Alcalá de Henares (Madrid) local festivals
Cervantine Week (9th October)
Every 9th October we celebrate the christening of Alcalá’s most famous son, Don Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quixote and symbol of the city. This festival, of regional tourist interest, transforms the city’s old town, adorned with ornaments and decorations, and takes us back to Medieval times and the Golden Age. The immense Cervantine Medieval Market, considered the largest in Europe, takes over the city centre with its craft and food stalls.
Musicians, minstrels, jesters, knights and even Don Quixote himself can be seen on Alcalá’s crowded, narrow streets, providing us with spectacular perfomances which give us a taste of what life was like in Medieval times. Jousting and other knight tournaments, which take place in the famous “Huerta del Opispo” are the final flourish to what is an extraordinary festival which, for a few days, will make us feel like Golden Age Castillians.
Further information: https://www.dream-alcala.com/cervantes-week/
Don Juan Tenorio Itinerant Play (31st October – 1st November)
Following the tradition of many other Spanish cities, around the time of All Saint’s Day, there is a performance of Don Juan Tenorio, the most famous piece of work by José Zorilla. This play, of regional tourist interest, brings together some of Spain’s finest theatrical actors in front of an audience of 40,000 spectators.
This immortal play is performed on both 31st October and 1st November in 3 different venues in and around the Alcalá’s historical centre: Cervantes Square, Plaza de los Santos Niños and Huerta del Opispo.
Further information: https://www.dream-alcala.com/don-juan-tenorio-in-alcala/
Martyrdom of the Holy Children (6th August)
Every year, on 6th August, the celebration of Alcalá’s fair of its patron saints, Justo and Pastor, takes place. The martyrdom suffered by these two children in 4th Century for refusing to renounce their Christian faith during the final persecutions of the Roman Empire is what these celebrations aim to commemorate.
Legend tells of two children, Justo and Pastor, of 7 and 9 years of age respectively, who went to school in Complutum and who were ordered, by the praetor Daciano, to voluntarily give up their Christian faith. He first tried to persuade them by showering them with gifts, all in vain. Then came torture, which did not have the desired effect. Thus, he resorted to having their throat’s cut. In the Visigod period, their remains were uncovered and moved to a crypt at the Magisterial Cathedral to be preserved as a relic inside a glass urn.
This celebration takes place over 3 whole days, always ending on 6th August. During the festivities, an extensive programme of events and activities is organised. One of its highlights is the Spanish-Roman street market in the square of the Palacio Arzobispal. There are also classical music concerts, tunas who serenade those passing by, puppet shows and giants and “cabezudos” (carnival figure with large, oversized head). The main events are the holy mass in the Cathedral and the Holy Children Procession, which are the final acts of the festivities.
Further information: https://www.dream-alcala.com/the-martyrdom-of-saints-children-justo-and-pastor/
Holy Week in Alcalá de Henares (March/April)
Holy Week is one of the year’s most important events in Alcalá de Henares. So much so that more than 100,000 congregate in the city to celebrate, not just locals but visitors also. This tradition begins on Palm Sunday, which commemorates the day in which Jesus Christ arrived in Jerusalem to be handed palm leaves, and ends on Easter Saturday, on the eve of Christ’s Resurrection.
During the festivities, numerous, emotive processions which narrate the story of the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ take place in the city’s streets. During the processions, the different brotherhoods and associations accompany or carry figures of Jesus Christ or the Virgin Mary on their shoulders, all of them decorated with beautiful lamps and flowery motifs.
Further information: https://www.dream-alcala.com/holy-week-in-alcala/
Cervantes Literature Awards (23rd April)
Another of Alcalá’s important annual events is the award ceremony “Premio de Literatura en Lengua Castellana Miguel de Cervantes”, or as it is better known, “Premio Cervantes” (the Cervantes Award). It is the highest honour in terms of Spanish literature and every year since its inauguration in 1976, it brings together all of the finest Spanish and Latin American writers.
The event takes place every 23rd April, to coincide with World Book Day and the anniversary of Miguel de Cervantes’ death. The solemn award ceremony is presided by the King and Queen of Spain and is held in the majestic Cisnerian Auditorium at the University of Alcalá de Henares.
Further information: https://www.dream-alcala.com/cervantes-prize/
