Christmas in Malaga

At Christmas, almost everything in Málaga takes place in the city centre, and almost everything is free. You can explore Larios, the cathedral, the nativity scenes and the street markets on foot in an afternoon.

Timetables, tickets and the only thing you have to pay for.

📅 When

• The lighting ceremony takes place at the end of November, with an event at the junction of Calle Larios and a guest town crier.
• The lights stay up until after Epiphany.

The exact date changes every year and it’s announced weeks in advance. What doesn’t change is everything else, and that’s what’s listed below.

✨ The lights on Calle Larios

That is why Málaga features on European lists of the best Christmas lights. Thousands of LED lights along the pedestrianised street, with a a theme that changes every year, and a light and music show.

🕐 The three passes

There are three crossings a day, usually around 6.30 pm, 8.00 pm and 10.00 pm. Each one lasts between ten and fifteen minutes.

And the lights stay on for much longer:

• Sundays to Wednesdays: until midnight.
• Thursday to Saturday and the eve of public holidays: until 2.00.
• 24 and 31 December: until 6.00 am.

The advice: go to the the first screening of the afternoon on a weekday. At weekends in December, the street is packed from end to end, and it’s a bit of a hassle if you’ve got children or a pushchair.

🎵 A touch of Málaga

From 23 to 28 December, the sounds of verdial music will fill the air instead of the usual Christmas carols. The verdiales are Málaga’s oldest musical tradition, and a local group performs the traditional Christmas carol at this time of year.

It’s that time of year when the show is all about Málaga, and not just any city.

🎬 The video mapping at the Cathedral

And here’s a lovely little detail: the projection is made onto the south tower, the one that was left unfinished. That is to say, on the stump that has earned the cathedral the nickname of La Manquita. The tower that was never built is the screen.

• Three passes, centred on the 7.00 pm, 8.30 pm and 10.00 pm.
• About 8 minutes each one.
• From 1 December to early January, except on the 24th and the 31st.
• Free and outdoors.

Get there first: The square fills up quickly, so you need to get a spot at the front. It’s just a few metres from Larios, so the two are linked together on the same exit.

💶 The only things you have to pay for: La Concepción and Parque del Oeste

Everything at the centre is free of charge. The two plans that include admission are as follows:

La Concepción Botanical Gardens

An illuminated night-time walk of almost two kilometres set amongst the garden’s tropical vegetation, with light and sound displays. It is modelled on Kew Gardens in London and the Christmas Garden in Berlin.

Admission is by ticket only and requires advance booking, with time-slotted tickets. It’s around €15 for adults and €11 for children, although it changes every season. It’s on the outskirts, so it’s best to take the car.

The West Park Lantern Festival

It covers around three hectares in the pond area, with hundreds of torches and thousands of points of light, plus parades, lantern-making and calligraphy workshops.

Mind you, this is a bit confusing: it’s not Christmassy. It is inspired by the Chinese New Year, and that is why runs until mid-February, well after Epiphany. Posted around 15-20 €.

🎄 The four trees

They are spread across four locations in the city centre, and they’re all on the same promenade:

1. Constitution Square, the main one, at the end of Larios.
2. Bishop's Square, opposite the entrance to the cathedral.
3. Alcazabilla Street, at the foot of the Roman Theatre.
4. Plaza de la Marina.

🐑 The Nativity Scene Trail: around seventy

There are around seventy nativity scenes spread across the city and the province, and almost all of them are free.

In the centre, without moving:

• The Municipal Nativity Scene from the Town Council.
• The one at the Cathedral.
• The Provincial Council’s Monumental Nativity Scene.
• The members of the religious brotherhoods, at their brotherhood houses.
• The Nativity Scene at La Mosca, one of the longest-serving.

And in the province, three that are well worth the trip:

• The Nativity Scene Museum in Mollina, open all year round.
• The Living Nativity Scene in Almayate.
• The one at the Church of San Cristóbal, in Ronda, and the Antequera Municipal Nativity Scene.

Every season, the nativity scene associations publish a list of addresses and opening hours. During public holidays, opening hours are usually reduced.

🛍️ Street markets

The one on Paseo del Parque is the classic one, featuring handicrafts, nativity figures and sweets. And in the area around the Plaza de la Marina More stalls and attractions are being set up.

