Malaga Events in December 2026

December is one of the busiest months of the year as you’ll see when you read this guide to Malaga events in December. Christmas events join the usual round-up of cultural activities, so there’s plenty to do and see.

Read this article for information about Christmas in Malaga.

Note that this post refers mostly to events in 2025. We’ll be updating and adding events as we find out about them – from September 2026 onwards. Bookmark the page to ensure you stay up-to-date.

Public holidays in Malaga

Quick heads-up: December has 4 public holidays:

Sunday 6 December is a public holiday in Malaga and Spain. Banks, businesses and some small shops will close all day in Malaga, but expect to find larger stores, cafés, bars and restaurants open as usual. The same applies to museums and monuments. 

Monday 7 December is also a public holiday (to make up for the 6th being a Sunday as is Tuesday 8 December (a public holiday in Malaga and Spain). Banks and business will be closed on both days in Malaga, but shops, cafés, bars and restaurants will be open as usual. All museums and monuments open as usual.

The first weekend of December is one of the busiest of the year in the city because it coincides with two Spanish public holidays (people have a long weekend) and Christmas preparations. If you would rather avoid the crowds, give the city centre a miss this weekend.

Friday 25 December (Christmas Day) is a public holiday in Spain. Just about everything closes all day in Malaga including restaurants, museums, monuments etc. However, some of the restaurants on the seafront promenade will be open as will many of those on Muelle Uno and on Plaza de la Merced. Read a list of restaurants open on Christmas Day.

Sunday Christmas shopping – shops in Malaga will open on Sunday 6, Sunday 13, Sunday 20 and Sunday 27 December.

For more information on public holidays in Malaga, read our dedicated post here.

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Flamenco in Malaga in December

As usual, there are several flamenco events:

Puro Cádiz

Singers and guitarists with flamenco roots get together for a unique concert at the Cervantes Theatre on Tuesday 9 December at 8pm. Ticket prices start at €12. More information and link to book them here.

Zambomba Encarni Navarro

Spanish Christmas carols get a flamenco touch on Saturday 13 December at 8pm. Navarro is a renowned flamenco artist and her concert is bound to get your feet tapping. More information and link to book tickets here.

Christmas Events in Malaga

Christmas Lights

These need no introduction and those in Malaga are famed throughout Spain. The lights on Calle Larios are the highlight – the entire street is covered in tens of thousands of lights, this year themed with 16 celestial angels. There are 32 columns stretching right along the street. The rest of the city centre is bedecked in different lights – the 270,000 LED lights hanging from the giant ficus trees and the sparkling almond trees on the Alameda Principal are particularly pretty. 

Christmas light go on every evening: Monday to Thursday, 6.30pm to midnight, Thursday to Saturday 6.30pm to 2am, and 24th and 31st December 6.30pm to 6am. They are switched off at midnight on 6th January. 

Don’t miss the giant Christmas trees on Plaza de la Constitución, Plaza de la Marina, and Plaza del Obispo, plus the chandeliers and Thai lanterns in Calle San Juan. The trees on the Paseo del Parque are also lit up this year. While you’re admiring those, don’t miss the 2D projections on City Hall façade (or the nativity scene inside it!).

Light and sound show 

The show when the lights on Calle Larios flash and ‘dance’ in time to the music takes place every evening (except on 24th and 31st December) at 6.30pm, 8.30pm and 10pm. The soundtrack includes Mozart’s Toy Symphony, Spanish Christmas carols and Christmas bangers such as Last Christmas, Christmas Carol Medley and All I want for Christmas (plenty of ear worms guaranteed!).

Did you know… 2.7 million LED bulbs twinkle in Malaga at Christmas.

Christmas lights in the Botanical Gardens 

The Christmas garden returns to the lovely botanical gardens for another year. This year’s show is Alice Christmas, taking Alice in Wonderland as its inspiration. It runs from 28 November to 6 January.

The lights and themes are divided into sections and cover most of the gardens. Expect a stunning show combining the gardens, its monuments and lights. The photo below gives you an idea.

The event runs from 28 November to 6 January between 6.30 and 10.30pm. Tickets cost €15.50 for adults and €11.50 for children aged 3 to 12. Accessible tickets are also available for €12.70 (bear in mind you can’t access the entire show in a wheelchair).

Reduced rates are also available (€11.50 for adults and €7.50 for children) during certain time slots (e.g. 6.30 to 8pm). Tickets have a 50% discount on 1, 9, 15, 22 and 29 December, and 6 January.

