Spanish Festivals 2027: Calendar and Dates for 21 Fiestas in Spain and Latin America

Spain does not do things quietly. Neither does Latin America. When these cultures celebrate, they celebrate with fire, color, music, and a passion that can be felt from streets away. If you’ve ever wondered why Hispanic culture feels so vibrant and alive, the answer is written in its festivals.

Whether you’re a Spanish learner looking to understand the culture behind the language, or a traveler planning your next adventure, knowing these festivals will transform how you experience the Spanish-speaking world. Grammar gets you the words. Fiestas show you the people who speak them.

Spanish Festival Calendar 2027

Here is every festival in this guide, month by month, with its 2027 dates. Fixed-date fiestas never move: San Fermín is always 6 to 14 July. Easter moves everything else. Easter Sunday falls on 28 March in 2027, which pulls Carnival into early February and Seville’s Feria into mid April.

Sources: Ayuntamiento de Cádiz, Ayuntamiento de Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Visit Valencia, Ayuntamiento de Sevilla (14 April 2027 local holiday), Ayuntamiento de Pamplona, Bilbao.eus, La Tomatina (Buñol). Checked 4 October 2026. Dates marked “not yet announced” show the usual window.

One date trap for 2027: Tenerife moved its street carnival later this year. The gala opens on 22 January, but the street party runs 19 to 28 February, two weeks after Cádiz finishes. You can fly from one to the other and catch both.

What Makes Spanish Festivals Special?

Spanish festivals (fiestas) mix three things: Catholic tradition, old pagan rituals and local pride. Most are community events, handed down by each generation to the next. Each one has its own history, customs, dress code and food.

What sets Spanish festivals apart from celebrations elsewhere? Three things: community participation, sensory intensity and deep historical roots. You won’t find spectators at a Spanish fiesta. Everyone is a participant. The entire town shuts down, shops close, and people of all ages fill the streets together.

Sources: La Tomatina (Buñol), Ayuntamiento de Pamplona, UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage lists

“Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going.”

Spring Festivals in Spain (March to May)

Spring is when Spain truly comes alive. The weather warms, flowers bloom, and some of the country’s most iconic celebrations take center stage.

Las Fallas de Valencia (1 to 19 March 2027)

Valencia erupts into controlled chaos each March during Las Fallas. Artists spend an entire year building enormous papier-mâché sculptures called ninots, some reaching five stories tall. These satirical creations poke fun at politicians, celebrities, and cultural figures. On the final night, La Cremà, every sculpture is set ablaze in a spectacular bonfire while fireworks light the sky. Only one ninot, voted “most beautiful” by the public, is saved and placed in the Fallas Museum.

Las Fallas 2027 dates: the mascletàs run every day from 1 to 19 March at 2pm. The main days are 15 to 19 March. La Cremà, the burning, is the night of 19 March (Visit Valencia).

Every day at 2pm, a mascletà (a deafening daytime firecracker show) shakes the Plaza del Ayuntamiento. Then comes the Ofrenda de Flores (flower offering). Thousands of people in traditional dress carry flowers to the Virgin Mary.

Semana Santa / Holy Week (21 to 28 March 2027)

Semana Santa is Spain’s most intense week. In the days before Easter, hooded nazarenos (penitents) walk in slow processions. They follow pasos (huge floats showing scenes from the Bible). Seville, Málaga and Valladolid put on the biggest shows. Some pasos weigh several tonnes. Teams of bearers called costaleros carry them on their necks.

The atmosphere shifts between profound silence and sudden bursts of saetas, passionate flamenco-style songs sung from balconies to the passing floats. If you’ve been exploring flamenco’s deep history, Semana Santa is where you hear its most raw, spiritual expression.

Semana Santa 2027 dates: Palm Sunday is 21 March and Easter Sunday is 28 March. That is early, so pack a jacket for the night processions.