If you’re with children, the one at Muelle Uno: The Snow Village, with igloos and Father Christmas's sledge.

And two more: on Soho Garage Market, from another register, and the McArthurGlen Outlet with a festive atmosphere.

In the towns too: Estepona, Marbella, Fuengirola, Benalmádena and Torremolinos on the coast; Ronda, Álora and Antequera inland; Torrox, Vélez and Nerja in the Axarquía.

What to buy: nativity figures, handicrafts and local sweets —Estepa shortbread biscuits, polvorones and turrón—.

👨‍👩‍👧 With children

• The Royal Postman, at various locations in the city centre, to hand over the letter.
• Searching for the Three Wise Men: For a few years now, his sculptures have been dotted around the historic centre, and discovering them is an experience in itself.
• MIMA, at the Exhibition and Conference Centre: the main children’s area at this time of year, for children aged 4 to 12.
• Ice rink at El Corte Inglés.
• The Three Kings’ Parade, on the afternoon of 5 January, which marks the end of the season.

🏃 And two adult plans

The San Silvestre Run, on 30 December. A ten-kilometre walk through the city centre, starting from the Paseo de la Farola, organised by the Real Club Mediterráneo as a charity event.

And the programme at the Cervantes Theatre and the Echegaray Theatre, which organise a Christmas cycle event for people of all ages.

🗺️ If you’ve got an afternoon to spare

1. 18:00 — The Paseo del Parque street market and the tree in the Plaza de la Marina.
2. 18:30 — First light show in Larios, with fewer people.
3. 19:00 — Video mapping at the Cathedral, a two-minute walk away.
4. Afterwards — The nativity scene at the Cathedral and the one at the Town Hall, and the tree on Constitución Street again.

It’s all free and you can do it all on foot. It offers the best value for money in the city in terms of what you get for your money.

Leaving the city

We are a local tour operator based in Málaga with over 50 years’ experience organising trips around Andalusia. During the December bank holiday weekend and the holidays, the province really comes into its own:

A casting suggestion: Save the late afternoon and evening for the brightly lit city centre and use the daytime to go out. That way, you avoid the crowds on Larios and get the best of both worlds.

And for the rest of the festive season: traditions of Málaga. If you’re interested in contrast, How Christmas is celebrated in Morocco.

Frequently asked questions

When are the Christmas lights switched on in Málaga?

At the end of November, with a ceremony at the entrance to Calle Larios, they remain lit until after Three Kings’ Day. The exact date varies each season and is announced several weeks in advance in the City Council’s official tourism calendar.

What time are the light displays on Calle Larios?

There are three displays a day, usually at around 6.30 pm, 8.00 pm and 10.00 pm, each lasting between ten and fifteen minutes. The lights remain on until midnight from Sunday to Wednesday, until 2.00 am from Thursday to Saturday and on the eve of public holidays, and until 6.00 am on 24 and 31 December.

Do you have to pay to see the lights in Málaga?

No. The Christmas lights in Larios, the video mapping at the Cathedral, the nativity scenes, the Christmas markets and the Christmas trees are all free. The only events that require an admission fee are the night-time tour of La Concepción Botanical Gardens, at around 15 euros for adults, and the lantern festival in Parque del Oeste, costing between 15 and 20 euros.

On which part of the cathedral is the video mapping projected?

The south tower, which was left unfinished and gives the Cathedral its nickname, ‘La Manquita’. The tower that was never completed serves as a screen for the projection. There are three screenings a day, at around 7.00 pm, 8.30 pm and 10.00 pm, each lasting about eight minutes.

How many nativity scenes are there in Málaga?

There are around seventy in the city and the province, and almost all of them are free to visit. In the city centre, the highlights include the Municipal Nativity Scene, the one at the Cathedral, the Provincial Council’s Monumental Nativity Scene, those organised by the religious brotherhoods, and the ‘Belén de la Mosca’. In the province, the Nativity Scene Museum in Mollina and the Living Nativity Scene in Almayate.

Is the lantern festival a Christmas event?

No, although it does coincide with those dates. It is inspired by the Chinese New Year, so it runs until mid-February, well after Epiphany. It takes place in the area around the pond in Parque del Oeste, covering around three hectares, and an admission fee is required.