Allow 90 minutes for your visit. The walk is around 1.7km.

More information and links to tickets here (in Spanish only). You can also buy tickets by phone – +34 958 108 181, Friday to Monday from 9am to 2pm.

This year, you can get to the Botanical Gardens on the hop-on, hop off tourist bus. The first service will leave the city centre (mainline train station) at 6pm and the last leaves the gardens at 10.35pm. Tickets cost €5 return. Full details of the route and times are here.

Festive family visits to the Botanical Gardens

The lovely botanical gardens have family activities every Sunday in December from 11am to 2pm. The 3-hour visit includes a guided tour of the gardens plus activities and crafts to do with Christmas.

The activity costs €9 for adults and €6.90 for children. Pre-booking essential by calling (+34) 951 92 61 80 or 639 914 055 or by email, infojbotanicomalaga@gmail.com

Christmas lights on Malaga Cathedral

Malaga Cathedral provides the façade for some cool video mapping. You can see Christmas scenes on the south tower of the Cathedral, with lots of details relating to Malaga.

This year’s display is ‘The Dream Fisher’ and pays homage to the cenachero, a traditional figure who used to sell fish from baskets strung across his shoulders. It runs from 29 November to 4 January. Watch it every evening every evening at 7, 8.30 and 10pm, except for 24th and 31st December. The show lasts for 8 minutes.

Christmas ballet

This December, Malaga has a festive ballet and several flamenco performances, mostly at the Cervantes Theatre: 

• The Nutcracker – 20 December at 5.30pm and 7.30pm, performed by the Tchaikovsky National Ballet at FYCMA. Tickets from €59 and available here.
  FYCMA is Malaga’s Congress and Exhibition Palace and located to the west of the city centre. Get there by taxi or on the 4, 20 or 21 bus from the Alameda Principal (all with a short walk at the end). Allow around 30 minutes for your journey.

• Swanlake – 29 December at 8pm at the Cervantes Theatre. Tickets from €18 and available here.

Christmas music in Malaga

If you’re looking for some typically festive music or something to get you in the mood for the Christmas season, try these concerts:

Rock Ballads by Candlelight

Acoustic and symphonic musicians come together to play some of the greatest rock ballads – think Led Zeppelin, Queen, Pink Floyd, Metalica, Linkin Park – by the light of candles. Friday 19 December at 6pm at FYCMA (see below). Tickets from €35. More information and link to book here.

How to get to FYCMA

FYCMA is Malaga’s Congress and Exhibition Palace and located to the west of the city centre. Get there by taxi or on the 4, 20 or 21 bus from the Alameda Principal (all with a short walk at the end). Allow around 30 minutes for your journey.

Gala Christmas Concert

St George’s Church (in the grounds of the English Cemetery, diagonally opposite the bullring in La Malagueta) has a festive concert on Saturday 7 December at 8pm. Tickets cost €15 and are available on the door or online here.

Carol services

If you’re a fan of English carols, you’ll enjoy these services at St George’s Church (in the grounds of the English Cemetery, diagonally opposite the bullring in La Malagueta)

• Advent Carol Service on Saturday 6 December at 6pm. The choir from Holy Trinity Las Palmas will sing.
• Nine Lessons and Carols on Friday 12 December at 7pm. The Pueri Cantores children’s choir sings, with mulled wine and mince pies afterwards.

Handel’s Messiah

The Malaga Philharmonic Orchestra perform this classic Christmas piece at the Cervantes Theatre on Thursday 18 and Friday 19 December at 8pm. Jone Martínez takes the soprano role. Tickets cost from €12 – link to buy them and more information here. (Take your hanky.)

South Carolina Gospel Choir

One of the most prestigious gospel choirs in the US takes to the stage at the Cervantes Theatre on Monday 22 December at 8pm. They’ll be singing a tribute to Michael Jackson. Tickets from €14. More information and link to book here.

Haydn, Brahms, Ravel and Shostakovich

The Barenboim-Said Foundation Orchestra, set up by the Andalusian regional government in 2004, plays Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Op.56A by Brahms, Shéhérazade by Ravel and the Symphony No.5 in D minor by Shostakovich on Tuesday 30 December at 8pm. Cervantes Theatre – more information and link to book tickets here.

Free Christmas concerts

There are several festive freebies on this month. We’d recommend getting to the venue early to be sure of a seat (say an hour beforehand):

Carmen Thyssen Museum

The lovely patio at this museum is the stage for Christmas choir concerts on the dates below. All concerts start at 7.30pm and there’s free entry. Don’t miss the Napolitan nativity scene!

