Best April Festivals in Spain

 

Holy Week Spain
Holy Week

Holy Week, or Semana Santa, is  the major event in April and is celebrated throughout Spain, particularly in the southern region of Andalusia. The week-long celebration features processions, elaborate costumes, and traditional music.

April is a vibrant month in Spain, filled with festivals, fiestas, and ferias that showcase the country's rich cultural heritage.

One of the most significant events in April is the Feria de Abril in Seville, which usually takes place two weeks after Easter Sunday. The fair is a colourful celebration of Andalusian culture, featuring flamenco dancing, bullfighting, and traditional dress.

Another notable festival is the Fiesta de Moros y Cristianos, which is celebrated in many towns and cities across Spain. The festival commemorates the Christian reconquest of Spain from the Moors, and features parades, battles, and religious processions.

In Catalonia, the Fira de Sant Jordi takes place on April 23rd, celebrating Saint George's Day, which is also the Catalan equivalent of Valentine's Day. The streets are filled with roses and bookstalls, and people exchange gifts to celebrate the occasion.

Other festivals and events that take place in April include the Feria de Abril in Barcelona, the Fiesta de la Cruz in Gran Canaria, and the Tamborrada in San Sebastian.

All of these events showcase Spain's rich cultural heritage and offer visitors a unique insight into the country's traditions and customs.

Popular April Festivals and Fiestas

Moors vs Christians Festival
Moors vs Christians Festival

Holy Week:

This is the main attraction in April although it can start in late March depending on the Easter dates each year. It is a religious celebration honouring Jesus Christ's suffering, death, and resurrection.

You can expect to see spectacular processions with traditional religious icons.

Holy Week is a big part of the festival calendar in Spain and is held in all the major cities including  Seville, Malaga, Leon, Zamora, Valladolid, Salamanca, Cuenca, and Cartagena. Each region of Spain observes Holy Week in a unique fashion.

Seville April Fair:

This is one of the biggest and most important festivals in Spain, held each year in Seville, the capital city of Andalusia. It usually starts at midnight on the Monday two weeks after Holy Week and lasts for a whole week, ending with a spectacular fireworks display.

Moors and Christians Festival:

This is a historical re-enactment of the battles between the Moors and the Christians that took place in Spain during the Middle Ages. It is held in various towns and cities across Spain, but one of the most famous ones is in Alcoy, in the province of Alicante.

The Volatin and the Angel:

This is a peculiar festival that takes place on Easter Saturday in Tudela, in the province of Navarra. It involves burning an effigy of Judas Iscariot that is hung from a rope over a bonfire.

The effigy has firecrackers inside it that explode when it catches fire, making it spin around like a propeller.

The festival symbolises the betrayal and punishment of Judas for his role in Jesus' death.

De Cajon Flamenco:

The largest dance and folk music festival that celebrates the use of a famous wooden box called the Cajon Flamenco.

This festival, which is a significant component of Barcelona's festival scene, is a centre for traditional folk music, singing, dancing, playing the guitar, and clapping.

Picaos:

is a religious celebration held in San Vicente de la Sonsierra that calls for self-flagellation as a form of penance.

As they move through the streets, the participants wear white robes and hoods and whip themselves with knotted ropes on their backs.

The Descent of the Angel festival in Penafiel;

This is a recreation of the biblical scene in which an angel tells Mary Magdalene that Jesus has risen from the dead. In order to remove a black veil from a statue of Mary Magdalene, a young child in an angelic costume is lowered from a tower.

Bando de la Huerta Spring Fiesta:

A celebration of Murcia's agricultural history. The festival includes float parades with floral and fruit decorations, folk music and dance, and traditional attire.

Faldeta Day in Fraga:

A celebration that highlights the regional dress of the Aragonese town of Fraga. The outfit consists of a black skirt with vibrant ribbons and embroidery. The festival also features gastronomy, dance, and music.

San Jorge:

This is a cultural festival that takes place on April 23rd in various regions of Spain, such as Aragon, Catalonia and Valencia. It celebrates Saint George, the patron saint of these regions, as well as World Book Day. The festival features book fairs, rose stalls, parades and concerts. In Catalonia, it is customary to exchange books and roses as gifts on this day.

