---
title: "Festivals & events in Santiago de Compostela"
description: "What's on in Santiago from 13 September to 20 September 2026: 20 events with day, time and venue plus 20 exhibitions open now, nearly all free. Plus the big dates of the year, from the Apostle to Xacobeo 2027."
url: https://santiago.es/en/events
locale: en
---

# Festivals & events in Santiago de Compostela

Events

A small city with a big calendar: processions, fireworks, music festivals and a Christmas market that fills the old town with light.

![Fuegos del Apóstol sobre la fachada de la Catedral, grabado dorado](https://santiago.es/img/illus/fuegos.jpg)

[© santiago.es · Ilustración](https://santiago.es)

By [Cesar Rodriguez](https://santiago.es/en/author) · updated 11 September 2026

Santiago doesn't need much of an excuse to celebrate, but it does have a handful of dates that genuinely shape the year. Below is what is on today and over the next seven days, pulled live from the council and Turismo de Santiago listings, plus the exhibitions open right now; after that, what's still ahead in the 2026-2027 calendar, and then the 2026 editions that have already taken place, as a guide to dates and prices. Once you've picked a date, our [Santiago itineraries](https://santiago.es/en/itineraries) guide helps fill in the rest of the days around it.

## What’s on today in Santiago?

Today, **13 September**, there are 2 eventsbetween the council programme, Turismo de Santiago’s listings and the Cathedral’s calendar: time not published; 19:00 at Sala Capitol. What each one actually is shows up in the week table just below, and unless stated otherwise entry is free.

## What’s on this weekend?

From **13 September** to **20 September**: everything with a fixed day and time, which unless stated otherwise is **free**. It updates itself from the council listings, Turismo de Santiago’s and the Cathedral’s liturgical calendar; even so, last-minute times do move. Event names are left in Galician or Spanish, as they appear on the poster.

**What's on in Santiago de Compostela, 13 September to 20 September**

| When | What | Where |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Sun 13 | XII CORRESAN Ruta dos Parques 2026 | — |
| Sun 13, 19:00 | Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne | Sala Capitol |
| Mon 14 | BenVidaUSC 2026 | — |
| Tue 15, 20:00 | The Queen’s College | Monasterio e Iglesia de San Martiño Pinario |
| Wed 16 | Real Filharmonía de Galicia. Temporada 2026-27 | Auditorio de Galicia |
| Wed 16, 19:00 | De ler palabras a entender historias \| Conversa con Teresa Neira na Biblioteca de Galicia | Cidade da Cultura de Galicia |
| Wed 16, 20:00 | Rfg concertos nos barrios | Casa das Máquinas |
| Wed 16, 20:00 | Real Filharmonía de Galicia – Concertos nos barrios de Santiago de Compostela | Casa das Máquinas |
| Thu 17 | Aberto 2026 | — |
| Thu 17, 18:00 | Compostela no cambio de século: unha cronoloxía da modernidade | Biblioteca Pública Ánxel Casal |
| Thu 17, 19:00 | Bmsc · Unha tarde de sentimentos | Praza da Quintana |
| Thu 17, 19:00 | Banda Municipal de Música de Santiago-Unha tarde de sentimentos | Plaza de Platerías |
| Thu 17, 20:00 | Real Filharmonía de Galicia – Concertos nos barrios de Santiago de Compostela | Monasterio e Iglesia de Santa María de Conxo |
| Fri 18 | Mercado Artesanalmente 2026 | Sede Afundación Santiago de Compostela |
| Fri 18 | Compostela Street | Campus Universitario Sur |
| Fri 18, 20:00 | Real Filharmonía de Galicia – Concertos nos barrios de Santiago de Compostela | Área Central |
| Fri 18, 21:30 | Diamond Dogs | Sala Capitol |
| Sat 19, 12:00 | Historias dun mundo grande | Biblioteca Pública Ánxel Casal |
| Sat 19, 20:00 | Real Filharmonía de Galicia – Concertos nos barrios de Santiago de Compostela | Convento e Iglesia de Santo Agostiño |
| Sat 19, 20:00 | Nada | Teatro Compostela |

## Exhibitions open right now in Santiago

Whatever the week looks like, Santiago has **15 exhibitions open right now** across 9 venues, plus 5 runs that are still going, 10 of them free. They are sorted by closing date, so what is at the top is what you have least time left to see. Titles are left as the venue publishes them, in Galician or Spanish.

