Carnival of Cádiz

The Carnival of Cádiz is a festival that the city council says holds International Tourist Interest status. Humour is its defining trait: performing groups and ordinary people use sarcasm, mockery and irony to take aim at the most pressing problems of the day.

According to the council, each type of group has a signature form: the tango for choirs, the pasodoble for comparsas, the cuplé for chirigotas and parody for quartets. Many groups, such as the comparsas, compete for awards in an official contest held at the Teatro Falla.

The carnival takes place in the city of Cádiz, in Andalusia, Spain. The edition runs from 4 February to 14 February 2027, and the dates are confirmed. No separate access arrangements are listed, so check the organiser's programme for details of individual events.

The council says the carnival currently lasts 10 days, from the Thursday before Ash Wednesday until the following Sunday, called the Sunday of the piñata. Beforehand, 3 food events with tastings of sea urchins, oysters and pestiños draw crowds to 3 typical corners of the city, where some groups can be heard in advance.

The carnival officially starts on a Thursday with the final of the contest, and the same day brings parallel events such as the switching-on of the special illuminations. On the first Sunday the choirs gather in a large carousel around the Central Market, and a cavalcade travels the avenue leading into the city.

Through the following week, contests continue for costumes, tanguillos, romanceros, refrains and potpourris. The programme also includes the Pregón, a proclamation by a well-known personality. The festival closes on the Sunday of the piñata with another choir carousel and a fireworks display.

Known references to carnival in Cádiz date from the sixteenth century. The carnival was banned across Spain in 1937 during the Civil War, and the tradition was recovered in 1947.

The 1947 revival followed a disaster: after an explosion at the San Severiano depot left some 200 victims, the civil governor decided the city needed its spirits lifted.

The council describes one of the liveliest days as filled with dances, group performances and costumes, with crowds moving from one stage to the next.

It also says the Monday of carnival is a local holiday and largely repeats the events of the weekend.