Holy Week (Semana Santa) in Malaga 2027: a practical visitor's guide

Holy Week 2027 dates

In 2027 Easter Sunday falls on 28 March, so the week runs as follows:

Maundy Thursday and Good Friday are public holidays across Andalusia under the 2027 calendar published by the regional government in the BOJA. Check opening hours for shops and services on those days.

Processions take place from Palm Sunday to Good Friday and return on Easter Sunday. The official 2026 timetable listed no processions on Holy Saturday, which is usually the quietest day to explore the city. There are events the week before too, such as the transfers of images to their tronos: in 2026, for example, the Cautivo's took place on the morning of the Saturday before Palm Sunday.

What makes Malaga's Holy Week different

• The tronos. In Malaga the images are not carried on "pasos" but on tronos, large platforms with long carrying poles (varales) borne on the shoulders of the hombres de trono, the throne bearers. Some brotherhoods, such as the Cautivo, now use the gender-neutral term "portadores de trono".
• The official route. Every brotherhood in the Agrupación de Cofradías passes along a shared stretch lined with seats and stands: Plaza de la Constitución, home of the main stand (Tribuna Principal), Calle Larios, Martínez, Atarazanas, the Alameda Principal, Plaza de la Marina and Molina Lario, up to the Cathedral. Many make their station of penance there.
• Neighbourhood brotherhoods. Each brotherhood sets out from its church or brotherhood house, in districts such as La Trinidad, El Perchel, La Victoria or Capuchinos, and crosses half the city before and after the official route. The Agrupación groups 41 brotherhoods in total.

This is a religious celebration: for the brotherhoods, the procession is an act of worship, not a show. Keep quiet at moments of prayer and do not get in the way of the processions.

Key moments: the Cautivo, El Rico and Mena

Holy Monday: the Cautivo. The brotherhood of Nuestro Padre Jesús Cautivo and María Santísima de la Trinidad sets out from the church of San Pablo in La Trinidad, and its own museum calls the Cautivo "el Señor de Málaga" (the Lord of Malaga). Before Holy Week comes the transfer of the image to its trono, held on the Saturday before Palm Sunday according to the brotherhood's rules (20 March in 2027).

Holy Wednesday: the release of a prisoner. The brotherhood of Jesús Nazareno "El Rico" keeps a privilege dating from the reign of Carlos III under which it frees one prisoner each year. According to the Agrupación de Cofradías, the ceremony takes place in Plaza del Obispo, next to the Cathedral: the prisoner, whose release has been approved beforehand by the Spanish Council of Ministers, kneels before the trono, the image blesses him or her, and the freed prisoner then walks with the procession.

Maundy Thursday: Mena and the Spanish Legion. The Christ of the Good Death (Cristo de la Buena Muerte) of the Congregación de Mena has been the protector of the Spanish Legion since 1928, officially so since the early 2000s. According to the Spanish Army, on the morning of Maundy Thursday a Legion unit comes ashore at the port of Malaga, marches to Plaza de Santo Domingo in El Perchel for the placing of the Christ on its trono, and escorts it in the procession that afternoon and evening. It draws big crowds, so arrive early.

Easter Sunday. The Agrupación de Cofradías itself organises the procession of the Risen Christ (Cristo Resucitado), which in 2026 left the church of San Julián in the morning and closed the week.

The 2027 times for all of these have not been announced yet.

2027 times and routes

Each year the Agrupación de Cofradías publishes a document giving every brotherhood's departure time, the times it passes the main stand and the Cathedral, its return time and its street-by-street route. The 2026 edition came out in February. The 2027 one will be published in February or March 2027: until then, any 2027 timetable you see is guesswork.

As a guide, in 2026 the first processions set out mid-morning on Palm Sunday, and many did not return to their churches until after midnight or even after 2:00. The Agrupación warns that times can change for reasons beyond its control.

To follow the week day by day, the City Council recommends sticking to official channels: the Agrupación on X (@cofradiasmalaga), malaga.eu/semana-santa and traffic updates from @movilidadmlg. In 2026 the Council also produced a guide with a map in Spanish, English, German and French, handed out at its tourist information points.

How to watch the processions without a seat

Most of each brotherhood's route is open street and free to watch. Some tips:

• Head to the neighbourhoods. Seeing a procession leave or return to its church or brotherhood house is often more moving than the official route, though it gets crowded too. With the official timetable in hand, pick a point on the route away from the centre.
• The Tribuna de los Pobres. This is a flight of steps between the Puente de la Aurora and Calle Carretería, along which many brotherhoods pass. According to the Agrupación, it got its name ("the poor people's stand") because sitting on the steps costs nothing: places go to whoever arrives first. Calle Carretería as a whole is one of the most traditional spots.
• Arrive early and stay put. For the biggest events, such as the Legion's landing, get there well before the start time.
• Cross only at the walkways. On the official route there are marked pedestrian crossings (pasillos), managed by Agrupación staff and the Local Police. Never cut through a procession between the lines of penitents.
• Do not sit in the seating areas, even if seats are empty: they belong to season-ticket holders.

Seats and stands on the official route

Seats, boxes and stands on the official route are managed by the Agrupación de Cofradías, not the City Council. Under its rules for seat holders there are two systems:

• Renewable season tickets (abono renovable), for the whole week. Last year's holders have priority to renew, and very few become free: in 2026 over 99% were renewed. New applications are emailed to [email protected] between 1 and 31 January and are valid for that year only. A new holder can request a maximum of six seats.
• Non-renewable tickets (abono no renovable), for the whole week or for single days, using seats that were not renewed. In 2026 they went on sale online on 18 March on the ventanilla virtual, by card, up to six per user while they lasted. No date has been set for 2027 yet.

