Planning a Trip to Spain

Sometimes it helps to know what festivals or events are going on in a destination in order to plan to be there, or to avoid it for your own vacation. Spain is known for their numerous festivals and holidays. Here is a list of event dates in Spain that may help anyone wanting to go to Spain decide about their own travel dates.

January
1st	New Year's Day
2nd	Reconquest Festival - celebrating the Christian conquest of the Moors in 1492
6th	Epiphany - Three Kings Day - children receive Christmas presents and candy.
17th	San Anton - patron saint of domestic animals. Bonfires are lit and demon figures are used. Also celebrated in much of the mainland with bonfires and mounted processions. In Ciudad Real bread rolls are blessed and cockerels auctioned off.
17th	Porrat de San Anton. A traditional market selling local producs. An animal show and the blessing of the animals in the bullring. Held in the quarter of the city named after the saint.
February
2nd-5th	Reenactment of struggle between Christians and Moors - parades and fireworks, colourful costumes
11th-Mar21st	Festival de Cadiz - Oldest festival in Spain - parades and colourful costumes
Various	Madrid Carnival - masked ball, fancy dress and the burrial of a sardine followed by a concert in Plaza Mayor
March
12th-19th	Fallas de Valencia - fiesta centering around the burning of effigies of winter demons - bullfights and fireworks
12th	Commonwealth Day
April
9th-16th	Semana Santa (Easter week)
14th	Good Friday ***These Easter dates vary from year to year
17th	Easter Monday
20th-25th	Feria de Sevilla - all night Flamenco dancing, bullfights, dancing in the streets and horse riding - the most celebrated event in Spain
Various	Moros y Christians - battle re-enactment with circus-like atmosphere
26th-29th	Romeria - the oldest festival in Spain and of National interest
Thursday following Easter week	Pilgrimage of the Holy Visage. A very important and popular event when 200,000 people holding pilgrimage canes walk to the Monastery of Santa Faz to worship at the shrine. They have picnic lunches and a large arts and crafts market is held.
May
1st	Labour Day
First 2 weeks	Festival de los Patios - residents decorate their patios with cascades of flowers and visitors wander from patio to patio
12th-21st	Fiesta de San Isidro - 10 day celebration of the patron saint - parties, parades, bullfights and dances
9th-16th	Horse Fair - greatest horses in the world on parade
15th	San Isidro's Day
2nd Sunday	Romeria day
1st-3rd	May Crosses (Cruces de Mayo). The Santa Cruz quarter dresses with sweet smelling crosses made from flowers. The finest win awards and dances and games are organised
June
All	Veranos de la Villa - dancing, music and concerts, often free of charge - all summer long
6th	Corpus Christi - big parades especially in Toledo, Malaga, Granada and Seville
20th	St.John's Bonfires - bonfires through the night signal 5 days of festivities - business in Alicante comes to a standstill
24th	San Juan - Celebrated with bonfires on the beach, lasting all night through the night of the 23rd. At midnight everyone rushes into the sea to symbloise the baptisms by John the Baptist. The theory is that you wash your feet in the sea to cleanse your sins. There is also the tradition of jumping the bonfire, to burn away your sins (or something like that).
July
First weekend	A Rapa das Bestas - capture and branding of wild horses from the hills attracts equestrian lovers from all over Europe
Early July	Running of the bulls - most popular event in Spain where bulls are released into the streets - also features other events - known as Fiesta de San Fermin
13th-22nd	Annual feria week based on Virgen del Carmen. Town's anniversary on the 20th
16th	Virgen del Carmen: Annual feast of the fishermen when the waters are blessed and the Virgen is carried to sea in a procession.
14th	Polo season begins (approx.)
3rd-8th	Annual feria with large fun fair. See more about it here
13th	Annual feria at the Sohail Castle
16th	Virgen del Carmen: Annual celebration when the fishing port comes alive to mark their patron saint. Events spread to the Island of Tabarca
August
Middle	Feria de Malaga - 10 day long fair - fireworks, horses and gallons of wine
Last Wednesday	La Tomatina (Battle of the Tomatoes). Tons of fruit thrown between warring towns and villages - followed by music and dancing
18-25th	Fiesta de la Recoleccion - bullfights, shows, parties and cattle market
11-15th	Virgen del Rosario - Sevillian mass and procession
4th-5th	Moors and Christians - Bonfires are lit and a castle is built
September
11th	Dia Nacional de Cataluna - flagwaving and demonstrations celebrating the region's independence
24th	Festival Setmana Cran - patron saint's day - evening mass followed by a procession to the cathedral then finishing at the harbour
5th-8th	Virgen del Socorro. The Ravel quarter organises a feast in honour of its patron saint. The fiesta includes cooking competitions, a procession, games and dances
15th-17th	Annual feria
October
9th	Dia de Comunidad Valenciana
12th	Day of El Pilar, procession of giant figures
November
1st	All Saints Day - relatives lay flowers on graves of the dead
December
25th	Christmas Day
26th	Saint Stephen
6th	Constitution Day
28th	Dia de los Santos Inocentes - similar to Fools Day which is just an excuse to do silly things