Guadalupe Festival in Rianxo

The Festas da Guadalupe fill Rianxo with music, seafaring devotion and community participation for roughly a week each September. The procession across the ría, bands, open-air dances, Galician culture and the farewell to the sound of the Rianxeira give the celebration its distinctive character.

Usual date

The principal feast is held on the first Sunday after 8 September, the Nativity of Mary, and the programme extends over approximately one week. The dates therefore change each year according to that Sunday.

See the Guadalupe Festival 2026 programme.

Where it takes place

Rianxo's town centre and waterfront form the festival setting. Capela de Guadalupe, Praza da Igrexa, Praza Castelao, Campo de Arriba, Paseo da Ribeira, Xardíns da Ribeira and the central streets host worship, bands, concerts, games, the fair and open-air dances.

A Moreniña and the maritime procession

The official website records that the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe, known as A Moreniña, arrived in Rianxo in 1773. The maritime procession, whose origins date to 1862, is the central event: the image and procession travel across the ría with support from the fishers' guild and mussel-growing associations.

Events and traditions

  • Solemn Mass and maritime procession honouring the Virgin of Guadalupe.
  • Alboradas, street music, band concerts and traditional Galician music.
  • Vermouth sessions, charangas, orchestras and open-air dances in streets and squares.
  • Feirón Mariñeiro, a day of crafts and early twentieth-century fishing-town atmosphere.
  • Día de Padrón, children's activities, circus, urban culture and community meals.
  • A final night of bengalas and a shared singing of the Rianxeira.

The Rianxeira

The song born among Galician emigrants has a central place in the festival farewell. The organisers describe it as one of the best-known Galician songs and the emotional heart of the night of bengalas that closes the week.

Organisation and participation

The programme combines the work of the festival committee and A Moreniña association with support from Concello de Rianxo, cultural bodies, musical groups, the fishers' guild, mussel-growing associations, local businesses and residents. Religious observance, maritime identity and community culture meet in a single celebration.

Sources

Today's international trade fair

You can also find information about international trade fairs and discover today's featured trade fair at FeriasHoy.com.