Carnival season in Andalucía – Top events for your 2025 calendar

• Table of contents
• Experience the magic of Carnival!
• Málaga: 22/02/25 – 02/03/25
• Cádiz: 27/02/25 – 09/03/25
• Tarifa:14/03/25 - 16/03/25
• Isla Cristina: 02/03/25 - 09/03/25

Málaga Carnival is a vibrant and multicultural festival, which this year is taking to the streets from February 22 to March 2. Attendees can enjoy parades, concerts, and the lively 'Battle of the Flowers,' where the city centre comes alive with musical performances and showers of confetti. Leading up to the start of the carnival there are events happening every weekend. To keep up to date with the full programme, visit: carnavaldemalaga.es and head to their “Agenda 2025” page.

Expect various musical groups, including singers, chirigotas, comparsas, murgas, troupes, quartets, and choirs from across Andalucía, performing at venues such as the Cervantes Theatre. Performers start rehearsals about 8 months before carnival begins, showcasing their first performances by early February. The groups compete for a place in the “final” which is held on the evening of the last day before the start of Carnival week.

On Sunday, March 2, the celebrations culminate with the “Gran Boqueroná” offering of free fried anchovies at the Plaza de la Constitución from noon. This is followed by the traditional ‘Burial of the Boquerón.’ In this event, a giant anchovy effigy is paraded through the city to La Malagueta beach, where it is ceremoniously burned on a large bonfire, symbolizing the end of the carnival and the beginning of Lent.

The Carnival of Cádiz is considered of international tourist interest, taking place this year from February 27 to March 3. The full programme is yet to be released, but will include street parties, parades and competitions for carnival groups, with the most anticipated event being the COAC singing competition taking place in the Gran Teatro Falla. For those that can’t attend, but still want to catch the show, you can do so on their YouTube channel– the preliminaries have already started!

Each of the groups in the COAC have their own costumes, known as tipos and perform original songs with themes that reflect current affairs and news of the previous year in the form of social satire and political criticism. It’s a one of a kind musical talent show rich with culture and forward-thinking humour. The lyrics can be hard to follow even for advanced Spanish speakers, as the context is nuanced and steeped in local lore, but it’s still a fantastic show even if you don’t fully understand what’s going on.

Oysters, coplas, and tradition: "The Ostionada of San Antonio".

On Sunday February 2, the popular Ostionada took place in the Plaza de San Antonio, one of the largest squares in the city. This event is basically an excuse to eat oysters for free and listen to couplets playing music on the streets. Carnival performances are ongoing whilst drinking beer, fine wine, Manzanilla de Sanlúcar or muscatel is encouraged.

In addition to the free oysters, around 12,000 sweet fried pastries are handed out together with the traditional accompaniment of a glass of anisette. The aforementioned oyster party included a total of 1,500kg of oysters, and that’s without mentioning all the other gastronomic offerings that will be occurring.

On March 3, The Grand Parade of the Cádiz Carnival 2025 will be taking place. This is the main Calbagata, and arguably the most impressive in Andalucía. Seated tickets will be going on sale from 10:00am February 7 until 10:00am February 14, available to buy here, alternatively you can purchase tickets at the box office, or on the day from the ushers.

The captivating historic town of Tarifa is located within the Cádiz province along the Costa de la Luz, conveniently just one hour west of Marbella. Known as the “Kitesurfing capital of Europe,” its pristine beaches and areas of outstanding beauty make it a popular holiday destination, particularly for locals living next door along the Costa del Sol. If you’ve never experienced Carnival before, Tarifa will be the perfect place to get you acquainted with the tradition, without having to deal with the intensity of a city, but still experiencing the full scope of celebrations.

From March 14 to 16, the festivities will feature vibrant parades, costume contests, and musical performances, transforming Tarifa's streets into a lively celebration of Andalusian culture. Every year, Tarifa chooses a new central theme, which sets the tone primarily for the costume design. Last year, their theme was “Brazil,” and the year before that was “Chinatown.” This year the central theme is “Cinema.” Participants are encouraged to embrace the theme with their fancy dress, drawing inspiration from various film genres and eras.

The 2025 Tarifa Carnival now has an official poster, designed by Cádiz-born artist Pablo Fernández-Pujol, who generously donated his work to the municipality of Tarifa. Painted in watercolor, the artwork beautifully depicts a seascape, featuring the island and a lighthouse-projector, paying homage to the cinema theme of this year's carnival.

Recommendations to make sure you don't miss anything.

To stay in the know about this year's event, we recommend the Tarifa Info & Chat | Carnival 2025 Tarifa, facebook group. They post up-to-date information, as well as answering questions and providing recommendations from residents and those who have visited before.

Isla Cristina is a city and municipality located in the province of Huelva, in the western part of Andalucía. The Carnival of Isla Cristina is one of the oldest in Spain, declared a festival of tourist interest in the region. This festival has preliminaries for their musical talent running from February 17 at the Horacio Noguera Municipal Theater, with the finale to their singing competition occurring on Saturday March 1. Stay up to date with their carnival calendar here.

The main street parade (Calbagata), which attracts the most visitors, will be taking place on Sunday March 2, with fancy dress and partying happening throughout the following week. The last day of Carnival concludes on March 9 with Domingo de Piñata (Piñata Sunday) from 12:00-1:00p.m. The particularity of this festivity is the piñata, which became tradition as the local residents would set up the piñata at the dance that was held that day, attended by musicians with accordions, bandurrias and guitars.

The Carnival that withstood the test of time.

Tradition was so strong here in fact, that even when Franco ruled the country and banned these types of festivals nation-wide, people continued celebrating this one clandestinely. If you decide to delve into this local tradition and enjoy the carnival in Isla Cristina, be sure to visit the unspoiled beaches of El Rompido, a breathtaking location situated by the mouth of the Río Piedras.

For visitors planning their trip to any one of the carnivals within the region, remember that while the main events occur during the highlighted dates, many cities begin their preliminary celebrations weeks in advance. Whether you're a first-time visitor or a seasoned carnival-goer, these festivities provide an authentic glimpse into Spanish culture and an unforgettable way to experience the warmth and joy of Andalucía. Enjoy carnival season!