One of my favorite things about Sanlúcar de Barrameda is that we get the best of both worlds; in Cádiz you have carnaval, in Seville you have feria…but in Sanlúcar you have both! What exactly is carnaval? Think of Mardi Gras and Halloween combined to create a hybrid super fiesta! It’s a mix of costumes, cross-dressing, singing competitions (chirigotas), parades, and much more.
Example of ‘inside out’ group costume theme
Carnaval de Sanlúcar de Barrameda
Carnaval in Sanlúcar is much smaller than Cádiz but it’s definitely worth checking out! This year carnaval will take place from February 26 – March 1, 2026. Keep in mind carnaval’s exact dates change slightly every year because they’re aligned to Lent (Catholic tradition) which begins 46 days before Easter.
- The”big party” is usually Saturday night which consists of everyone dressing up in funny costumes and drinking in the streets.
- The parade will take place at on Sunday around 4pm and make its way around town until about 9pm—it reaching Calle Ancha around 8pm. Hundreds of locals prepare for the event all year, creating their costumes and building their impressive floats for the parade. Parade participants usually have coordinated dances and upbeat music blaring from their floats.
- Traditional chirigotas will also take place (hilarious singing competitions). You’ll likely get to see sporadic chirigota street performances during the week, but there should be an organized compeititon in town too.
- There will also be numerous events for kids like performances and games. The city hall will share more info on their social media accounts as the dates approach.
The official 2023 Carnaval Poster painted by my friend’s dad!
Video of carvanal parade in Sanlúcar. Skip to minute 5:15 on the video to see my favorite group from the parade, the Trojan’s and their giant wooden horse!
Getting your costume for carnaval
Many toy stores sell costumes and accessories for carnaval during the month of February and March as well as the bazaar or euro stores (locals call these stores ‘chinos‘ because they tend to be owned by Asian families…not exactly politically correct 😅). These bazaars are the equivalent to an American Dollar Store. My top tip is to dress for the weather; choose a funny costume and make sure you’ll be warm or else you won’t last very long as the temperature drops over the course of the night! Also, many Spaniards tend to do group themed costumes. Other than being a fun idea, it’s also pretty useful for not losing people during the night’s shenanigans. You’ll probably be intoxicated so finding your friends will be easier if you’ve all got a similar costume on.
A local store stocked up with accessories for carnaval
One year my friends went as a biker gang, this was a great costume because it was warm, comfortable, and I got to wear boots 😉
I love the local’s costumes! They go all out.
A ‘food’ themed float for the city of gastronomy 😉
I hope you found this information useful; learn from my experience and get the most out of the next carnaval you attend!
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