**Exhibitions open now in Santiago de Compostela**

| What | Where | Until |
| --- | --- | --- |
| WOS Festival 2026 | — | 13 September |
| WOS Festival | — | 13 September |
| Festival Cabeza Cuadrada | — | 13 September |
| Hola Nola Lab-Festival 2026 | — | 19 September |
| O que me mira rodeándome | Museo-Fundación Eugenio Granell | 26 September |
| Rumor | — | 27 September |
| Rafael Baltar. Testemuña dun tempo | Museo do Pobo Galego | 27 September |
| A cidade que se soñou a si mesma. Obras e proxectos na Compostela rexionalista | Casa do Cabido | 30 September |
| Begoña Caamaño. Tecendo palabras para cambiar o mundo | Cidade da Cultura de Galicia | 1 October |
| De los horizontes de Castilla a las verticales del Norte | Sala Fundación Araguaney | 2 October |
| XXV Festival de Teatro Afeccionado Agustín Magán | — | 4 October |
| Cousas do tempo. Documento dun almanaque imaxinado | Cidade da Cultura de Galicia | 31 October |
| A Biblioteca América: un soño inaugurado en 1926 | Colegio de Fonseca | 31 October |
| Os adeuses: Fotografías de Alberto Martí | Facultad de Filología | 31 October |
| Voces del Pacífico | Cidade da Cultura de Galicia | 29 November |
| Mulleres sobranceiras. Luísa Villalta. Música, palabra e compromiso | Cidade da Cultura de Galicia | 31 December |
| Gonzalo Torrente Ballester. Itinerario de vida e creación | Fundación Gonzalo Torrente Ballester | 31 December |
| Feminino doméstico | Museo-Fundación Eugenio Granell | 31 December |
| As lecturas de Granell | Museo-Fundación Eugenio Granell | 31 December |
| Isla Ignorada | CGAC (Centro Galego de Arte Contemporánea) | 12 February |

The venues sit closer together than the list suggests: the CGAC and the Museo do Pobo Galego share a corner at San Domingos de Bonaval, the Granell Foundation and the Casa do Cabido are inside the old town, and the Cidade da Cultura holds half a dozen shows up on the Gaiás hill, twenty minutes uphill on foot or a ride on the C11 bus. They are all in [what to see in Santiago](https://santiago.es/en/what-to-see), and they are the plan that holds up best on [a rainy day](https://santiago.es/en/rainy-days). Closing dates are the ones each venue publishes and sometimes get extended; opening dates do not.

That’s the week itself. This page also covers the big fixtures of the year, the ones planned months ahead. If you’re reading this later, or you want everything that is on the weekend you’re in town — concerts, theatre, exhibitions, markets — two council sources publish the full listings and update them weekly: the [Concello’s cultural agenda (compostelacultura.gal, in Galician)](https://www.compostelacultura.gal/) and [Turismo de Santiago’s listings](https://www.santiagoturismo.com/axenda-cultural). As a rule of thumb: there is something on most weekends at the Auditorio de Galicia, the Teatro Principal and Zona C, and in summer the programme moves out to the squares of the old town and the Alameda, usually free. If the week you are here looks thin, the rest of Galicia is close enough to fill it: Padrón is 15 minutes by train, A Coruña 30-40 and Fisterra about two hours by coach, all covered in [day trips from Santiago](https://santiago.es/en/day-trips).

## The calendar at a glance

### What's coming up

**Upcoming festivals and events in Santiago de Compostela**

| When | Event | What it is |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 November 2026 | All Saints' Day | Public holiday: chapter procession at 11:40 am in the Cathedral, ahead of the stational Mass. The programme lists the botafumeiro, but it is currently out of action (see the note below the table) |
| November 2026, dates to be confirmed | Cineuropa Film Festival | European cinema at Teatro Principal, Salón Teatro, NUMAX and Auditorio de Galicia; the programme lands in October |
| Late November 2026 - 6 January 2027 | Christmas | Light switch-on, Mercado da Estrela, ice rink and the Three Kings' Parade |
| 31 December 2026 | Opening of the Holy Door | Marks the start of Xacobeo 2027, the next Holy Year |
| 21-28 March 2027 | Holy Week | Easter Sunday falls on 28 March; 17 processions by 11 brotherhoods through the old town |
| Around Thursday 6 May 2027, to be confirmed | Ascension Festival | Livestock fair, Romaría das Flores, ComposFest and octopus stalls in the Alameda |
| June 2027, to be confirmed | O Son do Camiño | Music festival at Monte do Gozo; dates and line-up are announced between January and March |
| Last ten days of July 2027 | Feast of the Apostle | The first of the Xacobeo: fireworks on 24 and 31 July, offering to the Saint, street parties and concerts |
| August 2027, dates to be confirmed | Feito a Man | Free street music and arts festival across squares in the old town; dates are announced at short notice |

