Reasons of the month · enero

What to do in Almería in enero

The best month for Almería is mayo — The Cruces de Mayo fill plazas and courtyards on May 3 with flower-decked crosses, dancing and stalls of gurul…

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Why Almería in enero

The Three Kings parade rolls down Paseo de Almería on January 5 and closes the city's Christmas — the next morning you climb the Alcazaba almost alone, the Nasrid fortress all to yourself.

January is among mainland Spain's mildest months — averages near 13°C and clean sun falling over the Alcazaba, one of the largest Moorish fortresses in the country.

Rock-bottom low season — hotels at their cheapest and a queue-free old town, while the Poniente greenhouses supply half of Europe with winter tomatoes and peppers.

Same place, another month

Almería is worth visiting other months too

febrero

Carnival hits its main days February 14-22 — the agrupaciones contest (COAC) packs the Auditorio Maestro Padilla with chirigota choirs and comparsas before spilling into the streets.

marzo

Holy Week — a Fiesta of National Tourist Interest — opens on Palm Sunday (March 29), with over twenty brotherhoods debuting the Carrera Oficial along Paseo de Almería.

abril

Holy Week runs through Easter Sunday (April 5) — the Resucitado closes the cycle and the city shifts from solemn processions into full spring.

mayo

The Cruces de Mayo fill plazas and courtyards on May 3 with flower-decked crosses, dancing and stalls of gurullos and migas — spring at its most local.

junio

Midsummer Night (June 23-24) lights bonfires on El Palmeral beach — sardinadas, a midnight swim and a June 24 that's a local holiday.

julio

Peak beach summer: an ideal sea temperature and over 3,000 hours of sun a year make July the month of long swims at El Zapillo and El Palmeral.

agosto

The Feria de Almería, honoring the Virgen del Mar, takes over the city August 21-29 — casetas in the Vega de Acá, midday tapas downtown and bullfights in the 1889 ring.

septiembre

September brings the warmest sea of the year (around 24°C) with beaches already clearing — Cabo de Gata in shoulder season after August empties out.

octubre

The International Jazz Festival reaches its 33rd edition, October 24 to November 9 — three weekends of live shows across the city.

noviembre

FICAL, the Almería International Film Festival, screens mid-month — its 'Almería en Corto' contest crowns the best short film and reclaims the city as a historic film set.

diciembre

Lights and the municipal nativity scene switch on Christmas along Paseo de Almería and Plaza de la Catedral, with a holiday market and concerts at the Auditorio Maestro Padilla.

Year at a glance