• Tuesday 2 December
• Thursday 4 December
• Thursday 11 December
• Friday 12 December
• Wednesday 17 December
• Thursday 18 December
• Friday 19 December

Get there early to be sure a seat!

Museum of Malaga

The lovely patio at this museum hosts one concert this month. Free entry, but get there early (say 11am) to be sure of a seat.

Sunday 7 December at noon: the Ayala String Quartet play Fauré and Piazzolla.

Municipal Band

The band has several free concerts this month:

Sunday 7 December at noon in the Botanical Gardens, with a programme of music from around Spain celebrating Spanish Constitution Day. Free entry (including to the gardens) but you need a ticket, available from this link from 11am on Thursday 4 December). Note that the link doesn’t work beforehand.

Saturday 13 December at noon in this park in the Teatinos district. A programme of Christmas music. Get there on the metro from the Alameda Principal by taking L1 to Ciudad de la Justicia (allow 20 minutes).

Sunday 14 December at 7pm in Los Mártires Church (on Plaza de los Mártires, behind the Carmen Thyssen Museum). The band’s main Christmas concert, with guest soprano, Maria Lourdes Benítez. Free entry – get in line super early because this concert is very popular.

Saturday 20 December at 7pm in Plaza de la Constitución. A programme of Christmas music.

Russian Museum

Clara and the Spanish Chocolate takes the Nutcracker as its base and adds some Spanish Christmas zambomba on Sunday 21 December at noon. The Malaga Concerto Ensemble provide the music, with solo violinists, and Remedios Fernández is the dancer. Free entry, but you need a ticket first, available from the Russian Museum box office from 9.30am on the day.

Malaga Cathedral

The traditional Christmas concert takes place on Monday 22 December at 7.30pm, with a programme of Baroque music: Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s Te Deum H.146 and Handel’s Coronation Anthems.

Free entry – again, get in line very early because this is another very popular concert.

Muelle Uno

There are three free concerts this month in the Port:

Sunday 14 December – a Christmas sing-song with Candy Xmas at 5pm in the square near the pharmacy.

Sunday 21 December – Malaga Big Band plays Christmas jazz at 5pm in the courtyard outside the chapel.

Sunday 28 December – three young musicians (piano, cello and violin) play classical music at noon in the courtyard outside the chapel.

In squares and on streets

Local choirs and bands will be performing traditional Christmas carols, flamenco, jazz and gospel at the following locations (dates to be confirmed): 

• Alameda Principal – 6,7 and 8 December at 7.30pm.
• Plaza Feliz Saenz – 12 and 13 December at 7pm.
• Plaza de la Constitución at 7 and 8.30pm every day except 24 December from 20 to 29 December.
• Plaza de la Merced – 17 December at 7pm.
• Calle Tomás Heredia (in the Soho district) – on 18 and 19 December at 7pm.

Traditional verdiales Christmas music

For  over 50 years, Malaga has been celebrating the annual verdiales competition. This traditional music and dance, an intrinsic part of Christmas in Malaga, originates from the villages in the mountains to the east of Malaga. Around 30 groups of musicians and dancers take place in 3 sections based on where the groups are from (Montes, Almogia and Comares).

The action takes place on Sunday 28 December from noon onwards in Auditorio Parque Andrés Jiménez Díaz  in Puerto de Torre (Google map link here). Get there on the No 21 bus from the Alameda Principal (allow 45 minutes for your journey, including a short walk at the end).

Nativity Scenes

Over 70 nativity scenes are on display around Malaga until 6 January. Ask at the tourist office for a map or follow this one.

Some of the biggest and most famous are:

Cathedral – open daily 10am-2pm & 5-8.30pm

Cofradía de Estudiantes – open Monday to Saturday 10.30am-2pm & 5.30-8pm (on Calle Alcazabilla)

Carmen Thyssen Museum – during museum opening hours (10am to 7pm), closed Mondays.

Archivo Municipal – larger figures set in scenery based on the Alcazaba. Open Mon-Fri 10am-1pm & 5.8pm, weekends 10am-1pm (Alameda Principal 23).

City Hall – this traditional scene is open daily from 3 December from 10am to 2pm and 5 to 9pm.

Museum of Glass – has a nativity scene made up of over 100 Lladró figures. Open Tues-Sun 11am to 6pm.

Note that nativity scenes close in the afternoons of 24 and 31 December and are closed on 25 December and 1 January.

