Public Holidays in Spain and Andalucia – Calendar 2023

Take a look at the calendar of the 2023 public holidays in Spain and Andalucia, and scroll down to get more information about every holiday date

Spain has 14 official holidays per year, 11 of which are celebrated nationwide. One more day is added as every Autonomous Region celebrates its Day and two more days when the capital cities of every province celebrate their local festivities.

When a holiday date falls on Sunday, it is usually moved to the following Monday. If the holiday date falls on Tuesday, Spaniards use to take the intervening day off too, as this practice is known as Puente (bridge). It may also happen when a holiday date falls on Thursday, taking the Friday as festive too, though this practice is rarer.

Spanish bank holidays are marked in red; Andalucia’s bank holidays are marked in green; Andalusian capital cities’ bank holidays are marked in blue.

Public holidays in Spain in 2023

The 2023 public holidays celebrated nationwide in Spain are:

• January 1st (Wednesday): Año Nuevo (New Year’s Day).

• January 6th (Monday): Día de los Reyes Magos (Epiphany, Three Kings’ Day).

The most awaited day by children, when the little ones receive their presents by the Three Kings. The day before is when the spectacular parade of the Cabalgata de Los Reyes Magos takes place.

• April 1st (Thursday): Jueves Santo (Holy Thursday)

• April 2nd (Friday): Viernes Santo (Good Friday)

The Semana Santa (Holy Week), which leads to Easter Sunday, is particularly felt in Spain, though not the whole week is festive. Holy Thursday and Good Friday are the only days that are usually celebrated as festive.

• May 1st (Friday): Fiesta del Trabajo (Labour Day)

• August 15th (Saturday): La Asunción (Feast of the Assumption)

• October 12th (Monday): Día de la Hispanidad (National Day)

On this day, a military parade takes place, which is attended by the Royal Family, the Prime Minister and the most important politicians. This day is also celebrated in America, where it is known as the Columbus Day. 

• November 1st (Sunday): Todos Los Santos (All Saints’ Day).

• December 6th (Sunday): Día de la Constitución (Constitution Day)

On this day, Spaniards celebrate the 1978 referendum, with which Spanish citizens approved the current Constitution.

• December 8th (Tuesday): La Inmaculada Concepción (Feast of the Immaculate Conception).

• December 25th (Friday): Navidad (Christmas)

Public holidays in Andalucia in 2023

In addition to these festivities, Andalucia’s regional government also proclaims:

• February 28th (Friday): Día de Andalucía (Andalucia Day)

It celebrates the Referendum that took place on February 28, 1980, when the Andalusian electorate voted to make Andalucia an autonomous community in Spain.

Public holidays in the Andalusian cities

Every Andalusian province and its capital city celebrate two more holidays, usually during the fair week.

Public holidays in Almeria:

• August 26th (Saturday), Virgen del Mar

• December 26th (Tuesday), San Esteban

Public holidays in Cadiz:

• February 20th (Monday), Lunes de Carnaval (Carnival Monday). On the day with which the Carnival starts, according to the Christian calendar, float parades take place in every city in Spain, particularly in Cadiz.

• July 17th (Monday), Virgen del Carmen

• October 7th (Wednesday), Virgen del Rosario

Public holidays in Cordoba:

• September 8th (Friday), Virgen de Guadalupe. In honour of the co-patron of Cordoba, on this day people reunite to celebrate an evening event, La Velá. The fair presents fun attractions for both kids and grown-ups. The ritual is both religious when visiting the Virgin inside the church, and pagan, when visiting the Caimán de la Fuensanta (Fuensanta Alligator), situated on a wall inside the church.

• October 24th (Tuesday), San Rafael (Saint Raphael)

Public holidays in Granada:

• January 2nd (Monday), Festividad de la Toma de Granada. People celebrate the reconquest of Granada by the Catholic Monarchs, which happened on January 2, 1492. A procession files through the streets of Granada, from the Royal Chapel, where the Catholic Monarchs rest in peace, to the city council’s balcony.

• May 26th (Friday), Día de Mariana Pineda

• June 8th (Thursday), Corpus Christi

Public holidays in Huelva:

• August 3rd (Thursday), Festividad Colombina (Columbian Festivals). A week of celebrations for Cristopher Columbus’s voyage ends on August 3, the day on which Columbus departed from Palos de la Frontera.

• September 8th (Friday), Ntra. Señora de la Cinta (Huelva Patron Day).

Public holidays in Jaen:

• November 25th (Saturday), Santa Catalina (Saint Catherine, Patron Day)

• October 18th (Wednesday), San Lucas

Public holidays in Malaga:

• August 19th (Saturday), Incorporación de Málaga a la Corona de Castilla (Reconquest of Malaga).

• September 8th (Friday), Virgen de la Victoria. On this day, the Diocese of Malaga celebrates the birth of the Virgin Mary with many naval events. The last Sunday of August, the image of the Virgin is carried from the Sanctuary of Mary of Victory to the Cathedral of Malaga. On September 8, a procession retakes the Virgin to the Sanctuary.

Public holidays in Seville:

• April 26th (Wednesday), Miércoles de feria 2023.

• June 18th (Thursday), Corpus Christi. 

You have just read about the public holidays in Spain and Andalucia for 2023.

Are you planning to come to Andalucia during the next year, to enjoy some of its peculiar celebrations? Tell us in the comments!