January
The 5th is the most important day of Christmas for the Spaniards, when the three kings come and bring the presents. Everywhere in Spain the 3 arrive around 6 p.m. and move into town. Expect a lot of people and a very merry atmosphere.
On the 16th, San Anton, the patron saint of all animals, is an important day for the locals, who used to be farmers. Drive to Torvizcon, where there is a party for a few days. On the 16th at night they make big bond fires in every little square. A big party with all the trimmings! You will see a pig running through town, it is being fed by the whole village all year round and then during these fesitivities it has to give its life to feed the village … ..
February
Almond trees begin to bloom at the end of January. Drive to the Contraviesa or to the villages of the eastern Alpujarra and have a picnic in an almond grove – wonderful!
The 28th is the Dia de Andalucia, a holiday – in almost every place with a large supporting program.
March/April
Experience this wonderful area at its best! All the nature is green and blooming. The
sweet scent of azahar (orange blossom) is omnipresent. This is also an excellent season for hiking.
Now the time of the “fiestas” begins. Until late autumn there is a fiesta somewhere almost every week. Mostly it is the patron saint of the respective place, or it is a kind of “knight games” between the Moors and the Christians, Busquistar celebrates New Year’s Eve in summer !!! Or you invent a reason to organize a fiesta !!
Two weeks before Easter the most important religious festival takes place in Orgiva, the Bajada on Thursday and then on Friday a giant procession, a must !!
See under: Fiestas, ferias, flamenco
The Easter week is a cultural treat in all of Andalusia! Granada alone has a total of 32 (!!) different processions in just 8 days. Every place, no matter how small, has its own processions. Experience this wonderful time, so important for the Andalusians!
Every year from Maundy Thursday to Easter Sunday, Orgiva holds a small craft fair where you can find everything that this region , the Alpujarras, has to offer.
May
Dia de la Cruz always on May 3rd
Many villages in the province of Granada celebrate this day, but the best way to experience it is in Granada itself. Everywhere crosses are festively decorated with a lot of imagination, the best presentation wins a price. The whole city is on the move, mostly in their colorful costumes, everyone drinks, sings, dances and is happy, flamenco tones can be heard everywhere, even decorated donkeys mingle with the crowd. An excellent opportunity to experience Andalucia’s soul live!
The summer months
In summer there is a fiesta almost every weekend in one of the nearby villages, you are usually spoiled for choice!
June 23 and 24, LANJARON
San Juan, Lanjaron’s patron saint, celebrates his name day on a grand scale !! The party
lasts a whole week with a very large and varied supporting program.
A highlight is a large parade in the style of a carnival parade. In addition, Lanjaron is a
thermal spa, so it has a lot of water. Therefore on the 23rd from midnight until 1am
everything is allowed and everyone and everything is drenched with water … a real
treat!! People walk through town in bikini and swimming trunks.
Throughout June, Granada hosts a music festival with an incredible number of different performances in different theaters.
There is also a medieval market in Lanjarón over the long weekend of August 15, which is best visited at night, because it is cooler and the atmosphere is particularly beautiful!
In Busquistar you celebrate New Year’s Eve in August, you should be there early because the small village expects more than 10,000 visitors on the main days!
At the beginning of August the Musica en la Alpujarra takes place, a music competition of the Alpujarras, every year in a different village. All day long, the lay groups from the different villages present 2 old pieces of music from this area – an excellent opportunity to gain an insight into the local culture!
San Lorenzo – the patron saint of Guajar Faragüit. They have a big program here
too. Festivities for 3-4 days, always around August 10th. Climax
are 2 processions, one on the 10th and the other on the 11th each ending with BIG
fireworks. On these days, this little village bursts at the seams
Pure fun!!
The week before, Fondon celebrates its patron saint and the week after, Guajar Alto.
In total, there will be 3 weeks of celebrations!
Lanjarón and Órgiva publish a summer program for the months of July and August, something takes place almost every day, many are children’s and sporting events, but also open air cinema, dance in the evening and many music events, each with a flamenco evening, where often very well known and really good groups perform, admission is always free.
In the gardens of the Alhambra (Generalife) in Granada every summer, from mid-July to the end of August, a first-class Flamenco Ballet takes place, which is always based on a theme of the Granada born poet Garcia Lorca. A must!
See also under Fiestas, Ferias and Flamenco – Musica en las Montañas
September and October
The almond harvest takes place in late August and early September, especially in Los Guajares you can hear how the locals peel the almonds and often transport them with the help of a mule.
At the end of September / beginning of October, Orgiva celebrates its FERIA during
4 days with a giant paella, Migas and Sevillana competitions, dance performances and
a large supporting program. This used to be the farmers’ annual fair and agricultural
market with a large entertainment program – the latter has remained. Very popular
performers are usually invited to entertain the village. A must if you want to experience
the joy of life of the Andalusians!!
October 12 is a public holiday, in honor of Pilar
During this long weekend, Pampaneira hosts a small Alpujarra arts and crafts fair taking place around the church. Here you can find everything this beautiful region has to offer in a very cozy atmosphere.
November
– a quiet month, it is almost always sunny and warm, everything is quiet and the light is incredibly beautiful, nature recovers after the long hot summer and after the first rain in October. A wonderful month to relax and unwind, great for hiking!
December
The 6th and 8th are public holidays, the most popular long weekend of the year, each village organizes different events, many local tourists come to the Alpujarra to stock up on ham for the winter!
In the middle of December the Villancicos take place in the church in Orgiva, various lay groups sing Christmas carols, wonderful!
On the 22nd the drawing of the biggest lottery in the world takes place, everyone sticks to the TV all morning to find out if they’re the lucky winners. The main prizes are in the hundreds of thousands !!
Christmas is rather quiet here, as the main gifts are brought by the 3 kings on January 5.
On New Years Eve you meet shortly before midnight in the main square to eat together the 12 grapes – one each time the bell strikes (midnight) !!