Famous Spanish Festivals

Throw yourself into the excitement, colour and noise of Spanish festivals

Spain is home to some wonderfully exciting festivals, awash with colour, sound and the aromas of mouthwatering dishes. Festivals in Spain encapsulate the essence of Spain, providing an enormous source of excitement, fun and adventure for all. The majority of Spanish festivals enjoy a wonderful mix of flamenco dancing, fine food and traditional music which will entertain and excite visitors in a way that no other nation's festivals could.

Festivals in Spain have their origins in religious feasts, and although the religious elements can still be clearly seen, the celebrations have extended beyond the religious element. Today the parties usually last long into the night, with feasting, dancing and plenty of drinking! The balmy evenings, wonderfully engaging nature of the Spanish and fine cuisine combine to ensure that nowhere in Europe can rival the famous Spanish festivals for exuberance, entertainment and fun.

Top Five Spanish Festivals

Fiesta de san Fermin

The Fiesta de san Fermin, famous for the Running of the Bulls, takes place in Pamplona, and is certainly not for the feint hearted. If you are to participate in the Pamplona Bull Run, you will need comfortable accommodation!

Festival de Jerez

The Festival de Jerez is Spain's largest flamenco festival, attracting Spain's top dancers. Occuring in March, the Festival de Jerez attracts huge crowds, and the atmosphere in the town is electric. Book your accommodation early.

La Tomatina Festival

The La Tomatina Festival in August is fantastic fun. Exceedingly messy and especially fun, the La Tomatina Festival in Bunol is basically a mass tomato fight in the streets, with huge parties throughout the week.

Fallas Valencia

The Fallas Festival is Spain's noisiest festival. Held on the Mediterranean coast in March, the Fallas is a week of huge papier mache charicatures which get burned in a huge celebration of bonfires, fireworks and partying.

La Feria de Abril

The huge April Fair in Seville is an annual event of massive proportions. The weeklong festival involves huge street parties, fairground rides, colourful flamenco dancing, 1,000's of marquees containing dance, music and food.

The La Tomatina Festival, an enormous tomato fight, is one of the most popular Spanish Festivals, while the Pamplona Bull Run attracts thrill seekers of the highest order. Festivals in Spain occur almost daily, from the festivals of the smallest villages to large national events, but all share common characteristics. Visitors are always warmly received during festivals in Spain, and whether you are being chased by an angry bull or simply revelling in the energetic rhythms of a music festival in Spain, you are guaranteed fun.

If the idea of running down a normally quiet street, armed with only a rolled up newspaper, followed by 600kg of angry, marauding, horn sporting beef sounds like an appealing way to spend an afternoon, the Fiesta de san Fermin will almost certainly be of interest. Hooves start thundering along the 825m course every morning from the 7th-14th July, met with an inspiring mix of terror from those running and exuberance from those bravely watching from behind a sturdy barrier. The famous Pamplona bull festival in Spain, as the Fiesta de san Fermin is better known across Europe, provides those brave (and endearingly stupid) enough to take to the streets in white linen trousers and their finest running shoes both a warm reception from the crowd and an adrenaline rush like no other.