Feria de Abril, Seville (13 to 18 April 2027)

Two weeks after Semana Santa, Seville swaps prayer for party. The Feria de Abril turns a whole neighbourhood into a town of over 1,000 casetas (decorated tents). Families and friends eat there, drink rebujito (sherry and lemon soda) and dance sevillanas. Women wear their finest trajes de flamenca (flamenco dresses), and horse-drawn carriages parade through illuminated streets.

Feria de Abril 2027 dates: the alumbrado (lighting of the gate) is the night of Monday 12 April. The fair runs Tuesday 13 to Sunday 18 April. Seville’s council has made Wednesday 14 April a local holiday for it.

Córdoba Patio Festival (May)

Every May, residents of Córdoba open their private patios to the public, showcasing stunning displays of flowers, ceramics, and fountains. This tradition dates to 1921 and was declared UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2012. Walking through the narrow streets of the old Jewish quarter, discovering hidden courtyards bursting with color, is one of Spain’s most peaceful and beautiful festival experiences. The 2027 dates are not out yet. It usually runs for about two weeks in the first half of May.

San Isidro, Madrid (15 May 2027)

Madrid throws its own party for its patron saint, San Isidro, on 15 May. Madrileños dress as chulapos and chulapas (old Madrid working-class outfits: flat caps, waistcoats, polka-dot dresses). They dance the chotis, a slow couples dance, and picnic on the hill of the Pradera de San Isidro. Try the rosquillas (ring doughnuts). The plain ones are tontas (silly) and the iced ones are listas (clever).

Summer Festivals in Spain (June to August)

Spanish summers are long, hot, and packed with celebrations. This is peak festival season, when the country’s most internationally famous events take place.

Noche de San Juan (night of 23 June)

On the shortest night of the year, Spaniards gather on beaches to light bonfires, jump over flames for good luck, and take midnight swims in the sea. It is a blend of ancient pagan solstice rituals and Catholic traditions honoring Saint John the Baptist. The biggest celebrations happen in Alicante (where the Hogueras de San Juan rival Las Fallas), Barcelona, and across the coast of Galicia.

San Fermín / Running of the Bulls (6 to 14 July 2027, Pamplona)

Made world-famous by Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, San Fermín is nine days of non-stop celebration in Pamplona. Each morning at 8:00 AM, six bulls charge through narrow cobblestone streets while daring runners sprint ahead of them. But the encierro (bull run) is just one piece of a festival that includes processions of gigantic carnival figures (gigantes y cabezudos), fireworks, concerts, and non-stop street parties.

Participants dress in all white with a red scarf (pañuelo) and red sash (faja). The festival opens with the chupinazo (a rocket launched from the town hall balcony) and closes with the emotional Pobre de Mí (“Poor Me”) ceremony.

San Fermín 2027 dates: the chupinazo fires at noon on 6 July. The eight bull runs are 7 to 14 July at 8am. The dates are the same every year.

La Tomatina (Wednesday 25 August 2027, Buñol)

Imagine 20,000 people throwing 120 tons of overripe tomatoes at each other for exactly one hour. That is La Tomatina, the world’s largest food fight. This quirky festival began in 1945 when a street fight near a vegetable stand escalated into a tomato battle. Despite being banned several times, it kept coming back by popular demand. La Tomatina is always the last Wednesday of August, which is 25 August in 2027. Entry has needed a ticket since 2013, with a cap of 20,000 people. Buy from the official sale, because tour packages that bundle the ticket cost far more.

Aste Nagusia, Bilbao (21 to 29 August 2027)

Bilbao’s Semana Grande (Big Week) lasts nine days. It is a party for Basque culture. Expect concerts, fireworks contests, giant puppets and old Basque sports: pelota vasca (a handball game), stone lifting and wood chopping. A different Marijaia (a joyful female figure) presides over the festival each year and is ceremonially burned on the final night. Aste Nagusia always starts on the first Saturday after 15 August, which makes it 21 to 29 August in 2027.

Autumn & Winter Celebrations (September to February)

La Mercè, Barcelona (around 24 September)

Barcelona’s biggest street festival honors the city’s patron saint with castellers (human tower builders) constructing gravity-defying structures up to ten levels high. Add correfocs (fire runs), where people dressed as devils charge through streets with fireworks, and you have one of Catalonia’s most thrilling celebrations. The feast day is 24 September, and the fiestas fill the days around it.