About the botafumeiro on 1 November: **right now it is out of action**. The Cathedral itself confirmed to santiago.es in writing on 5 September 2026 that it is still out of service: the scaffolding for the cimborrio restoration covers the mechanism it hangs from, and there is no date for its return. On its website it has published no notice and has not changed its liturgical calendar, so that programme may go ahead without the censer. We cover it in [the botafumeiro guide](https://santiago.es/en/what-to-see/botafumeiro).

### Already held, for reference

**Past editions of Santiago de Compostela's main festivals**

| When it was | Event | What there was |
| --- | --- | --- |
| November 2025 | Cineuropa Film Festival (39th edition) | More than 140 films at Teatro Principal, Salón Teatro, NUMAX and Auditorio de Galicia |
| 19-21 December 2025 | Mercado da Estrela | Christmas market with craft stalls and concerts |
| 27 March - 5 April 2026 | Holy Week | 17 processions by 11 brotherhoods through the old town |
| 13-17 May 2026 | Ascension Festival | Livestock fair, Romaría das Flores, ComposFest and octopus stalls in the Alameda |
| 18-20 June 2026 | O Son do Camiño | Linkin Park, Katy Perry, The Chemical Brothers, Bad Bunny and Liam Gallagher; three-day pass from 59 € |
| 22-31 July 2026 | Feast of the Apostle | Fuegos del Apóstol fireworks on 24 and 31 July, offering to the Saint, street parties and concerts |

## The Feast of the Apostle

The city's great patronal festival, running from **22 to 31 July**, with **25 July** marking St James's Day and Galicia's National Day. The most photographed moment of the year is the **Fuegos del Apóstol** fireworks display, launched over two nights — 24 and 31 July — from 23:30, lasting 15 to 18 minutes. It's fired simultaneously from three points across the city — the Alameda, the Cidade da Cultura and Parque de Carlomagno — forming what locals call the "crown of fire," visible from several viewpoints around the city, not only from Praza do Obradoiro. If you want a good spot, arrive early: the old town fills to capacity those nights. The 2026 edition is over — it ran from 22 to 31 July — and the 2027 one will be the first inside the Xacobeo Holy Year, so expect bigger crowds than usual. Our [guide to visiting during the 2027 Holy Year](https://santiago.es/en/xacobeo-2027/when-to-visit) covers exactly how to plan around that.

## Ascension: the warm-up act

Ten weeks earlier, in early or mid-May, comes the **Ascension Festival**, traditionally regarded as the appetiser for July's bigger celebrations. There's a livestock fair, funfair rides for all ages, the Romaría das Flores, and the ComposFest concert series, plus the pulpo á feira stalls that set up in the Alameda fairground. It's a more local affair, with fewer tourists and more neighbourhood atmosphere. In 2026 it ran from 13 to 17 May, with Thursday 14 as the central day; in 2027 Ascension falls on **Thursday 6 May** and the programme is built around that weekend, though the exact dates aren't confirmed yet.

## Holy Week

The next one runs from **21 to 28 March 2027**, with Easter Sunday on 28 March: eleven brotherhoods organise a total of seventeen processions through the streets of the old town, accompanied by drums, gaitas (Galician bagpipes) and municipal bands. In 2026, which ran from 27 March to 5 April, an indoor backup plan was designed for the processions in case of rain for the first time — hardly unusual in Galicia at this time of year, as our [weather guide](https://santiago.es/en/weather) explains — so if you're coming to watch, bring an umbrella and have a mental Plan B.

## Festivals: O Son do Camiño and Feito a Man

**O Son do Camiño** is the city's big music festival, held at Monte do Gozo — the same spot where pilgrims on the Camino Francés catch their first glimpse of the Cathedral's towers. It runs for three days in June: the 2026 edition was on **18, 19 and 20 June**, headlined by acts including Linkin Park, Katy Perry, The Chemical Brothers, Bad Bunny and Liam Gallagher, with a three-day pass from **59 €** — a reasonable guide to the cost. Dates and line-up for 2027 have not been announced yet; they usually land between January and March. In August, smaller and free, comes **Feito a Man**, a street festival born in 2003 that fills the old town's landmark squares — more than thirty events in all — with concerts and cultural activities: Praza de Feixóo, Rúa de Xelmírez, Praza da Quintana and San Paio de Antealtares.

