How to find fiestas and events in your town

Terms used

• Ayuntamiento — The ayuntamiento is your town hall, the local council that runs municipal services and publishes the events agenda.
• Tablón de anuncios — The tablón de anuncios is the council's official notice board, physical or online, where formal notices are posted.
• Sede electrónica — The sede electrónica is the council's official online office, where formal notices and procedures are published.
• Festivos locales — The festivos locales are the two local public holidays each municipality sets every year.
• Calendario laboral — The calendario laboral is the yearly work calendar listing national, regional and local public holidays.
• Diputaciones — The diputaciones are provincial councils, which often run their own agendas of events.

Key rules

• Best source: Your town hall's own channels are the most reliable place for dates and street closures.
• Local holidays: Each municipality has two local holidays a year, and the dates change every year.
• Unofficial groups: Group posts can be wrong or out of date, so confirm with the council.
• Small towns: In small villages, community groups and noticeboards are often the main channel.

Start with your town hall

Your ayuntamiento is the best single source. Check its website for the agenda de eventos, which lists fiestas, concerts, markets and sports days. The culture department or the tourist office often has its own page with fuller programmes.

Many councils also offer other ways to follow the agenda:

• Social media accounts, usually on the main networks.
• A municipal app, either the town's own or a shared one.
• An email newsletter.
• A WhatsApp or Telegram broadcast channel.
• Printed monthly agendas and posters around town.

Bigger councils offer most of these. Small ones may offer only a noticeboard and a social media page.

Formal notices, such as programmes and street closures, go on the tablón de anuncios or the sede electrónica. The list of official places is in the resource below.

Check regional and national tourism sites

Each region runs a tourism website that lists major fiestas and events. Search for your region's official tourism portal. At national level, Spain's tourism site also has listings of Fiestas of Tourist Interest. Provincial councils (diputaciones) often run their own agendas too. Web addresses change, so find the current one by searching the region's name plus "turismo".

Use local press and community groups

Local newspapers and their sites, local radio, free monthly magazines and noticeboards in shops and bars all carry event news. In small villages, community groups are often the main channel.

Town and neighbourhood groups on messaging apps and social media share programmes and notices. Some are run by the council, others by associations or residents. To join, look for a link on the council's social media, or ask at the town hall or a neighbour. Expat groups also exist in popular areas.

Information in unofficial groups can be wrong or out of date. Confirm dates and street closures on the council's own channels before you plan around them.

Find your local holiday dates

Each municipality has two festivos locales a year, proposed by the town council. The region publishes them in its official gazette as part of the calendario laboral. The ayuntamiento's website or tablón also lists them, and the regional labour department (consejería de trabajo) often has a searchable table. The dates change every year, so use the current year's calendar.

If there is little online

Ask at the town hall or tourist office, read the posters in the main square and talk to neighbours. Then follow the council's social media page so you see announcements as they appear.

Where councils publish fiesta programmes and street-closure notices

Where councils publish fiesta information

• Your ayuntamiento (town hall) website: Look in the agenda or fiestas section for the programme and the event calendar.

• Council notice board and online office (tablón de anuncios and sede electrónica): Check here for formal notices, including the bando municipal, the council's official announcement of street closures and noise rules.

• Council social media, app, newsletter and broadcast channels: Follow the council's accounts, app, email newsletter or WhatsApp and Telegram channels for programmes and last-minute changes.

• Culture department or tourist office: Pick up the printed monthly agenda or the libro de fiestas, the printed fiesta programme, and look at posters in shops and public buildings.

• Policía Local: Follow its social media accounts for street-closure and traffic notices during fiestas.

• National and regional traffic services (DGT, Servei Català de Trànsit, Tráfico Euskadi): Check them for closures on roads outside the town, depending on your region.

Frequently asked questions

How do I find my town's local holiday dates?

Look in your region's work calendar (calendario laboral) for the current year, which lists two local holidays (festivos locales) for every municipality. The region publishes it in its official gazette each year. Your town hall's website or notice board also lists the dates, and the regional labour department often has a searchable table.

Which regional tourism sites list fiestas and events?

Most regions run a tourism portal with an events calendar, and spain.info covers the whole country, including the Fiestas of Tourist Interest. Examples are andalucia.org for Andalucía, the official website for Madrid and turismo.gal for Galicia. Provincial councils (diputaciones) also publish agendas, which helps for smaller towns.

Can I trust town chat groups for event information?

Use them to learn what is on, but not as your final word, because unofficial groups can be wrong or out of date.

What if my town has little online information about events?

Try local newspapers, local radio, free monthly magazines and noticeboards in shops and bars. Smaller councils may rely on printed monthly agendas and posters.

References

1. turismomadrid.es