Entertainment & Activities

• Spain is a catholic country so most public holidays are rooted in Catholicism.
• There are a lot of music festivals, especially in summer.

Public holidays, traditional celebrations & festivals

• In February, the Spanish celebrate Carnival with enthusiasm, especially in Cádiz and Tenerife. It is a wild, colourful and happy affair lasting for around a week.
• In March, Valencia hosts Las Fallas, a week-long festival with paella competitions, fireworks, music and floats with colourful constructions called fallas which are burned at the end of the parade to symbolise rebirth and celebrate the start of spring.
• Semanta Santa (Holy Week) is celebrated the week before Easter with penance processions in honour of the Passion of Christ.
• Fería de Abril, a highlight on Seville’s social calendar, is held in April and combines music (flamenco), a market and a fair.
• One of Spain’s most well-known fiestas, Sanfermines, mostly known for the encierro or running of the bulls, is held annually between 6-14 July in Pamplona. Every morning starts with fireworks, music, parades and people dressed in white and wearing red scarfs running along the narrows streets amongst a herd of bulls.
• La Tomatina is an annual festival held on the last Wednesday of August in Buñol where people come together to chuck tomatoes at each other. Wearing old clothes is recommended.

Activities

• Spain is a great country for outdoor activities. Cycling, rock climbing, mountaineering, paragliding, canyoning. There are too many to mention.
• Camino de Santiago is the world famous hiking trail following old pilgrim paths covering over 775 kilometres of rugged terrain between Roncesvalles on the French border to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia and promising, according to some, spiritual salvation.
• Go surfing (wind, kite, body boarding), snorkelling, diving, kayaking or canoeing.
• Snowboarding and skiing is also an option in the north of the country during the winter months.
• Follow a Spanish course in Salamanca, known for its language schools and party vibe.