Are you still looking for where to go this year? Might we recommend a place that is so fun that even if you have been there, it will always feel as if you are coming into it with fresh eyes? A city full of wonder, freedom, and adventure! We are talking about Malaga, in the Andalusian region. Spain’s sixth most important province and one of humanity’s oldest commercial harbours. So, what about enjoying some of the well-known Malaga Festivals on your next holiday?
A hint of Malaga history
Malaga lies south of Spain, just off the Mediterranean sea. And, as mentioned, it boasts of one of the oldest working harbours in human existence. Before the map of the world started to look like how we recognize it, Malaga was already famous. It served as a trading post at the edge of the Mediterranean and for travellers who dared to sail to the world’s edge. This was in 700 BC, a pretty long time ago.
But it is not just the 3000-year harbour that makes Malaga worth your while. There is so much more in the city that lies beyond its amazing beaches.
Malaga is one of those holiday spots that is lively all year round. This amazing city has everything a tourist or vacationer could look for. At every time of the year, there is a festival where the Malagueños celebrate something. So let us tell you about every one of the numerous Malaga festivals you should attend should you ever find yourself in any of our Coeo accommodations in the heart of Malaga.
Main Malaga Festivals
The Three Wise Men Parade
January 5th – 6th
One of the friendliest Malaga Festivals that would give your children their very best first week of the year. The Procesión de Los Reyes Magos is celebrated in January the 5th in the early evening.
The festival starts when the kings arrive at the port, and a child reads a letter to them, welcoming them to Malaga, and requests gifts from them. The kings then climb onto the Paseo del Parque and process into the city. Meanwhile, the kings throw small gifts and sweets into the crowd that has come to witness the festival. These gifts are for the small children who have come to greet them. Even after the kings reach Malaga’s town hall, the festivities continue into the evening with performances, illusionists, dancers, musicians, and singers entertaining the people who have come out to the streets to celebrate the procession. The following day is a much quieter affair where people, tired from the previous day’s festivities, visit family and exchange gifts.
Three Kings Parade 2014 – Malaga
This procession celebrates the visit of the Three Magic Kings (conveniently placed after Christmas). And pays homage to the three wise men who were said to visit Jesus when he was born.
So if you are looking at giving your children the time of their lives early in the year before school resumes, head to Malaga and witness the magic of the Procesión de Los Reyes Magos. You can book an aparthotel in Malaga city centre with us at Coeo House and walk to the Paseo del Parque in time for Gaspar, Melchor, and Baltasar, the three kings, to shower you and your children with beautiful gifts.
Malaga Carnival
Malaga Festivals are known everywhere in the world, and so is Carnival. The Malagueños are so fun that they have a holiday tailored to help them let loose just before Lent comes through.
If you know anything about the history of Malaga, you will be aware how deeply entrenched Catholicism is in its history since Isabella and Ferdinand conquered the beautiful city. Malaga’s carnival is the week when the town celebrates the coming of Lent. And parties as hard as they can before the holy period!
Malaga Carnival 2019
The week-long Carnival starts 47 days before Lent. Which means either late February or March, depending on when Easter falls. What you will find at the carnival are parades of dancers, several streams of street performances, and temporary stages set at Malaga’s major plazas to host special performances.
Malaga’s Carnival is the best place to let yourself loose and let go of your inhibitions before the world becomes serious again. You can get lost in the lavish celebrations, the flowing vino, and the pure joy of people celebrating freedom… Until the ‘burial of the sardine’, at La Malagueta Beach. This is where all of the festivities end.
So if you are looking to free up your mind, this Malaga festival is the most exciting place to be.
Holy Week
Right after Malaga’s Carnival of indulgence, 40 days of Lent come along for the Catholics in Malaga and then closes with the famous Semana Santa (Holy Week).
The Semana Santa is celebrated throughout Spain, from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday. It marks the different stages of the Via Crucis (translates to Way of Christ). And it is a special way to spend your Easter vacation. The Semana Santa brings the liturgy out of the church into the open.
Semana Santa Málaga
Being one of the most important Malaga festivals, during the Semana Santa, you will witness several processions of Church brotherhoods and other fraternities from the liturgy. They march around the city morning and evening, observing certain rites. The procession is followed by elaborately made floats bearing 17th and 18th-century images of Christ or the Virgin Mary. Saetas will be sung about the passions of Christ and the Virgin’s Sorrows. Malaga becomes solemn sometimes during this spiritual week.
The Holy Week is open to all tourists who want to see the majesty of the Church in Malaga. Come to Malaga and witness our tribute to the Passions of Christ. Participate in the Semana Santa from the comfort of our Fresca aparthotel in Malaga next time.
Night of Saint John
Midnight, June 23rd
This holiday marks the night before the birth of St. John, one of the disciples of Christ. However, some link it to the celebration of the Solstice on the same day.
In San Juan, the beaches in Malaga come alive again as bonfires are erected on the sand to start the celebration. The juanes, ragdolls filled with flammable material, are burned. People dance around the bonfire while others try to jump over the flames amidst the celebration. Some people also choose this time to burn old furniture to keep the fire going until the morning.
