Explore 12 events and festivals in Soria, Castile and León throughout 2026.
Soria's Carnival has a distinctive local character centred on the Jueves Lardero tradition, when families and friends gather for an outdoor picnic of bread, chorizo, and eggs on the Thursday before Ash Wednesday. The festive week culminates in the Entierro de la Sardina, a colourful symbolic burial procession marking the close of carnival.
Soria's Holy Week is known for the solemnity and austerity of its processions, with the Procesión General del Santo Entierro on Good Friday standing as the most important act. Beginning at the church of Santo Domingo and processing to the co-cathedral of San Pedro, the silent cortège reflects the deep devotion that characterises Easter observance in this Castilian city.
Spring Urban Soria is an urban music festival held each May at the Parking de los Pajaritos in Soria, now in its fourth edition. The two-day event brings together emerging and established artists from the rap, urban, and electronic scenes, and has grown into one of the key summer festival dates in Castile and León.
The Festival of San Pascual Bailón and the Zarrón in Almazán is a vivid folk celebration on May 17 in honour of the patron saint of shepherds. The highlight is the paloteo stick dance performed by traditional danzantes, and the appearance of the Zarrón — a masked figure who distributes playful blows while guarding hidden sweets — before all gather for the communal soparra, a traditional sweet bread soaked in wine.
The Paso del Fuego in San Pedro Manrique is one of Spain's most extraordinary ritual events, held each June 23 on the eve of Saint John's feast day. Participants walk barefoot across a bed of burning embers — often carrying family members on their backs — in a fire-walking ceremony of pre-Christian origin that has been performed in this remote Soria village for centuries. The following day, the Móndidas, young women in traditional costume, lead a procession with elaborate headdresses made of bread and flowers.
The Fiestas de San Juan o de la Madre de Dios are Soria's oldest and most important civic festival, with roots dating to the 12th century. The week-long celebration follows a precise ritual calendar: El Pregón (opening proclamation), La Saca (an 8km cattle drive from Valonsadero to the bullring), Viernes de Toros, Sábado Agés, Domingo de Calderas (communal stew), and Lunes de Bailas — each day with its own deeply rooted traditions.
La Pinochada is a boisterous annual festivity in Vinuesa that humorously commemorates a historic rivalry with the neighbouring village of Covaleda. Declared a Festival of Regional Tourist Interest, the celebration involves mock confrontations, music, and communal revelry rooted in the long-standing friendly feud between the two Pinar communities.
The Fiestas de San Saturio celebrate Soria's patron saint, a 6th-century hermit said to have lived in a cave above the Duero river. The first five days of October are filled with music, sports events, and cultural activities, culminating on October 2 with the solemn procession to the Ermita de San Saturio — a baroque chapel built into the cliff face above the water.
The Festival de las Ánimas transforms Soria into a stage for mystery and the uncanny each autumn, running from late October through early November. One of Spain's most original themed festivals, it draws on Soria's literary tradition — the city was home to poet Antonio Machado — with a Grand Parade of Souls, theatrical performances, esoteric talks, and atmospheric events staged across the historic centre.
The Certamen Internacional de Cortos Ciudad de Soria is one of Spain's longest-running international short film festivals, held annually since 1999. Now in its 27th edition, the festival screens over 80 films in official competition, with sections for fiction, animation, and documentary, and designates a guest country each year to showcase its short film production.
The Cross Internacional de Soria is an annual cross-country running event organised by the Delegación Soriana de Atletismo, now in its 28th edition. Held each November, the race features elite and amateur categories and takes place on a course through Soria's parks and surroundings, attracting athletes from across Spain and beyond.
The Fiesta de las Ánimas is a literary and artistic event declared a Festival of Regional Tourist Interest, held in Soria to honour the memory of the dead. Rooted in the city's deep connection to the poetry of Antonio Machado and the melancholy spirit of Castile, it features readings, lectures, guided visits, and cultural gatherings that draw on the region's traditions around All Souls' Day.