Fiesta fun in Spain

Spains best festivals | View the fiestas »

Spain could easily be called the land of fiestas (parties and festivals). Spaniards need very little reason to down tools and head to the streets for an extravaganza of singing, dancing and general merriment. Although some of the best fiestas have religious or historical roots, many have become nothing more than an excuse to party! And why not? When we’re bombarded daily with news of gloom and woe, what better way to raise your spirits than to get together with friends, relatives and even complete strangers to celebrate the happier things in life?

Here we’ve listed some of the best and brightest, the most weird and wacky, and the plain fun and playful fiestas that you can join in Spain.

For more information or to talk to a friendly expert who knows the ins and outs of this trip email us.

What’s included

Accommodation in a selection of fantastic hotels
B&B, Half board or Full board
Car hire for the duration of your stay
Point to point directions
Personalised travel App and e-Document manager
All attractions and activities shown in your personalised itinerary
Our own personally recommended restaurants guide

What’s not included

Flights (ask for more details)
Travel insurance - we are happy to advise
Car hire extras or garage parking

Travel Info

Remember, accommodation books up fast when there’s a party, so contact us well in advance to get the best choice of hotels.

Best time to go

There are festivals & fiestas throughout the year, check with us to find out what’s going on and where when planning your trip to Spain.

Bespoke Service

Let us know your interests, ideal dates and duration, and preferred flights, and we’ll create the perfect fiesta holiday just for you.

San Fermin

The famous running of the bulls in Spain!

The San Fermín Festival takes place every summer between the 6th and 14th of July in the northern city of Pamplona.

During the festival, the one-kilometre runs begin at eight o’clock each morning, starting from Calle Santo Domingo, along the narrow cobbled lanes of Pamplona’s Old Quarter, and ending in the city bullring.

Although the actual running of the bulls is over in minutes, the festivities continue each day with copious amounts of food and drink, plus traditional dances, parades and spectacular firework displays.

The best (and often safest) place to watch the runs is from the balconies of local houses along the route. Many residents rent these out for the duration of the festival and serve a traditional breakfast in the price.

La Tomatina

The Tomato Festival!

The granddaddy of all Spain’s messy fiestas is La Tomatina, a mushy, slushy tomato-flinging affair held in Buñol, Valencia.

The streets run red as over 20,000 people cause ketchup chaos hurling juicy fruit at each other in two hours of splattering mayhem, the highlight of a week-long festival in August celebrating the town’s patron saint, San Luis Beltran. But like all of Spain’s fiestas, the fun and frolics extend way longer than the main event, with parades, fireworks and ‘best paella’ competitions held throughout the week leading up to this fruity war.

Carnaval!

Carnivals in Spain

Usually held around the end of February/beginning of March, in the week before Lent, carnival in Spain, or carnaval, is the biggest event in the country’s calendar of fiesta fun.

Each city has their own take on what constitutes the celebrations, but there’s none bigger, brighter and more colourful than the one held in Tenerife’s capital, Santa Cruz. In fact, the Guinness Book of Records awarded Tenerife carnival with the title ‘Biggest dance event in the world,’ after over 250,000 people collectively shook their funky stuff on the city streets at the 1989 version. For 15 days the city all but grinds to a halt as carnival queens are paraded, big bands boom out raucous beats, and city workers shut up shop to save their energy for sundown when the party proper starts.

The coastal town of Sitges also hosts a formidable carnival too, with numbers to equal Tenerife and costumes to rival Rio. It’s particularly popular with the LGBT crowd, and outrageous becomes the norm during this mass extravaganza.

Cádiz also has its own take on carnival week, with a particular focus on satirical songs and close-to-the-bone performances aimed to make local dignitaries, politicians and celebrities squirm in their VIP seats.

Semana Santa

Easter Holy Week

Semana Santa (Holy Week) is a celebration of all things Easter that dates from the 16th century. It usually revolves around huge processions of floats bearing figurines of Jesus and Mary.

The decorated floats, carried on shoulders, are often incredibly heavy, sometimes over 1,000 kilos, and the effort to carry them along the route supposedly depicts the pain felt by Christ. The processions are usually accompanied by marching bands and, like all festivities in Spain, food and drink play a vital role in the celebrations. Torrijas and Pestiños are a couple of the sweet treats you’re likely to encounter during Spain’s Semana Santa.

Las Fallas

The Fallas of Valencia!

Possibly the brightest, and certainly the loudest, of all Spain’s fiestas, Las Fallas of Valencia is a spectacular street party involving giant puppets, extraordinary light shows, sensational firework displays and huge public bonfires – and it should not be missed!

It takes a whole year to plan, build and set-up. Held in March, it celebrates the beginning of Spring and the start of new beginnings. The veritable stars are the elaborate fallas – ornate cartoon-like statues made of papier-mache, mocking politicians and other public figures – and their accompanying puppets (Ninots). Each neighbourhood competes for the annual award of ‘Best Falla’, and the festivities culminate in a mass midnight burning of these two-storey, firecracker-filled creations.

Batalla del Vino

The Great Wine Fight!

To take part in the world’s biggest food and drink fight, head to the town of Haro at the heart of La Rioja wine region at the end of June.

June 27th kicks off the celebrations with a mammoth street party that runs well into the early hours. Those with enough stamina (and caffeine) climb a mountain the following morning for the battle to begin. Enough to make a sommelier sob, thousands of litres of Rioja are thrown at each other for a couple of hours until everybody is completely soaked in wine. The dripping throng then head back down to town to continue the frolicking in the main plaza, and to make better use of the region’s red alongside a feast of lamb and snails. It’s a thoroughly recommended experience, but remember not to wear your Sunday best!

La noche de San Juan

The night of Saint John

In a nutshell, the Noche de San Juan is Spain’s bonfire night. Wherever you are in the country, you’ll see glowing fires and drifting smoke, usually from a beach, though also inland. It’s held on the longest day of the year, June 23rd, and has pagan roots.

Each area celebrates in a different way, but cleansing and purification are the objective – along with a whole load of partying, obviously!

Traditions and superstitions include jumping over the embers three times to ‘burn’ their problems, bathing in the sea to wash away evil spirits, and incinerating effigies to bring good fortune. Many people stay on the beach till sunrise to see in the summer; beach concerts and other entertainment help the masses stay awake.

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Get in touch

We don’t deal in one-size-fits-all holidays. We build amazing journeys tailored just for you. But before we can do that, we need to know about you – what excites you, what are your ‘must-sees’ and ‘must do’s’, and conversely, what do you want to avoid or what makes you feel indifferent. We don’t do indifferent, and neither should you!

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