We Spaniards love popular festivals: we like to get together with friends and family to enjoy ourselves, fill the streets with joy and passion and take care of our customs and traditions, and this is of great interest to foreign students who visit us to learn Spanish.
Dances and regional costumes, concerts, firecrackers, attractions, fairs… Some of Spain’s most important celebrations are internationally renowned and attract hundreds of tourists every year.
If you are considering studying Spanish in Valencia and want to experience, at least once in your life, some of the most original Spanish festivals, we recommend that you make a note of these festivities in your diary.
Festival Calendar in Spain
In Spain there are popular celebrations and festivals throughout the year.
From the Three Kings’ Cavalcades in January to Christmas in December, including Carnivals (February), Fallas (March), Easter Week (March-April), the pilgrimages in May, the Corpus Christi and San Juan celebrations (June), the Sanfermines (July), the popular festivals in August and September and the All Saints’ Day celebrations (November).
Top 3 Spanish festivals
Here are some of the most original and eye-catching ones that you can discover while studying in Spain.
Tomatina of Buñol
La Tomatina is held on the last Wednesday in August in the town of Buñol, located in the interior of the province of Valencia, about 40 minutes from the capital.
This curious festival is famous all over the world (it has been declared a festival of International Tourist Interest) and its most important event is a “pitched battle” in which hundreds of people throw tomatoes at each other (hence its name) in the town square and its surrounding streets.
Nowadays, access to La Tomatina is restricted, and a ticket is required to take part.
Feria de Abril
The Feria de Abril has its origins in a livestock fair that was organised in the Prado de San Sebastián in Seville to celebrate the arrival of spring.
Over time, its commercial interest changed to become a social event in which fun, food, drink and music are the protagonists.
Nowadays, the Feria de Abril in Sevilla is home to more than 1000 “casetas” where all kinds of people, many of them dressed in regional Sevillana costumes, dance, eat “pescaítos fritos” (fried fish) and drink “rebujito”.
Recognised as a Fiesta of International Tourist Interest, the Feria de Abril is one of Spain’s most world famous celebrations thanks to its “flamenco” flair.
Valencia’s Fallas
In a ranking of top Spanish festivals and celebrations, the Fallas of Valencia, the most significant and representative event of our city, could not be left out.
These festivities in honour of Saint Joseph have their origins in the celebrations of the city’s carpenters’ guild and, little by little, they have become an event in which art and tradition come together.
The stars of the Fallas in Valencia are monuments, large satirical constructions that fill the streets with light and colour from the 16th to the 19th of March.
Music and gunpowder also play an important role in this popular festival thanks to the fireworks displays, the famous mascletás (fireworks displays) and the open-air dances and bands that can be found in every corner of the city.
The Nit del Foc (Bonfire Night), the Ofrenda de Flores a la Virgen (Flowers to the Virgin) and the parades with the falleros and falleras dressed in regional costumes are other popular events of this festival, which has the title of Festival of International Tourist Interest.
Discover our organized Valencia day trips.
Enjoy the most important festivals in Spain while you study Spanish in Valencia
At Españolé you will find the best intensive Spanish courses in Valencia.
At our school we are committed to a 360º linguistic and cultural immersion for our students, who during their stay in our accommodation in Valencia can enjoy the main celebrations of the city.
In addition, Valencia is one of the best communicated cities in Spain and you can travel to other parts of the country to enjoy its traditions and popular festivals.