Fiestas del Pilar, Zaragoza (week around 12 October)

Zaragoza honours its patron, the Virgen del Pilar, with a week of fiestas. The big moment is the Ofrenda de Flores (flower offering) on 12 October. Thousands of people in Aragonese dress carry flowers to the Plaza del Pilar. By evening the flowers form a huge cloak around a statue of the Virgin.

Día de la Hispanidad (12 October)

Spain’s national day marks the day Christopher Columbus reached the Americas in 1492. Madrid holds a military parade on the Paseo de la Castellana. Across Latin America the day has other names and moods. Each country has its own view of its colonial past.

Carnival (Cádiz 4 to 14 February, Tenerife 19 to 28 February 2027)

Santa Cruz de Tenerife hosts Spain’s biggest carnival. Weeks of parades, costumes, competitions, and music transform the city. On the mainland, Cádiz’s Carnival is famous for its chirigotas, satirical musical groups that roam the streets performing witty, often politically charged songs. Understanding daily life and social customs in Spain helps you appreciate why these festivals mean so much to local communities.

Nochevieja & Día de los Reyes (31 December and 6 January)

Spaniards ring in the New Year by eating twelve grapes, one for each chime of the clock at midnight, at Madrid’s Puerta del Sol. Then on January 6, the Día de los Reyes Magos (Three Kings Day) brings elaborate parades where the Three Wise Men throw candy to children from decorated floats. For most Spanish families, this is the main gift-giving day, not Christmas.

Must-See Latin American Festivals

Latin America took Spain’s fiestas and made them its own. Indigenous, African and European roots all mix in. The result looks nothing like the Spanish originals.

Día de los Muertos, Mexico (1 to 2 November)

The most striking fiesta in the Americas, Día de los Muertos honors deceased loved ones with colorful altars (ofrendas), marigold flowers, painted skulls (calaveras), and the favourite foods of the dead. It is a happy day, full of memory. Its roots go back to the cultures that lived in Mexico before the Spanish arrived.

Carnaval de Barranquilla, Colombia (6 to 9 February 2027)

This UNESCO-listed carnival packs four days with parades, music and dancing. It shows off the many cultures that make up Colombia. The Batalla de Flores (Battle of Flowers) opens the festival, and the celebration features cumbia, mapalé, and other Afro-Caribbean musical traditions. In 2027 it runs Saturday 6 to Tuesday 9 February, ending with the mock funeral of Joselito Carnaval.

Inti Raymi, Peru (June 24)

The Festival of the Sun brings back an old Inca ceremony for Inti, the sun god. It takes place at the fortress of Sacsayhuamán, above Cusco. Hundreds of performers in Inca dress act it out with music, dance and offerings. It is one of South America’s biggest cultural events.

Feria de las Flores, Medellín, Colombia (early August)

Medellín’s Flower Festival features the famous Desfile de Silleteros, where farmers carry enormous floral arrangements on their backs through the city streets. The tradition honors the silleteros, workers who once carried people and goods up Medellín’s steep mountain paths.

La Diablada, Bolivia (Oruro Carnival, from 6 February 2027)

La Diablada is the star of the Oruro Carnival. Dancers in huge devil masks act out a battle between good and evil. It mixes Catholic and Andean Indigenous beliefs. UNESCO named it a Masterpiece of heritage in 2001. The big parade is on Carnival Saturday, which is 6 February in 2027.

Essential Spanish Festival Vocabulary

Knowing the right words makes every festival experience richer. Here are the essential terms every Spanish learner should know. New to Spanish? Pair this with our 50 essential Spanish phrases for beginners.

Planning Tips for Festival Season

A big fiesta needs a little planning. Here is what regulars do.

For Spanish learners, fiestas give you something no textbook can. You get the language live, at full speed. You will hear regional accents, pick up slang words that make you sound like a native, and understand cultural references that appear constantly in Spanish media and conversation.

Frequently Asked Questions