Celebrating Carnaval in Torre Del Mar, Spain

What is Carnaval?

This is a time of celebration in many cities and towns throughout Spain in the months of February or March depending on where Lent falls in the calendar.

In 2025, Wednesday, March 5th is Ash Wednesday. Based on the Christian faith Ash Wednesday represents the beginning of Lent, This is commonly a day of fasting. During Lent, people will abstain or give up something for 40 days. Examples could be meat, sweets, social media.

Carnaval is a prelude to Lent. People eat, drink and dance before the time of abstinence begins. Get your fill!

The festivities usually begin with a message from the mayor or a public figure and then actors perform parodies, acrobatics and juggling. Parades then hit the streets.

Carnaval Weekend in Torre Del Mar

Here in Torre Del Mar, on the Friday, there was a smaller procession that wound its way through the streets that included parents and children.

On Saturday afternoon, the main parade occurred and it was so much fun. (A short video is below)

Groups seem to have themes. Some of the memorable ones were: circus with babies sleeping in cages (adorable), children blowing glitter at you dressed as lions, ecological themes, participants dressed as picnic tables and of course the men dressed in angel wings. They really knew how to wear an outfit!

Then there were the stilt walkers and floating inflatable animals (cobra, elephant and tiger) that manoeuvred through the narrow streets with an assistant holding a pole whose sole responsibility is to lift the electrical wires overhead to allow the inflatables to pass.

One of the traditions of Carnaval is to wear shoes that you can do without. In some cities, you can get wet or have wine poured on your feet, etc. In Torre Del Mar, it is a little tamer, and I only had glitter and streamers blown at my feet; however I’m certain the clean up crew weren’t so pleased!

Regardless how you celebrate Carnaval, you can feel the joy and exuberance from the townspeople. Children, grandparents, mothers, and fathers, friends, and neighbours all gather in the streets to cheer on the participants and dance to the music.

Did I mention the music? The music is very loud but you cannot help move your feet to the rhythm of the beat and get swept away by the excitement.

Next time you’re in Spain, try and time your trip for Carnaval.

Carnaval Celebrations

Here’s where you can find some of the larger Carnaval celebrations in Spain:

• Tenerife, Canary Islands (largest)
• Cadiz
• Sitges
• Madrid

Click here for a Carnaval Guide that will explain more.