PCS to Spain
Festivals and holidays in Spain
Stars and Stripes
June 12, 2026
Religious holidays are embedded in the local culture even as practicing Catholics make up just under 19 percent of the population. (WH_Pics (Adobe Stock))
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Our 2026-2027 “Welcome to Spain” magazine is a guide for newcomers and is a vital resource for understanding your new home in Spain.
Many of the yearly celebrations in Spain are rooted in a long tradition of Spanish Catholicism, with the church’s liturgical calendar dictating when festivities occur. Religious holidays are embedded in the local culture even as practicing Catholics make up just under 19 percent of the population.
The advent season marks the beginning of the Roman Catholic church calendar. It begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas with religious observers participating in special Mass and musical events.
The advent season marks the beginning of the Roman Catholic church calendar. (JackF (Adobe Stock))
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The Feast of the Immaculate Conception is celebrated on Dec. 8 with religious processions honoring Mary, the mother of Jesus. It is a federal holiday, so businesses will be closed. After this day, you can expect city light displays and holiday markets to open. Shops will be full of Turrón, powdery cookies and suckling pig.
On Dec. 22, the national Christmas lottery is drawn, including millions of euros for the “El Gordo” prize. Buying tickets for the lottery is a tradition, with towns, workplaces and charities selling fractions of their tickets to encourage a community of winners.
Advent is also when families and businesses set up their Belénes. These traditional nativity scenes take pride of place for the season. It is popular to walk around town to see the intricate displays or living Nativity scenes. If you’d like to build your own Belén, the Bethlehem Fair in Seville is renowned for its Nativity merchants.
Christmas gets its own two-week holiday beginning with a massive family dinner on Christmas Eve. Families may also attend a midnight Mass. On Christmas Day, Dec. 25, some families choose to exchange a small selection of gifts and spend the day enjoying time together. This is a national holiday, so expect all businesses to be closed.
For the next few days, there may be flamenco gatherings in Andalucía which grow into bonfire celebrations that include people singing and playing the zambomba. New Year’s Eve is another reason to have family and friends over for a celebration, and New Year’s Day, Jan. 1, is a national holiday.
The Christmas season ends with the biggest day of them all: Día de los Reyes Magos on Jan. 6. It is this day that the big gift-giving happens in celebration of the three kings who are believed to have given Jesus gifts after his birth. The festivities start the night prior when the three kings, Melchior, Gaspar and Balthazar, parade through towns giving out candy to children as they go.
Traditionally, Carnaval festivals were held as a last hurrah in preparation for the somber, religious fasting of Lent. Nowadays, the party atmosphere, music and costumes are the highlight.
The exact festival dates vary by town, with some celebrations lasting weeks and others focusing on one or two special events. (Luis Cagiao (Adobe Stock))
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The exact festival dates vary by town, with some celebrations lasting weeks and others focusing on one or two special events. The city of Cádiz has the largest and most humorous Carnaval in mainland Spain. For two weeks, the city transforms into a big fiesta with musical groups, a street carnival, parades and extensive performance competitions.
Regardless of when the festivities start, the season ends on Ash Wednesday, which is 40 days (not including Sundays) prior to Easter.
This is an official day off in Andalucía celebrating a referendum in 1980 that eventually established the region as one of Spain’s 17 autonomous communities. Expect a weekday observation with closures if it falls on the weekend.
Holy Week in Spain is a religious and cultural period, often a somber reminder of the events that occurred leading up to Jesus’s crucifixion. In many cities, the Catholic religious fraternities or brotherhoods will stage penitential processions through the streets.
Holy Week in Spain is a religious and cultural period, often a somber reminder of the events that occurred leading up to Jesus’s crucifixion. (Ingo Bartussek (Adobe Stock))
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Participants wear unique tunics, robes and, notably, hoods that cover the entire face and which have a conical tip. The garments date back to the medieval period and symbolize the penitent nature of the wearer; some may even be barefoot or wear chains. Participants will carry holy imagery, candles or crosses and some processions end with fiery displays. Processions in Seville, Jerez and Cádiz are known for being exceptional.
This official day off honors the struggle for workers’ rights. Expect businesses and schools to be closed.
Every town has its own fair during the warm months of the year. Begun during the Middle Ages as market days, fairs evolved into cultural gatherings. During the daytime, feria grounds have vendors selling food and drinks as people come and go from special events like bullfights, performances, horse shows or other local specialties. People will wear traditional outfits, and some will attend on horseback or via carriage. In the evening, the feria takes on a festival atmosphere with rides, music and party tents.
People will wear traditional outfits, and some will attend on horseback or via carriage. (Santiago Silver (Adobe Stock))
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The first feria of the season is held in Seville, usually two full weeks after Easter. The celebration is famous for its flamenco dancing, horses, bullfighting and invitation-only party tents (casetas).
This national holiday marks the day it is believed that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was taken to heaven. It is primarily a religious event with church processions. Some towns also have festivals, music and even fireworks
The National Day of Spain is a holiday that celebrates the Spanish worldwide legacy, including its influence and continued ties through language and culture in the Americas. It marks the day Christopher Columbus landed in what is now the Bahamas.
Marking the end of dictatorship, this day celebrates Spain’s approval of the Spanish Constitution in 1978. It may be observed on a weekday if it falls on the weekend.