8 Best Traditional Festivals in Spain

Travelers come to Spain to see stunningly well-preserved architecture, delicious cuisine, diverse landscapes, and passionate cultures. There are also a number of traditional festivals in Spain that are worth scheduling your trip around.

Hope you enjoyed your holiday in each city, town, and region of Spain, there is a unique culture, custom, and food tradition unique to that region. There are some Spanish festivals that have deep religious or historical significance, and there are others that are just for fun and entertainment.

Festivals in Spain with the Best Traditional Culture

There are 8 amazing festivals you must attend in Spain. Take part in one of these activities to experience the country's exceptional culture first-hand!

• Semana Santa

The Spanish holiday of Semana Santa, also known as Holy Week, may be unfamiliar to you. Spanish parishes and religious brotherhoods parade ornate floats depicting Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary every day during the week leading up to Easter throughout many parts of the country. 

Throughout Spain, these processions are still held 100 years after they first began. Live bands perform somber music during an Easter celebration unlike any other thanks to elaborate floats, traditional costumes, and elaborate decorations. 

Spain is home to many Semana Santa procession sites, but Malaga and Seville are two of the most famous. Besides Valladolid and León, there are also incredible processions in Castilla y León. 

• San Fermin (Pamplona Bull Run)

As one of Spain's most popular traditional festivals, Pamplona's Bull Run attracts hundreds of foolhardy souls and hundreds more spectators. 

In early July, Pamplona celebrates a week-long festival called San Fermin, which includes bull runs. Each morning, participants and bulls compete for the right to enter the bull ring, where the day concludes with a bullfight. 

Apparently, the first San Fermón celebration, which is known today for its raucousness, took place in 1591. Even though many consider the bull run to be unethical and dangerous, the rest of the festival is full of unique local traditions. 

• Tomatina Tomato Fight

A food fight that rivals the Olympics is not something everyone has experienced. Every year, thousands of people descend on Buol, near Valencia, to perform this tradition. Tomatina, as its name suggests, specializes in tomatoes. 

The festival's official website claims that the Tomatina began in 1945 when spectators and participants decided to throw tomatoes at one another during a disruption during a parade. Since the tradition began, Bukol transforms from a sleepy village into a party hotspot on the last Wednesday in August.

• Las Fallas

The idea that you've seen a big bonfire might come to mind if you've attended a Guy Fawkes Night party or a Homecoming celebration. Las Fallas in Valencia are the only Las Fallas you haven't seen.

Throughout the middle of March, Valencian streets are decorated with a variety of handcrafted paper sculptures. During the last night of the festival, the majority of the sculptures, or fallas, are burned in epic bonfires. Valencia's Fallas Museum saves a few from every year's fireworks.

• Feria de Sevilla

Flamenco, horses, and sherry are the highlights of Seville's annual April Fair. You can think of it as a week of all the best things Andalucia has to offer.

It is now considered a place for people to see and be seen, with horse-drawn carriages pulling lavishly dressed people among the casetas, or tents. In addition to private booths, there are a few public tents available for everyone to enjoy. 

Families sit down for long, leisurely meals in their casetas while music fills the air as children enjoy the fair rides and families enjoy long, leisurely meals inside their casetas during the day. Even after the sun has set, the party continues until dawn. Alcohol is freely flowing and parties rage until dawn. 

• Carnival

Hope you enjoyed your holiday in the vibrant, happening celebrations of Mardi Gras in New Orleans preclude the somber solemnity of Lent and Holy Week in most Spanish cities. There is a Carnival celebration near you no matter where you are in the country. There are a variety of festivals throughout the country, but you can generally expect extravagant costumes, vibrant parades, plenty of music, and some alcohol at each one.

Carnival celebrations aren't all the same, however. While you're sure to have a good time wherever you go, there are some destinations that really stand out. Cádiz and gay-friendly Sitges are not far behind Tenerife, the island paradise that hosts Spain's most famous Carnival. Carnival's date varies every year because of Easter's changing date.

• Christmas & New Year

Spain is the place where you can experience the most wonderful Christmas of the year.

Is there anything special about Christmas in Spain? Wintertime in Europe is undeniably magical. The streets are twinkling with holiday lights and charming Christmas markets. A milder alternative to chillier destinations around this time of year is Spain, with its pleasant Mediterranean climate and ample sunshine.

In Spanish families, Christmas Eve is a day of long dinners and after-dinner drinks, which prolong the festivities for hours. On the actual day, Santa Claus takes a backseat to the Three Kings, who appear a few weeks later, but it remains a day of joy and family togetherness. 

• Cristianos y Moros

Spanish history textbooks will quickly tell you that during much of the last century, Spain was fought over by two cultures: Christians and Moors. In multiple cities throughout Spain throughout the year, Moors & Christians Festivals bring the battles between the two cultures to life once more.

Hope you enjoyed your holiday at a giant papier-mâché castle, mock battles take place to celebrate 700 years of history. Throughout the rest of the night, there will be plenty of partying.