The calendar

Marbella Events

The Costa del Sol's recurring dates in one place: Carnaval, the town's own saint's fair, Starlite, the film festival and Navidad. Each date is read from the organiser's own page or the Ayuntamiento de Marbella's, never guessed.

Checked against each organiser's own listing, 20 August 2026. A date not yet published for next year is marked as such, not filled in.

Carnaval de Marbella

Costume parades, children's contests and live music fill Marbella and San Pedro Alcántara through February. The dates move with the church calendar every year.

2026 dates
7–28 February 2026

Semana Santa

Brotherhoods carry their pasos, the processional floats, through the Casco Antiguo in the week before Easter Sunday. Like Carnaval, the date moves every year.

2026 dates
31 March – 5 April 2026

Feria y Fiestas de San Bernabé

Marbella's own saint's day and its biggest week on the calendar: flamenco, a funfair and free concerts, opening with the Romería de San Bernabé, a procession out of the town centre.

Romería
31 May 2026
Feria
8–14 June 2026

Starlite Occident Festival

An open-air concert season built into the old quarry at Nagüeles, running most of the summer with acts announced through the season on the festival's own site.

2026 season
19 June – 31 August 2026
Venue
Cantera de Nagüeles, C/ Albinoni s/n

The summer's town fairs

San Pedro Alcántara, Nueva Andalucía, Las Chapas and Santa Marta each run their own week, the same format as San Bernabé at neighbourhood scale, back to back through midsummer.

Feria de Nueva Andalucía
23–26 July 2026
Fiestas de Santa Marta
25–26 July 2026
Fiestas de Las Chapas
30 July – 2 August 2026

Marbella International Film Festival

Red-carpet premieres and industry panels for its 21st edition, the town's one week as a stop on the festival circuit.

2026 dates
7–12 October 2026

The lights go up on Avenida Ramón y Cajal and the town stays dressed for it into January, with a Christmas market running the same weeks in the Alameda. The Ayuntamiento sets each year's date in November; this is the most recently confirmed one.

Lights switch-on (2025 season)
Saturday 29 November 2025, 20:00, Avenida Ramón y Cajal
Nochevieja
31 December, 23:00, Parque de la Represa (Marbella) and Plaza de la Iglesia (San Pedro)
Cabalgata de Reyes
5 January, every year

How we date this

Every date above comes from the organiser's own site or the Ayuntamiento de Marbella's own listing, read on the date shown next to it. A year we cannot yet confirm is marked as the most recently confirmed one, not invented.

Spot a date that has moved? Get in touch.

More from Marbella Wire:The Shortlist ·What everything costs