## Film and culture: Cineuropa

Every November, the **Cineuropa Film Festival** turns central Santiago into a permanent European cinema. The 39th edition, in November 2025, screened more than 140 films at Teatro Principal, Salón Teatro, NUMAX and Auditorio de Galicia, under the slogan "Out of autumn and out of the shadows." The **2026 edition** will also be held in November, but the dates and programme aren't out yet: they usually land in October. If you're travelling then, it's worth checking the programme even if you're not much of a film buff: many screenings are free or very affordable.

## Christmas in Compostela

The light switch-on marks the start of the Christmas season — it was 28 November in the 2025-2026 season, and the 2026 date is announced in the autumn — lighting up Praza da Quintana, the Alameda and the whole historic centre until after Epiphany, on 6 January. The city sets up several markets, among them the Carreira do Conde market and the **Mercado da Estrela**, which in 2025 ran from 19 to 21 December; its 2026 dates and venues are confirmed in late autumn. There's an ice rink, a visit from the **Apalpadora** — the traditional Galician figure equivalent to Santa Claus — a New Year's Eve run, and a Three Kings' Parade. It's one of the best times to see the old town with fewer tourists and more lights.

## Xacobeo: the year that changes everything

The **Xacobeo**, or Compostelan Holy Year, is a jubilee year celebrated only when 25 July falls on a Sunday, following an irregular cycle of 6, 5, 6 and 11-year intervals. During that year, pilgrims who complete the Camino, visit the Cathedral and pass through the **Holy Door** can obtain the plenary indulgence. The last Xacobeo was celebrated exceptionally as a double cycle, 2021-2022, extended because of the pandemic. The next natural Holy Year is **Xacobeo 2027**, and the Holy Door will open solemnly on the afternoon of 31 December 2026, staying open for all 365 days of the following year. After 2027, the next Holy Years fall in 2032, 2038 and 2049.

Dates are indicative

The dates in the first table are the next ones confirmed or calculable (Holy Week and Ascension come from the liturgical calendar); those in the second have already happened and only serve as a guide to what to expect and what it costs. Music festivals announce their final line-up months in advance, and some local festivals can shift slightly from one year to the next: it's worth confirming the exact date before building a trip around a specific event.

## Frequently asked questions

**What's on in Santiago de Compostela today?**

The top of this page carries today's programme and the seven days after it, with times and venues. It refreshes itself every six hours from the city council listings and the Cathedral's liturgical calendar, and unless stated otherwise entry is free. On days with nothing listed, the page says so rather than leaving a blank.

**When is the Feast of the Apostle in Santiago?**

It always centres on 25 July, St James's Day and Galicia's National Day, with the programme filling the last ten days of the month: in 2026 it ran from 22 to 31 July. The next edition, in July 2027, falls inside the Xacobeo Holy Year, so expect bigger crowds than usual and book well ahead.

**When are the Apostle's fireworks?**

They're launched over two nights, 24 and 31 July, from 23:30, from three points around the city — the Alameda, the Cidade da Cultura and Parque de Carlomagno — forming the so-called "crown of fire."

**What is the Xacobeo and when is the next Holy Year?**

The Xacobeo is the Compostelan Holy Year, celebrated when 25 July falls on a Sunday. The next one is Xacobeo 2027; the Cathedral's Holy Door will open on 31 December 2026 and stay open through the following year.

**What music festivals are there in Santiago?**

The main one is O Son do Camiño, at Monte do Gozo, with three-day editions in June and international line-ups. In August, Feito a Man offers free concerts in squares across the old town.

**What's Christmas like in Santiago de Compostela?**

The historic centre is lit up from late November until after Epiphany, with markets like the Mercado da Estrela, an ice rink, a visit from the Apalpadora, and the Three Kings' Parade.

## Keep reading

**[What to see in Santiago de Compostela](https://santiago.es/en/what-to-see)** — Visit — The monuments and squares that give a walk through the old town its meaning. — Read the guide

**[Where to eat in Santiago](https://santiago.es/en/where-to-eat)** — Eat — Octopus, tarta de Santiago and Michelin-starred restaurants, street by street. — Read the guide

**[Camino de Santiago guide](https://santiago.es/en/camino-de-santiago)** — Camino — Routes, final stages and everything you need to reach the finish line, Compostela in hand. — Read the guide