Festivals in Santiago de Compostela

Local festivals in Santiago de Compostela

The Festas do Apóstolo are Santiago's principal civic and cultural celebration around 25 July. The city also marks the Ascensión in spring and Entroido, with events organised by the City Council and involving cultural groups, residents, pilgrims and visitors.

Usual celebration

The Apóstolo festivities usually last for several days in the second half of July. Their main settings are Praza do Obradoiro, Praza da Quintana, the Alameda and the streets of the historic centre; the opening speech, concerts, dawn musical processions, giants and big-head figures, Día do Traxe and fireworks are among their most distinctive traditions.

Programme for 2026

The official edition ran from 22 to 31 July 2026. It opened with the Real Filharmonía de Galicia in Praza da Quintana and the proclamation from Pazo de Raxoi; on 24 July there was a fireworks display from the Alameda, Cidade da Cultura and Parque Carlomagno, together with video mapping in the Obradoiro. On 26 July, Día do Traxe and Tradfest occupied several city-centre venues, while the programme also included concerts, dawn processions, open-air cinema and children's activities.

Local public holidays in 2026

The resolution published in the Official Gazette of Galicia declared 17 February, Shrove Tuesday, and 14 May, Ascensión, as Santiago's paid, non-recoverable local public holidays. Although 25 July identifies the Apóstolo celebration, it was not one of the municipality's two local working-calendar holidays in 2026.

Other events

Ascensión and Entroido complete the city's festival cycle, while traditional music, Galician folklore and activities connected with the Camino sustain cultural events across municipal venues and neighbourhoods.

Sources

• Santiago Tourism: official Festas do Apóstolo 2026 programme
• Official Gazette of Galicia: local working-calendar holidays for 2026