Children’s Theatre

Free performances (expect puppets, clowns and famous stories in Spanish) take place at the Eduardo Ocón Auditorium (in the middle of Paseo del Parque) on 26, 27 and 28 December and 2, 3 and 4 January at noon.

Christmas markets in Malaga

With Christmas on the horizon, Malaga markets are a great place to start your Christmas shopping. The following usually take place during December in Malaga:

Sabor a Malaga

A 5-day market showcasing typical produce from Malaga province (cheese, olive oil, cold cuts, pastries, chocolate, liqueurs, honey…) on Paseo del Parque. This market takes place from 4 to 9 December between 11am and 9pm.

The Eduardo Ocón Auditorium will host showcooking, food trucks and live music, and the Paseo del Parque, the stalls. You can download the programme of events here.

Merced Market

Lots of stalls selling handmade items on Plaza de la Merced. Sunday 7 and Sunday 28 December, 11am to 7pm.

Soho Market

More stalls selling arts and crafts on Calle Tomas Heredia in the Soho district on Sunday 7 and Sunday 21 December from 11am to 7pm.

Muelle Uno Christmas market

Lots of ideas for gifts – food, arts and crafts and accessories. On the square near the Pompidou Centre entrance daily 10am to 6pm until 10 January. 

Muelle Uno El Zoco

The arts and crafts market takes place every Sunday during December on the port side. Stalls open 11am to 6pm.

Paseo del Parque Christmas Market

Lots of stalls selling Christmas gifts, fireworks and food from noon to 8pm during the Christmas period.

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Sporting events in Malaga in December

If you fancy doing or watching a bit of competitive exercise during December, here are some suggestions.

Malaga Marathon

You can still sign up for a 42k run or half marathon (21k) around the city on Sunday 14 December. The race starts at 8.30am in the Paseo del Parque and finishes sometime later – the elite runners expect to get round in less than 3 hours 😅

And for those of us not taking part, lets give the amazing runners a big cheer as they go past! 

San Silvestre Palma-Palmilla

Finish the year with a New Year’s Eve 10k at the 14th edition of this fun run. The race takes place on Wednesday 31 December and runs around the north part of the city, starting and finishing near La Rosaleda shopping centre. Sign up details to follow.

Art exhibitions in Malaga in December

As always, events in Malaga in December include lots of great art, with something for everyone, whatever your favourite genre:

La Térmica

This cultural centre on the western seafront is showing Entelequia by Cuban artist, Diana Fonseca. The small exhibition explores entelechy (the state of perfection with its own purpose) and consist of paintings, sculpture, video and installations. Until 15 February 2026.

Free entry. Open Monday to Friday 11am to 2pm and 5 to 8.30pm, and Saturday 11am to 2pm.

Get to La Térmica Cultural Centre by walking along the western seafront or on the No 7 bus from the south side of the Alameda Principal (get off at the Santa Paula stop).

Bishop’s Palace

This lovely space opposite the Cathedral has the exhibition, Casa de Alba Patronage and Collecting (Mecenazgo y coleccionismo en la Casa de Alba), which showcases 250 pieces (paintings, sculptures, decorative art and documents) from the house of Alba.

The collection, from the Alba’s three palaces in Spain, is one of the largest and most significant in Europe. Top treasures include a portrait by Goya, drawings by Rembrandt, letters from Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Victoria, and works by Gainsborough and Reynolds.

Free guided tours available in English on Fridays at 5.30pm and Saturdays at noon. Book your place ahead by emailing mediacionculturalmalaga@fundacionunicaja.com or calling +34 952 624 862.

Open Monday to Saturday 10am to 2pm and 4 to 7pm, Sunday 10am to 2pm. €3 Until 11 January 2026.

Pompidou Centre

The latest exhibition, To Open Eyes, looks at how artists view their surroundings and interact with those looking at their art. The six sections include a wide range of installations, paintings, sculptures and videos. And as usual, they all provide plenty of food for thought.

Expect to see the usual thought-provoking collection of paintings, sculptures, videos, photos and installations.

Read about the latest collection at the Pompidou Centre

AM CB

This exhibition celebrates the work of Annette Messager and Christian Boltanski, two of the most renowned French artists since the 1970s. Around 30 of their works – photography, paintings and installations – illustrate their styles and how each influenced the other. Until 6 April 2026.

Open Wednesday to Monday 9.30am to 8pm. €7 for the permanent exhibition, €9 for both. Free Sundays after 5pm. 

Buy tickets in advance for the Pompidou Centre.

Picasso Museum

Note that the Picasso Museum is super busy this year, so we’d recommend getting a ticket in advance to avoid long queues.