San Prudencio:

This is a religious festival that takes place on April 28th in Vitoria-Gasteiz, in the province of Alava. It honours Saint Prudence, the patron saint of Alava.

The festival features a pilgrimage to the Basilica of Armentia, where the saint's relics are kept, as well as music, dancing and gastronomy. One of the typical dishes of this festival is perretxikos, a type of wild mushroom.

Holy Week  ( Semana Santa ) – Variable dates March & April

Festivals Holey Week

Semana Santa is a very important religious time of year in Spain and the entire week is filled with colourful processions and religious celebrations.

If you plan to visit Spain specially to celebrate holy week then its best to check the dates well in advance as they vary between March and April each year.

Even if you are not a religious person you will be inspired by the whole atmosphere of holy week in the towns and villages held across Spain.

The brotherhoods of each church carefully prepare amazing processions which usually involves carrying the statue of the local patron saint through the streets on magnificently adorned floats lit by hundreds of candles.

Seville April Fair

Seville April Fair
Seville April Fair

Probably one of the biggest and most important of the April festivals in Spain is the Seville April Fair  ( La Feria de Abril )   held each year in Seville, the capital city of Andalucia.  As the festival is held during Easter week the actual festival dates can vary each year so it is always best to check before booking your holiday.

The fair usually starts at Midnight on Monday two weeks after the holy week ( Semana Santa ) and is the beginning of one of Spain’s, biggest parties lasting a whole week, ending the following Sunday with a spectacular fireworks display.

The city of Seville comes alive with the sight of thousands of local girls wearing colourful and stunning Flamenco dresses. In fact, people come from all over Andalucia, Spain and further afield each year to witness and be part of this unforgettable Spanish tradition.

The  Easter holy festivals are celebrated all over Andalucia and are a highlight of the year for many towns and villages with large numbers of the local population involved in the preparation of the large religious floats.

Moors v Christians Festival Alicante

Moors Christians Festival
Moors Christians Festival

Another major festival in April is the Moros y Cristianos held in Alcoy in the province of Alicante.

The festival commemorates the battle of Alcoy in 1275 when Saint George assisted in the defeat of the Moorish hoards lead by Al Azraq.

The Moors v Christians event takes place between the third and fourth weeks in April, not an attempt by the locals to be historically accurate, it’s about having fun as the marvellous, noisy and colourful spectacle of the battle is re-enacted with verve and energy by the local population.

The Alcoyans prepare well for this annual festival as some 30 armies are prepared for battle.

National Spanish Cheese Festival

April Cheese Festival
Manchego Cheese

This very tasty festival is usually held the last weekend in April in the town of Trujillo in the Extremadura region of Spain. It usually lasts until the beginning of May each year offering all the fun and dance of a typical Spanish fair but here will also be able to try the delicious varieties of cheese from this region of Spain.

The National Spanish Cheese Festival Trujillo attracts many thousands of visitors looking for a food holiday with a difference.  It is now regarded as one of the largest cheese fairs in the world.

Here you will find a huge number of stands by local cheesemakers displaying their finest cheeses, not to mention an amazing choice of local wines to wash it all down.

Cheeses from the Extremadura region are renowned for their quality and taste and include such varieties as Torta del Casar, Torta la Serena, Los Ibores and the famous Manchego cheese.

Best Festivals in Spain - Month by Month

National Holidays in Spain

Jan 1st -  New Years Day - Ano Nuevo
Jan 6th - 12th night, The Three Kings  - Dia de los Reyes
Mar 19th - Fathers Day - San Jose
Variable - Good Friday - Viernes Santo
May 1st - Labour Day - Dia del Trabajador
Aug 15th -  Assumption - Dia del Asuncion
Oct 12th - Spanish National Day - Dia de la Hispanidad
Nov 1st -  All Saints Day - Todos los Santos
Dec 6th -  Constitution Day - Dia de la Constitucion<
Dec 8th -  Immaculate Conception - Imaculada Concepcion
Dec 25th - Christmas Day - Navidad