What to do in Almería in septiembre

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.