Worth knowing before you buy:

• If a procession is cancelled because of rain or anything else beyond the Agrupación's control, there is no refund.
• Each seat is for one person. Children under three may sit on an adult's lap; from age three they need their own seat.
• Pushchairs and strollers are not allowed in the seating areas or the aisles.
• Reselling seats for profit is forbidden: the rules treat any listing on websites or apps as resale for profit and penalise the holder. Buy only from the Agrupación.

Prices are published on the season ticket prices page. For questions: [email protected] or +34 952 210 400.

Brotherhood houses and museums the rest of the year

If your trip does not coincide with Holy Week, you can still get a feel for it at any time of year:

• Museo de la Semana Santa de Málaga Jesús Castellanos, at the Agrupación's headquarters in the former San Julián hospital (Calle Muro de San Julián, 2). Check opening times and visiting conditions on +34 952 210 400 before you go.
• Málaga Nazarena, a permanent scheme by the City Council and the Agrupación with six signposted walking routes, marked with totems and plaques, through churches, brotherhood houses, brotherhood museums and procession landmarks in El Perchel, La Trinidad, Capuchinos, La Victoria, Alcazabilla and the centre. The PDF guide (in Spanish) describes each stop; the opening hours it lists are old, so check them.
• Museo del Cautivo, on Plaza de Bailén in La Trinidad, with six rooms about the brotherhood. Visits are requested through the form on its website.

To explore the centre at your own pace, our 1, 2 or 3-day itinerary covers the Cathedral, Calle Larios and the Alameda, all on the official route.

Rules and tips: crowds, children, heat and rain

Crowds. The centre gets packed, especially in the afternoon and at night. Civil Protection and the City Council advise planning your outing around each procession's timetable, agreeing a meeting point in case you get separated, not pushing, not climbing on street furniture, staying behind the barriers, and never stopping in exits or evacuation routes, which are signposted.

Children. Hold small children's hands and teach them to go to security staff if they get lost. In 2026 Civil Protection handed out free QR-code wristbands to identify children at its posts in Plaza de la Marina, Alameda Principal and Plaza de la Constitución.

Heat, cold and rain. Waits are long and the midday sun can be hot, while the small hours turn cool: bring water, a hat and an extra layer. If it rains, brotherhoods may cancel their procession or change the route.

Accessibility. With a wheelchair or reduced mobility, look for wide spots and avoid the narrow neighbourhood streets when processions are leaving. Remember that pushchairs are not allowed in the seating areas.

Emergencies. Call 112, or 092 for the Local Police. In 2026 there were medical posts on Alameda Principal, Plaza de la Marina and at the Tribuna de los Pobres, plus defibrillators along every route. Ignore rumours on social media and trust official sources only.

Transport and road closures

The City Council advises against driving into the centre during Holy Week. What happened in 2026, according to its mobility plan, gives an idea of what to expect in 2027, although the new plan is published only a few days beforehand:

• Closures. Boquete del Muelle, Paseo del Parque, Plaza de la Marina, Alameda Principal and Calle Córdoba were closed to traffic from 15:00 on the Saturday before, on Monday and on Tuesday until the processions ended; continuously from 15:00 on Holy Wednesday until the end of Good Friday; and from 9:00 on Easter Sunday.
• Buses. EMT added extra services and grouped its terminuses into five areas around the centre: Calle Hilera, Avenida de Andalucía, Puente de la Aurora, Muelle Heredia and the south side of Paseo del Parque. Stops on the Alameda and Paseo del Parque moved to Paseo de los Curas and Muelle Heredia during procession hours. Last departures ran until 2:30 or 3:00 depending on the day, and EMT answered questions on WhatsApp at +34 665 600 000.
• Metro. Line 1 ends at Atarazanas, on the Alameda next to the official route, and El Perchel station gives quick access to high-speed (AVE) and local trains and the intercity bus station. All stations and trains are accessible. Check Metro de Málaga for special hours and any access restrictions at Atarazanas.
• Taxis. In 2026 extra taxi ranks were set up at Puente de Tetuán, Paseo del Parque by Plaza de la Marina, Calle Hilera and Avenida de la Rosaleda.

Flying in? See our airport to city centre guide: with the closures, the train or a transfer booked with Welcome Pickups saves you hunting for a taxi near the centre.

Accommodation: book early

Holy Week is one of Malaga's busiest times of year and accommodation in the centre fills early. If your dates are fixed, find a place to stay as soon as possible with free cancellation, so you can switch once the timetable is out.

Bear in mind that many processions return to their churches in the small hours: staying right on a procession route is great for watching but noisy for sleeping and hard to reach by car.

What to eat during Holy Week

It is Lent, and homes and bars all over Spain serve the traditional dishes of the season, such as torrijas (a sweet fried bread similar to French toast), Lenten potajes (chickpea stews) and salt cod (bacalao). Look for them on seasonal menus.

In practice, eating out in the centre while a procession is passing is harder than usual: bars on the routes fill up and some streets are blocked by the crowds. Book a table on the busiest days, or eat before you go out and choose somewhere away from the route.

If it rains or you need a break

If a procession is cancelled or you fancy some time indoors, Malaga has plenty of museums close to the centre. The Picasso Museum sells dated tickets on its website and on Tiqets; on public holidays it is worth buying ahead.

To see what else is on in Malaga during your trip, from concerts and exhibitions to matches, check our Malaga events calendar.