Explore 19 events and festivals in Córdoba, Andalusia throughout 2026.
Three Kings’ Parade (“Cabalgata de Reyes”)
The Cabalgata de Reyes Magos is one of Córdoba's most beloved annual traditions, held on the evening of January 5th — the eve of Epiphany. The Three Kings (Melchior, Gaspar, and Balthasar) travel through the city center on elaborately decorated floats accompanied by live music, performers, and costumed attendants who shower the crowd with sweets and gifts. The parade draws tens of thousands of families lining the streets each year, making it one of the most emotionally charged nights on Córdoba's festive calendar.
Carnival of Córdoba
The Carnaval de Córdoba is a vibrant multi-day pre-Lenten celebration that fills the city with color, music, and wit. At its heart are the competitive performances of chirigotas (comic musical groups) and comparsas (more lyrical ensembles) who compete in the Gran Teatro and take to the streets with satirical songs lampooning current events and public figures. The festival also features elaborate costume parades, street parties in the historic center, and a festive atmosphere that attracts visitors from across Andalusia.
Carnaval de Córdoba
Carnaval de Córdoba marks a key celebratory date in the city's carnival season, featuring street performances, costume contests, and the signature chirigota musical groups performing their satirical repertoire in public squares and the Gran Teatro. Note: this entry's date (February 15) falls outside the main Carnival window (Jan 27–Feb 7), and may represent a late-season carnival event, an Entierro de la Sardina (sardine burial) closing ceremony, or a data discrepancy — visitors should verify the exact program with the Córdoba tourism office.
Holy Week (Semana Santa)
Semana Santa in Córdoba is one of Andalusia's most solemn and visually spectacular religious events, with processions running from Palm Sunday (March 28) through Easter Sunday (April 5). More than thirty brotherhoods (hermandades) take to the streets carrying ornate pasos — sculpted floats depicting scenes of the Passion of Christ — to the sound of marching bands and saetas, the mournful flamenco-style devotional songs sung from balconies. The processions wind through Córdoba's UNESCO-listed historic center, passing landmarks such as the Mezquita-Catedral and the Calleja de las Flores, creating an atmosphere of profound spirituality and artistic beauty.
Córdoba Handball Cup
The Copa Córdoba de Balonmano is a prestigious youth handball tournament held annually over Easter weekend in Córdoba, bringing together dozens of clubs from across Spain to compete in multiple age categories. The tournament is organized by local handball federation entities and hosted across the city's sports facilities, offering young athletes high-level competitive experience while fostering camaraderie and sporting values. It is one of the most important youth handball gatherings in southern Spain.
Rally Sierra Morena
The Rally Sierra Morena is one of Spain's most prestigious motorsport competitions, held across the scenic mountain roads and natural landscapes surrounding Córdoba. Part of the European Rally Championship (ERC) calendar, this three-day event draws top professional drivers and co-drivers from across Europe who navigate challenging special stages through the Sierra Morena range. Spectators can watch from designated viewing points along the route, making it a thrilling experience for both dedicated rally fans and casual motorsport enthusiasts.
Montilla-Moriles Wine Tasting Festival
The Montilla-Moriles Wine Tasting Festival celebrates the distinguished DO Montilla-Moriles wine region, whose Pedro Ximénez and Fino wines have been produced in the Córdoba countryside for centuries. Over five days, visitors can participate in guided tastings led by local producers and sommeliers, tour historic bodegas (wine cellars), and enjoy pairings with traditional Andalusian cuisine. The festival is a key cultural and gastronomic event on the Andalusian calendar, drawing wine lovers from across Spain and beyond to discover this often-overlooked alternative to Jerez sherry.
Battle of the Flowers
The Batalla de las Flores (Battle of the Flowers) is a beloved Córdoba tradition that heralds the start of the city's famous May festival season. A spectacular procession winds through the historic city centre, with elaborately decorated floats adorned entirely in fresh flowers, and participants — many in traditional Andalusian dress — toss flower petals into the crowd. The festive atmosphere, live music, and the fragrant floral scent filling the streets make it one of the most joyful and photogenic events of the Córdoba spring calendar.
Crosses of May (Cruces de Mayo)
The Cruces de Mayo (Crosses of May) is one of Córdoba's most cherished spring festivals, in which neighbourhood associations compete to create the most spectacular floral cross displays in squares and street corners throughout the city. Each cross is surrounded by potted geraniums, carnations, and other blooms typical of Andalusia, and the competing sites fill with live flamenco music, sevillanas dancing, and street food stalls well into the night. Judged by a panel of experts, the competition draws enormous community pride and thousands of visitors who stroll from cross to cross in the warm spring evenings.
Window Grilles and Balconies Competition
The Concurso de Rejas y Balcones runs alongside the Courtyards Festival (May 4–17), inviting Córdoba residents to decorate their iron window grilles and balconies with flowers and traditional ornaments and compete for city prizes. Judged by the Delegación de Fiestas y Tradiciones of the Ayuntamiento de Córdoba, the competition adds an extra layer of floral splendor to streets already transformed by the Patios Festival. Strolling through the historic center during this period reveals a city-wide tapestry of blooms framing centuries-old facades.
