---
title: "What to do in Santiago in May"
description: "What to do in Santiago de Compostela in May: the Ascension festival, octopus on the Alameda, and one of the year's best months for weather and light."
url: https://santiago.es/en/what-to-do-in/may
locale: en
---

# What to do in Santiago in May

Month by month

One of the best months of the year: long days, kind weather and the city in full form before the heat.

![Pulpo á feira en primer plano cenital, aliñado con pimentón y aceite sobre rodajas de patata](https://santiago.es/img/pulpo.jpg)

[© Luis Miguel Bugallo Sánchez (Lmbuga) · CC BY-SA 4.0](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Polbo_%C3%A1_feira._Galiza.jpg)

By [Cesar Rodriguez](https://santiago.es/en/author)

For many people who live in Santiago, May is the best month of the year: long days, agreeable weather around 12-18 °C, and the city in full form before the heat arrives. The big date is the Ascension festival: the livestock fair, the Romaría das Flores, the ComposFest concert series and the stalls of pulpo á feira set up on the Alameda fairground. In 2026 it ran from 13 to 17 May, with Thursday the 14th as the central day; in 2027 Ascension falls on Thursday 6 May and the festival is organised around that date, still unconfirmed.

It is a far less known festival than July's, with the same atmosphere and far fewer tourists: the local warm-up before the big one. If the trip is to walk the Camino, or to start or finish it, you are unlikely to find a better combination of weather and light all year.

## What happens in May

**Ascension festival** (Five days in May (2026: 13 to 17; 2027: around Thursday the 6th, to be confirmed)). Livestock fair, the Romaría das Flores, ComposFest and octopus stalls on the Alameda. In 2026 it ran from 13 to 17 May, with Thursday the 14th as the central day. In 2027 Ascension falls on Thursday 6 May and the festival is organised around it; the programme comes out a few weeks before.

## Things to do in May

- Take in the Ascension festival, the local rehearsal before July's big one
- Eat pulpo á feira at the Alameda fairground during the festival
- Start or finish the Camino with the best weather of the year
- Walk Rúa do Franco and Rúa da Raíña with the terraces already in full swing

The weather in May

Indicative temperature: **12-18 °C**. Rainfall: moderate. See the [detailed forecast and the month-by-month record](https://santiago.es/en/weather).

May is also one of the recommended months to walk the [Camino de Santiago](https://santiago.es/en/camino-de-santiago): a good balance between weather and how many pilgrims are on the road.

For the full calendar of festivals and events, see [what’s on in Santiago](https://santiago.es/en/events).

## Other months

**[What to do in April](https://santiago.es/en/what-to-do-in/april)** — Previous month — Sun and rain in roughly equal measure, with spring properly settled on the Alameda. — Read the guide

**[What to do in June](https://santiago.es/en/what-to-do-in/june)** — Next month — The Compostela summer properly begins, with long evenings and the year's best terrace weather. — Read the guide

**[Festivals and events in Santiago](https://santiago.es/en/events)** — Full calendar — The whole year, from the Apostle festival to Christmas in Compostela. — Read the guide