Carnivals, Festivals and Celebrations in the province of Cádiz.

Carnival

With Christmas not long gone the Spanish start the month of February with colourful and riotous carnivals that continue for at least a week. Most carnivals adopt a similar format, a wild and humorous fancy-dress street party with spectacular parades, themed groups of singers wandering around the streets of the town, free open-air concerts and magnificent firework displays. In particular the carnival in Cádiz has been declared to be of ‘International Interest for Tourists’.

Semana Santa

Once Easter comes around the whole of Spain celebrates Semana Santa with religious processions that commence on Psalm Sunday and continue everyday throughout the week. The Holy Thursday processions that take place overnight into Good Friday are considered the most solemn and moving of them all. The processions involve religious figures, most notably effigies of Christ and the Virgin Mary, paraded through the streets on huge and very heavy floats that are carried by members of the various religious associations. As well as witnessing the amazing spectacle of the magnificent, elaborate floats you will inhale the unmistakable aromas of incense and burning candles wafting through the air, whilst the spontaneous outbursts of the emotional flamenco verse ensure that all the senses are stimulated simultaneously.

Patron Saints

During the year all towns and cities will organise celebrations for either one or two local patron saints. There will usually be a procession of some kind but also expect a party atmosphere with much laughter, eating, drinking, dancing and fireworks.

Feria

Each town and city will have at least one fair during the year. These events have evolved from their early origins as agricultural and cattle fairs and today horses and bulls still play a significant roll. Many temporary bars, or Casetas, will be erected in an area illuminated by thousands of coloured lights. Each Caseta will play typical Andalucían music with a small wooden boarded area for flamenco dancing. An enormous variety of delicious tapas dishes will be on offer that can be washed down by a glass of chilled sherry wine. It is also normal to find funfair rides and games so that the whole family gets to enjoy the fun. The Feria del Caballo in Jerez has been declared to be of ‘International Interest for Tourists’.

The following monthly calendars provide details of various fiestas and celebrations that are scheduled for 2008 within the locations listed in the Search Area page. Information is also given regards some other towns within the Cádiz province because the event there has been declared to be of special interest to tourists. The dates below are as provided by the provincial tourist board but it is not unknown for some dates to change slightly, if you are making a special effort to visit the region to attend one of the events please be sure to double check dates by contacting the local tourist office.

To view the details of a scheduled event move your cursor over a named location on a particular date and a brief description and photograph will appear in the area to the right of the calendar.

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