Party like you have never partied before…. that’s the Spanish way!
It's very common any night of the week in Spain to see gatherings of people enjoying a drink and chatting and laughing together in the bars from about 10 in the evening, and then on until the small hours of the morning. Due to the warm climate most of the year most all the venues have an outdoor terrace where customers can sit outside and enjoy their food and drinks. Nightlife starts late into the night; even early morning so be prepared to party till dawn.
If you are partial to live music then this is the place for you, most bars and restaurants have nightly live music especially in the summer season and there are many concert venues offering genres from rock to jazz. You can also enjoy a traditional evening with live flamenco dancing whilst sampling the excellent local cuisine.
Let’s not forgot Spain's many colourful festivals that attract thousands of people, all intent on having a good time and with a guaranteed party atmosphere both day and at night. The Spanish love an excuse to party so as well as the religious and historical festivals there’s many fun, diverse and quirky ones to participate in... with plenty to choose from you will not be disappointed!
Make sure whatever the location you are that you make a point of involving yourself in the local festivals, there’s so much fun to be had.
La Tomatina - Tomato Festival
This unique festival dating back to 1945 is most certainly one of the best and lots of fun. It is held each year on the last Wednesday of August in the small town of Bunol in the region of Valencia.
It will be the biggest food fight you will ever take part in, where hundreds of tons of overripe tomatoes are thrown in the streets by thousands of festival-goers. It is typically a tomato war where ripe squashed tomatoes are hurled between participants leaving everyone dripping with bright red sweet-smelling tomato juice.
It’s all about the taking part, no winners, just pure fun. And, there is even a version created especially for young children making show everyone can join.
Semana Santa - Easter Holy Week
The most important religious festival in Spain where Catholics mourn the final days of Christ on earth and the grief of the Virgin Mary.
Held on the week leading to Easter Sunday, this week-long festival includes spectacular processions parade throughout towns, cities and villages in Spain. The pinnacle of this celebration is the Good Friday processions that leave the churches and continue throughout the night to their final destination.
This can be a very emotional for the locals so please ensure that you arrive in a timely fashion and respect the local tradition.
The Fallas of Valencia
Get ready for your eyes to be opened with this spectacular Fiesta. It lights up the streets for a whole week with parties and celebrations.
Be amazed with the giant paper mache figures that will tower above you in the shape of notable people and s well as traditional figures
To end the celebrations these giants made of paper are set on fire to create such blazing bonfires that you have never seen before. The ambience is electric and the smell of the gun power just amplifies the excitement of this incredible evening.
La Noche de San Juan - The Night of Saint John
Anyone ready to party on the beach? If so then this is one festival not to be missed!
Normally held in the last week of June, this ancient pagan festival is legendary for its night-long party atmosphere which includes music and dance.
The theme is fire and water, bring the young and old together around small fires to enjoy the shortest night of the year. Don’t forget to (safely) jump over the fire three times to ensure that you are cleansed and purified!
Three Kings Day
This is the most eagerly awaited festival for the children of Spain and is celebrated every year on the January 6th.
The evening of the 5th of January sees festivals that bring entire communities out that participate in street processions. The children are gifted with candy thrown from spectacular floats all hoping to be thrown gifts from the main float carrying the three kings.
On the morning of January 6th, Three Kings' Day, children get up early and are more nervous and excited than usual. to see what gifts, they have received from the three kings of Orient.
Moors and Christians Festival
The ancient festival dating back to the 14th and 15th century is the most important event of the year in Alcoy and is dedicated to San Jorge, a figure shrouded in ancestral traditions. It dates back to the 16th century and commemorates the battle that was fought in 1276.
The Christian Army was first crushed by the Moors who established their rule over the area. Their influence can still be seen in some of the local architecture. Later on, although outnumbered, Christians soldiers managed to take back the area and rid the region from the threat of Moorish invaders.
Festival de Los Patios in Cordoba
You can enjoy this festival in the month of May being the month of Cordoba. Normally closed this is where owners of the most beautiful patios open up their courtyards for the public to visit.
Music accompanies this festival along with a huge amount of tourism, all flocking to enjoy this colourful fair, great food and interesting history. To participate in this amazing colourful fair, you do not have to be green fingered, it’s a festival that can enjoyed by everyone and packed with trees, flowers, fountains and so much more to inspire you when you get home!
The Feria del Caballo in Jerez
Not a lover of the Equine? Well, you don’t have to be for this festival because it brings with it many Spanish traditions to enjoy such as local food, wine, dancing and plenty of market stalls.
This really is a lovely celebration that puts this small town on the map yearly. The atmosphere will heighten your senses starting with the lighting of the main entrance.
Watch the horses strolling elegantly along the streets ridden by immaculately clad aristocratic-looking men, with beautifully dressed women behind them, in full flamenco style, managing to look poised and sophisticated sitting on a horse’s rump. There will be be English, Hungarian, Russian and Spanish-style carriages, all exquisitely decorated, parading effortlessly through the cobbled streets of the old centre of town.
At night, the colours and flavours change as the guitar rhythms accelerate, wine flows and horses’ hoofs are replaced by stomping flamencos. Except to party well on into the early hours!
Boloencierro in Mataelpino, Madrid
In a Spanish town north of Madrid, in the village of Sierra de Guadarrama you will find “Mataelpino”. It is preserving tradition with a contemporary edge by replacing the traditional Running of the Bulls with a cost-effective and animal-friendly alternative.
Can you magine running as fast as you can while trying to escape a giant ball of 3 metres in diameter with a weight of more than 150 kg... Well this is exactly what happens, as in 2011 this village decided to replace the traditional encierro (running with bulls) with this boloencierro, where the protagonist is a big, plastic ball
This ball rolls down hilly cobbled streets behind hoardes of jolly revellers due to the town being unable to afford to host its annual bull run. Instead of cancelling the event, Mataelpino’s mayor, Javier de los Nietos, came up with this alternative which has been a town staple ever since.
This fun-filled take on a Spanish classic is praised by PETA and has boosted tourism and garnered Mataelpino publicity from as far off as Japan.
A caution of warning, this sport is definitely NOT for the faint-hearted but thrill-seekers take the risk in their stride, with more than 700 people flocking to participate in this Indiana Jones styled adventure.
