurrección Easter Monday
May 1st Fiesta del Trabajo Labour Day (Workers Fiesta)
August 15th Asunción de la Virgen Assumption of the Virgin
October 12th Día Nacional de España National day of Spain
November 1st Todos los Santos All Saints day
December 6th Día de la Constitución España Day of the Spanish constitution
December 8th Inmaculada Concepción Immaculate conception
December 25th Natividad del Señor Christmas Day