Courtyards Festival (Fiesta de los Patios)
The Fiesta de los Patios de Córdoba is a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage festival in which homeowners across the historic city throw open their private courtyards — transformed into breathtaking floral installations — free of charge to the public. For two weeks in May, visitors wander self-guided routes through the ancient whitewashed streets, discovering hidden interior gardens overflowing with geraniums, jasmine, and roses, while the air fills with the scent of orange blossom. The festival is accompanied by flamenco performances, craft fairs, and tastings of local cuisine, making it the centrepiece of Córdoba's celebrated spring cultural season.
Córdoba Fair (Feria de Córdoba)
The Feria de Córdoba — officially the Feria de Nuestra Señora de la Salud — is held May 23–30, 2026 at El Arenal fairground, the city's great summer celebration in the Andalusian tradition. Hundreds of casetas (private and public tents) fill the fairground with sevillanas dancing, flamenco performances, and food and drink from morning until the early hours. Riders on horseback, women in traje de flamenca, bullfights in the Real de la Feria arena, and nightly fireworks all combine to create an atmosphere that defines Andalusian fiesta culture.
White Night of Flamenco
The Noche Blanca del Flamenco is a free all-night outdoor festival organized by the Ayuntamiento de Córdoba, transforming the city's historic streets and plazas into simultaneous open-air flamenco stages each June. On the night of June 20–21, dozens of performances by singers, guitarists, and dancers unfold across multiple venues in the UNESCO World Heritage city center, with some shows running until dawn. The event is widely regarded as one of Spain's finest celebrations of flamenco and draws both seasoned aficionados and first-time visitors in their thousands.
Córdoba Guitar Festival
The Festival de la Guitarra de Córdoba is one of Spain's most prestigious music events, presenting world-class classical, flamenco, and contemporary guitarists each July at landmark venues including the Gran Teatro, Teatro de la Axerquía, and Teatro Góngora. The multi-day programme spans more than 35 concerts alongside public masterclasses open to musicians of all levels, drawing artists and audiences from across the globe. In 2026 the festival continues a decades-long tradition that has established Córdoba as an international reference point for guitar culture.
Feria Real de Puente Genil
The Feria Real de Puente Genil is one of the most vibrant summer fiestas in Córdoba province, held each August in this town on the banks of the Genil River. The fair traditionally opens on the evening of August 14 with the illumination of the decorated portada (main gate) and the prestigious Festival de Cante Grande de Puente Genil, one of Andalusia's most important cante jondo flamenco competitions. Six evenings of caseta parties, live concerts on the municipal stage, dancing, and fireworks follow through to August 19.
Cabalcor – Córdoba Horse Fair
Cabalcor (Feria Ecuestre de Córdoba) is one of Spain's premier equestrian events, held annually at the Hipódromo de los Califas. Over eight days, the fair brings together dressage competitions, carriage driving contests, show jumping, and spectacular Andalusian horse exhibitions that highlight the deep bond between Córdoba and its equine heritage. The event draws breeders, riders, and enthusiasts from across Spain and Europe, complemented by flamenco performances, traditional food, and a festive fairground atmosphere.
Feast of the Virgin of the Pillar (Virgen del Pilar)
October 12th marks the Feast of the Virgin of the Pillar (Virgen del Pilar), Spain's National Day and the patronal feast of the Guardia Civil. In Córdoba, the celebration combines civic and religious dimensions: the Guardia Civil holds a solemn parade through the city centre with uniformed officers and mounted cavalry, followed by a Mass in honour of their patron. The date also coincides with Spain's Día de la Hispanidad, making it a day of both institutional ceremony and broad public festivities across the city.
Feast of Saint Victoria (Santa Victoria)
Saint Victoria (Santa Victoria) was a young Christian martyr executed in Roman Córdoba during the 3rd-century persecutions, venerated alongside Saint Acisclus as one of the city's most beloved local saints. On November 17th, Córdoba commemorates her feast day with a Mass at the Basilica de los Santos Mártires Acisclo y Victoria, the church built over the site traditionally associated with their martyrdom. The day is a quiet but deeply felt local observance, connecting the city to its early Christian heritage and the rich palimpsest of religious history that defines Córdoba.
Courtyards Festival at Christmas (“The Patios of Córdoba at Christmas”)
Each December, Córdoba extends its UNESCO-celebrated patio tradition into the Christmas season with "Los Patios de Córdoba en Navidad." Dozens of private homes and institutional courtyards across the historic centre — including the emblematic neighbourhoods of San Basilio and La Judería — throw open their gates, dressed in nativity scenes, poinsettias, and festive lights. Visitors can follow self-guided neighbourhood routes to discover these hidden gems, while a programme of carol concerts, traditional polyphonic choirs, artisan markets, and tastings of seasonal sweets runs alongside throughout the month.