The most-visited museum in southern Spain has a permanent collection, called Picasso: Structures of Invention. The exhibition shows the 20th century’s greatest artist’s creative process through 150 works. You can also see 22 works from his La Californie sketchbook, which he drew in Cannes in 1956.

Genius Loci

This temporary exhibition showcases the work of one of the biggest figures on the contemporary art scene, Farah Atassi. A couple of her Picasso-inspired pictures featured at the museum in 2024 and this year, she gets her own show. Until 14 December.

Picasso: Memory and Desire

This major exhibition explores how Picasso saw the passing of time and history, and applied his interpretation to his work. This collection takes Study with Plaster Head (Picasso painted it in 1925) as its springboard and juxtapositions his work with other significant 20th century artists.

The exhibition showcases the work of numerous artists, all influenced by some aspect of Picasso’s creativity. The specially curated collection includes paintings, sculptures and installations, carrying the signatures of talents such as Léger, Cocteau, Magritte and Man Ray.

Until 12 March 2026

Open daily 10am to 6pm. Tickets €13, free Sundays after 4pm.

Buy your Picasso Museum ticket in advance

Carmen Thyssen Museum

The museum continues to showcase Spanish art from the 18th and 19th centuries seen in the permanent collection.

Telluric and Primitive

Practially everyone who’s anyone in modern Spanish painting has something on display in this exhibition, showcasing the nation’s artistic obsession with primitive art and essential earthy elements. This leitmotif of art in the 20th century created its own avant garde movement, resulting in the masterpieces on show. Signatures on the works include Barceló, Chillida, Miró, Picasso, Saura and Tapiès.

Until 1 March 2026.

Rembrandt the Engraver

Most of us think Rembrandt’s legacy are his great paintings, but as this exhibition shows, the Dutch artist was also a magnificent engraver. This collection of 35 works showcases his skill in this genre, with the engravings focusing on portraits (including self portraits) and religious themes. 23 October 2025 to 18 January 2026.

Open Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 8pm. Entry costs €12 (€8 if you’re resident in Malaga province). Free entry on Sundays after 4pm.

Picasso’s Birthplace

The Casa Natal has an exhibition called Picasso: Life with Françoise, showcasing sketches of Françoise Gilot, one of Picasso’s muses. The works offer a glimpse into their relationship and how she shaped his work. As Gilot herself said, “I was never just his model. I was his companion and much more. I was involved in his life and his art, and in my own way, collaborated with his creative process”.

Open daily 9.30am to 8pm. €3, €4 combined ticket with visit to the house where Picasso was born.

Russian Museum & MEET

After several months of closure, the Russian Museum has reopened its main exhibition spaces and incorporated MEET (Malaga Espacio Expositivo Tabacalera). MEET intends to showcase private collections of art without a Russian theme.

Romantic realism by Valery Katsuba

This exhibition celebrates 25 years of photographer and videographer Katsuba, with over 40 works illustrating the artist’s dialogue between the traditional and contemporary. Her key themes include sculpture, dance and architecture, with particular emphasis on capturing light and everyday gestures. Until 30 May.

Art from the Spanish Golden Age

Some 80 works from Alejandro Sanz Peinado’s private collection are on display. They showcase 16th and 17th masterpieces, with the emphasis on Dutch paintings and Italian works. Signatures on the canvases include Rubens, Tenier, van Dyck, Velázquez and Zubarán. Until 30 September 2026.

Time for Looking (1970-2000)

One of Spain’s most prominent photojournalists, Marisa Flórez, has a retrospective of her award-winning photography. The large photos, mostly black and white, and portraits, illustrate Spanish history, politics, daily life and celebrities from the last 30 years of the 20th century.

Anna Pavlova – A life sans frontières

This exhibition pays homage to one of the world’s greatest ballarinas, Anna Pavlova who spread ballet throughout the world in the 1910s and 1920s. Consisting of original photos, programmes and posters plus some audiovisual material, the exhibition tells the story of Pavlova’s extraordinary talent and life. Until May 2026.

Hidden Jungle

Works by Chinese artist, Chen Chumnu (who received a scholarship from the Casa Natal de Picasso), depicting nature and organic forms with dreamlike landscapes.

Open Tuesday to Sunday 9.30am to 8pm. €4. Free on Sundays after 4pm.

Heads up for what’s on in January

Events in the first month of 2025 include the Three Kings Parade and Malaga Theatre Festival. Stay up to date with what’s on with our free fortnightly newsletter. You’ll be the first to know!