The Noche de San Juan is one of the most magical Malaga festivals. A local myth says that if you bathe in the sea at midnight, you will be granted eternal beauty or luck for the rest of the year. Ha!
So my dear tourists, your road to eternal beauty starts by spending your first week in the summer at Malaga’s beach. You can hang around in the COEO Pod hostel in Malaga so you can get the timing just right.
Malaga Fair
The Malagueños witness another important holiday in their history in August. Known as one of the biggest famous parties in southern Spain and one of the most famous Malaga festivals, the Feria lasts ten days and is filled with vino, flamenco, and a warm welcome for visitors worldwide. This event is a cornucopia of Andalusia’s cultural heritage and traditions.
But why do Malagueños celebrate the Malaga Feria? What is it about? In 1487, the Catholic Monarchs, gained victory over the Moors and ended 800 years of Moorish rule over Malaga. To this day, the people of Malaga celebrate this event with a street party. Though, nothing religious happens here like the Semana Santa or the Noche de San Juan. In fact, this 10-day shows a different side of Malaga. On the first day, fireworks signal the start of La Feria, followed by a colourful pilgrimage of horses and carriages the next day. They are a throwback to the conquerors’ entrance into the city.
Feria de Málaga
Then a parade starts at Malaga’s city hall all the way to the Iglesia de la Victoria, where a mass is held. After the mass, it is street party time!
So, if you have a free time block in August, you can lodge at the Coeo Pod hostel and experience the whole ten days of one of the world’s biggest and most popular street parties.
Virgen de la Victoria Procession
Procession of the Virgen de la Victoria
September 8th
The festival honouring Malaga’s patron saint, the Virgin of the Victory, is a beloved annual event that takes place on September the 8th. On the last Sunday of August, the image of the Virgin is carried from the Basilica and Royal Sanctuary of Santa María de la Victoria to the Santa Iglesia Catedral Basilica in Malaga, where a prayer service is held.
Following the service, a grand procession takes place, during which the image of the Virgin is carried from the Cathedral to the Santuario de la Victoria, the temple where the Virgin is usually kept. Thousands of worshippers follow the procession, making it a beautiful and moving experience. The day ends with a holy eucharist and a floral offering, a stunning display of devotion and gratitude for the Virgin.
This festival is an incredible showcase of Malaga’s deep devotion and rich cultural traditions. It shows everyone the religious side of Malaga and offers you a place to connect spiritually if you are into that.
Picasso Month
Malaga festivals are also art. And October seems to be cut out to celebrate great artists. In Malaga, this month is set out for Pablo Ruiz Picasso, one of the greatest painters in history, as the city was his birthplace. Malaga is not just a city of parties and religious devotion but a highly intellectual environment that has cultivated some of the brightest minds of art after Picasso. Through its backstreets and museums dedicated to art and Picasso himself, you cannot mistake how artistically astute Malagueños are. Much of this is played in October, also known as Picasso Month in Malaga.
The Pablo Ruiz Picasso Foundation in Malaga takes centre stage and coordinates several art conferences, art exhibitions, musical concerts, and competitions throughout the month. It is not only the Picasso Foundation that takes charge. Other organisations that support art hold their events and attract millions of visitors interested in art.
If you are an artist or you like to see paintings and behold the glory of art in several forms, clear your schedule and head to Malaga in October. There is a whole world of art waiting and a network of bright minds waiting to meet you. Some of them come to Coeo Pod Hostel in Malaga or occupy our Parras aparthotel in the city centre. You can join them this year.
Fiesta Mayor de Verdiales 2011
Festival de Verdiales
December 28th
As it turns out, December’s holiday is longer in Malaga than in most parts of Spain. The biggest cultural event rocks the entire city. It is called the Verdiales, a dance festival that celebrates various forms of lively flamenco. The Verdiales is a kind of flamenco first danced in the olive-growing region of Los Verdiales, just north of Malaga. It is often considered an original folk song form that was slowly absorbed into the flamenco dance. The festival gets its name from verdial, which is a specific type of olive grown in the region.
For the Verdiales Festival, several groups gather in Malaga to dance flamenco in celebration and also in contests with each other. These groups are called pandas. And they arrive at the city hall with their guitars, lutes, castanets, and violins to make the tunes. Contestants from surrounding villages in Malaga also show up with improvised instruments to make their performance all the more unique.
At this festival, you will find almost nothing foreign. It’s all deep Spanish heritage, Spanish music, and Spanish dancing. And it is one you must attend if you want to get a taste of Spanish culture without any concessions to foreign influences. Of all Malaga festivals, the Verdiales festival is the most traditional one. Admission into the Fiesta Mayor De Verdiales, the biggest of the festivals, is free to attend.
Enjoy all of the Malaga festivals from COEO
No matter how much you visit, Malaga is a city you will always want to return to. At any time of the year, there is a fiesta, or a procession ripping through the city. Less than 10 minutes from Malaga’s glorious sights lies our comfortable and affordable accommodation in Malaga’s city centre. We believe anyone visiting Malaga needs enough time to savour all the sights and sounds. Check out our pod hostel and aparthotels in Malaga. You can book ahead. We are looking forward to seeing you.
