Festivals & Events

Carnival

When the mad February arrives, the population of Arcos de la Frontera begins to be carried away by the Carnival. The capital of the verse and the serpentine, Cadiz, 65 kilometers away from Arcos, has also left a mark on this white town, which, in addition to living the street carnival, has also organized since 1990 the Competition of “chirigotas y comparsas” in the Olivares Veas’ theater.
Cadiz is one of the most famous places for the carnival. The events are accompanied with parades and horseback ridings.

Easter week

If we talk about the festivities and events of Arcos de la Frontera, we have to give special attention to the Holy Week, which has been declared for tourism interest because the quality of the art’s works and the beauty of the processions walking along the narrow streets deserved it. These images transport the visitor to the Jerusalem’s times, where the smell of incense, flowers and brotherhoods, fill the streets with charm and devotion. On Easter Sunday, the Aleluya bulls running on the streets of the city like the “San Fermin” style. This event marks the end of the festivities since 1784.

Flamenco Night Event

The first week of August we celebrate a popular flamenco night event called “Nuestra Señora de las Nieves”. Manuela Carrasco, Arcángel, Ezequiel Benítez, Carmen Linares, Cristina Tarra, Beni Amaya or Manuel Amaya are some of the flamenco singers and dancers that you can see on this event.

May Crosses

Another popular event it’s called May crosses. Here you can walk along the town and enjoy the old streets decorated with flowers and crosses. In this way, the old town and its squares seem to have authentic flower carpets. It deserves to be known.

Feria de San Miguel

On September 29th we celebrate the San Miguel’s Fair who is an important patron in the town. It’s one of the most important party in Arcos. This fair has attractions for kids, teenagers or adults, musical shows, horses and wine. You can enjoy this charming event or maybe also you can feel yourself dancing with the traditional dress.

Christmas and Living Bethlehem

Usually, one Saturday before Christmas we have the most beautiful event that you can witness. All the lights of the town are extinguished and everything is illuminated with lamps of fire, all the neighbors collaborate creating a magical night with food and singers. It’s a living Bethlehem with more than 20 scenes in the historic part of the town and all the people dressed like at Jesus times.

Nearby Parties

We also can considerate the events of the neighboring towns because there are not really far away. Jerez de la Frontera is the bigger city in Cádiz and there we can enjoy, for example, the most important horses’ fair. Its origins go back to the Alfonso X’s times and it had a special meaning, although actually it’s only a commercial encounter. Over the years, the wineries from Jerez have been giving to this fair a festive spirit that remains authentic until today. On this fair you can find the most beautiful horses walking from tip to white for this occasion, added to the music, the wine, the tapas and the flamenco, makes an incredible and traditional ambience. During the day competitions and exhibitions of all the equestrian modalities are held, and at night the “jarana” or party continues until sunrise.