Events in Granada 2020
Overview of holidays and events in Granada
All information about activities, national holidays, events and holidays in Granada.
Holidays & Events in Granada (2020):
| 1st January | Año Nuevo: New Year's Day |
| January 2nd | Toma de Granada: On this day it is celebrated that the city was taken by the Catholic Kings. In 15th-century costumes a parade takes place with the city's banner. |
| January 6th | Epiphany or Twelfth Night: Epiphany is an important holiday in Spain. In the evening on January 5th, the three kings (Balthasar, Caspar and Melchior, representing Arabia, the Orient, and Africa) arrive on horseback, camel and elephant with a large parade. There will be lots of candy handed out in the city. 'Día de los Reyes Magos' on January 6, is celebrated with a lot of presents within the family circle. |
| 5 February | San Cecilio: Local day in honor of the patron saint of Granada. It is a tradition to visit the San Cecilio catacomb at the Sacromonte Sacromonte monastery. |
| April | Festival Internacional de Jovenes Realizadores: International festival of the young filmmakers. Official website. |
| April | Semana Santa: In this holy week of Easter, there are impressive processions (with the striking pointed hats; the capirotes) where Jesus' suffering is displayed with statues. This is definitely a great activity when you're visiting Granada in this period, but do make sure you get a spot along the route on time. You can find the daily programme here. |
| 1st May | Labour Day: This is a bank holiday all over Spain. Please note that many shops and some attractions are closed. |
| May 3rd | Cruces de Mayo: During this Dia de la Cruz crosses are decorated as beautifully as possible and are placed everywhere in the city. This involves lots of dance, flamenco dresses and music. |
| May 26th | Mariana Pineda's birthday: All kinds of activities in memory of Mariana Pineda. She was sentenced to death in her struggle for the liberal goal. Festivities take place on the square named after her. |
| June 15th | Corpus Christi: The Feast of Corpus Christi on the second Thursday after Whitsuntide. The festivities last almost a week. A special mass is held in the cathedral and two important processions take place. The first festive procession is on Wednesday, the 'Tarasca', and on Thursday is the religious procession of Corpus Christi. During the week, there is also a festival with fair, party tents and stalls. The terrain is located in the Almanjáyar district, on the outskirts and in the north of the city. |
| June - July | International Music and Dance Festival: The festival takes place in the Alhambra, the Generalife gardens, various monasteries and the cathedral. The program includes opera, classical music, ballet and flamenco performances. |
| September 15th | Fiesta de la Virgen de las Angustias: The holy day of the patron saint of Granada. The facade of the same church is covered with flowers and there are also processions and various festivities. |
| October 12th | Fiesta Nacional de España, a national holiday throughout Spain. Shops are closed and in Granada there will not be much organized around this day. |
| 1st November | Fiesta de Todos los Santos, All Saints' Day, a national holiday in Spain |
| November | Hocus Pocus festival: Everywhere in the city are performances of magicians and illusionists. Official website. |
| December 6th | Día de la Constitución, the day of the constitution. This national holiday in Spain is mainly celebrated in the family circle. |
| December 8th | La inmaculada, the Immaculate Conception is the conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. National free holiday throughout Spain. Not a very special day in Granada and many Spaniards spend these days off for a long weekend. |
| December 25th & 26th | Christmas: The weeks before Christmas there will be a Christmas market at Plaza Bib-Rambla. |
| 31st December | La Noche Vieja: New Year's Eve, you can celebrate this night in Granada the best near the fireworks around Plaza del Carmen. Many people gather in this square to eat 12 grapes at 12 o'clock in the Spanish tradition—one at every stroke of the bell. This is meant to bring good luck. After that, the festivities move to the clubs. |
