Christmas in Tarragona 2026: a practical guide

When do Tarragona's Christmas lights come on in 2026?

2026 date: not announced. The City Council presents the campaign in November and publishes it on its Christmas website; in 2025 it did so on 20 November.

2025 for reference (Tarragona City Council):

• Switch-on: Friday 28 November, from 18:30, in Plaça de la Font, in front of City Hall, with a children's show, music and fireworks.
• Lighting hours: every day until 7 January, from when the street lights come on until midnight.
• Where: about seventy streets. Carrer Unió recreated the lights of 40 years ago, the Mercat Central and the last stretch of the Rambla Nova got new ceilings of light, and Passeig de les Palmeres and the Balcó had large light figures (City Council).

Walking route: Plaça de la Font, Rambla Nova to the Balcó and Passeig de les Palmeres, with a detour to Carrer Unió and the Mercat Central.

Christmas markets: the Rambla Nova (and Santa Llúcia, in Barcelona)

Fira de Nadal and Fira d'Artesania, Rambla Nova. These are Tarragona's two traditional Christmas fairs, one after the other, from the Col·legi de les Teresianes to the Teatre Metropol. In 2025 they had 44 stalls between them (City Council):

• Fira de Nadal (Christmas decorations): 4 to 24 December.
• Fira d'Artesania (crafts): from 5 December at 17:00 to 6 January.
• Hours: 10:00 to 21:00.

The 2026 dates have not been published.

What about the Fira de Santa Llúcia? It is not in Tarragona but in Barcelona: according to its organisers, the oldest fair devoted to nativity scenes and Christmas traditions, recorded since 1786, on Avinguda de la Catedral, with stalls selling nativity figures, moss, trees and gifts. In 2025 it ran from 28 November to 23 December (Fira de Santa Llúcia). From Tarragona, take a regional train on lines R14, R16 or R17 to Barcelona Sants.

Nativity scenes, Pastorets and things to do with children

• Municipal nativity scenes. The City Council sets up two outdoor nativity scenes each year and moves them around: in 2024 they were in Plaça Major de Campclar and on the Rambla Vella, from 20 December until after Epiphany (City Council). The 2026 locations have not been announced.
• Els Pastorets. The classic Catalan Christmas play: shepherds, angels and devils on the road to Bethlehem, with plenty of humour. In 2025-2026 there were two at the Teatre Tarragona: La Salle's on 27 and 28 December and La Golfa's on 2 and 3 January (City Council). They are in Catalan.
• Parc de Nadal. A Christmas park for children up to 12, with inflatables, a skating rink, a mini train and shows. In 2025-2026 it ran from 27 December to 4 January at the Palau Firal i de Congressos, with tickets on the council's booking website (City Council).
• Magatzem Reial. The Three Kings' pages' "warehouse", in Refugi 1 on the Moll de Costa, next to the Serrallo. In 2025 it opened from 27 to 30 December, with a €2 ticket refunded when you used it.

Catalan Christmas traditions, explained

• Caga tió. The tradition that most surprises visitors. The tió is a log with a face, a red Catalan cap and a blanket. In the days before Christmas, children "feed" it and tuck it in so it does not get cold; on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day they hit it with sticks while singing so that it "poops" sweets and small presents. In Tarragona it is part of the street activities organised by the City Council (City Council).
• Sant Esteve, 26 December. It is a public holiday in Catalonia, so you get two holidays in a row, the 25th and 26th. It is a day for family meals.
• The Cant de la Sibil·la. A medieval chant foretelling the end of the world, sung on Christmas Eve at midnight Mass. The City Council includes it in its Christmas programme every year.
• L'Home dels Nassos. The "man with the noses" has as many noses as there are days left in the year, so on 31 December he has only one. In Tarragona he parades that morning and waves at 12:00 from the City Hall balcony on Plaça de la Font. According to the City Council, Tarragona's was the first in Catalonia shown as a big-headed figure, in 1968 (City Council).
• The Three Kings. As in the rest of Spain, the big presents arrive with the Kings on the night of 5 to 6 January.

New Year's Eve in Plaça Corsini

Tarragona counts down to midnight with the Mercat Central carillon in Plaça Corsini. The 2025 programme for reference (City Council):

• Children's New Year: at 11:00, with a show and balloons, and a children's countdown at 12:00 noon with the carillon.
• Adults' party: from 22:30, a concert at 23:30, the chimes at midnight and a DJ until 3:00.

Do not forget the grapes: in Spain you eat one on each of the twelve chimes. The 2026 programme has not been announced.

Three Kings Parade 2027

It will be on the afternoon of Tuesday 5 January 2027. Time and route are not published. 2026 for reference (Tarragona City Council):

• 18:15: the Kings arrive by boat at the Serrallo, with 21 salutes, a greeting from the balcony of the Teatret del Serrallo and fireworks.
• 19:00: the parade sets off from Carrer Reial.
• Route: Plaça dels Carros, Carrer Apodaca, Plaça de la Mitja Lluna, Carrer Unió, Rambla Nova, Carrer Sant Agustí and Portalet.
• 20:30: arrival at Plaça de la Font, where the mayor hands the Kings the keys to the city.

Roads are closed along the whole route. With children, agree on a meeting point away from the route.

Monuments and shops over Christmas

• History Museum Roman sites (amphitheatre, circus, praetorium, walls): closed on 24, 25, 26 and 31 December; on 8 December they open in the morning only. Tuesday 29 December is a free open day (opening hours). The January 2027 calendar is not out yet; in 2026 they closed on 1 and 6 January.
• Cathedral: closed to tourist visits on 25 and 26 December; on 8 December it opens 14:00 to 17:00 (Cathedral).
• Port Museum: closed on 25 and 26 December and on 1 and 6 January (Port of Tarragona).
• Shops: in Catalonia the authorised Sunday and holiday opening days at the end of 2026 are 29 November and 6, 13, 20 and 27 December; each town may add two more (Ministry of Trade). 25 and 26 December are not on the list.

If you are coming for the parade or New Year's Eve, book a place to stay near the centre early. For the rest of your trip, see our 1, 2 or 3-day itinerary, our guide to getting in from the airport and the Tarragona events calendar, with concerts and Pastorets once they are published.