The season at a glance
| What | Where | When (2025 edition) | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lights switch-on | Calle Larios | 28 November, 18:30 | Free |
| Natividad de luz (light and music show) | Calle Larios | 28 November – 4 January; 18:30, 20:30 and 22:00 | Free |
| El pescador de sueños (projection) | Cathedral, Calle Molina Lario | 29 November – 4 January; 19:00, 20:30 and 22:00 | Free |
| Christmas market | Paseo del Parque | 28 November – 6 January | Free |
| City nativity scene | City Hall courtyard | 6 December – 6 January | Free |
| Alice Christmas (illuminated garden) | La Concepción Botanical Garden | 28 November – 6 January, 18:30 to 22:30 | Paid |
| Zambombas | Centre (Félix Sáenz, La Merced, Soho) | 12, 13, 17, 18 and 19 December, 19:00 | Free |
| Christmas music | Plaza de la Constitución | 20 – 29 December | Free |
| New Year's Eve chimes | Plaza de la Constitución | 31 December | Free |
| Royal Herald | Leaves from the Alcazaba | 2 January, 17:30 | Free |
| Three Kings Parade | Leaves from City Hall | 5 January, 18:00 | Free |
These are the 2025-26 dates. The city usually announces the switch-on in early November and the full programme in early December: we'll update this guide when they're out.
The Calle Larios lights: show times
Malaga puts on one of the most photographed Christmas displays in Spain. In 2025 the design was called Natividad de luz: stars, columns and huge medallions with nativity scenes along the whole street, more than 2.7 million LED points in the centre and about 500 decorated streets in the neighbourhoods.
- Showings with music: 18:30, 20:30 and 22:00, every day from 28 November to 4 January. On 24 and 31 December and 5 January the lights come on but there's no show.
- Lighting hours: 18:30 to midnight Sunday to Wednesday; until 2:00 Thursday to Saturday and on the eve of holidays; until 6:00 on the 24th and 31st.
- Cathedral projection: El pescador de sueños, 8 to 9 minutes long, at 19:00, 20:30 and 22:00. You can chain it with the 20:30 Larios show if you move fast, but it's easier to catch the 18:30 on Larios and the 19:00 at the cathedral.
- The Alameda "forest": the Alameda Principal is lit to look like a forest under its ficus trees, and the Paseo del Parque adds 14 arches and 36 light trees next to the market.
A December evening, done right
- 17:30, Paseo del Parque: the Christmas market in the last of the light.
- 18:30, Calle Larios: the first showing, the least crowded.
- 19:00, the cathedral: the projection, five minutes' walk up Calle Molina Lario.
- 19:30, the City Hall nativity scene (open 17:00 to 21:00) or Calle San Juan, decorated with crystal chandeliers and garlands.
- 20:30, tapas: the centre is full of old sweet-wine taverns and barrel bodegas.
If you don't want to pick bars yourself, the wine and tapas tour covers four places with 8 tapas and 4 wines in three and a half hours, in English. For families or anyone who prefers their own group, the private tapas tour starts at the Atarazanas market.
With kids
- Alice Christmas at La Concepción Botanical Garden, on the edge of town: an illuminated trail from 18:30 to 22:30. Tickets are sold on lucesdelaconcepcion.es.
- The city nativity scene in the City Hall courtyard, plus a guide to 73 nativity scenes around town at belenes.malaga.eu.
- Giant Kings: in 2025 Melchior stood on Calle Alcazabilla, Caspar on Plaza Félix Sáenz and Balthazar on Calle Compañía.
- A children's party with puppets and storytelling in December, as part of the city programme.
Monuments and museums on public holidays
| Place | 24 & 31 Dec | 25 Dec | 1 Jan | 5 Jan | 6 Jan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Museo Picasso Málaga | 10:00–15:00 | Closed | Closed | 10:00–15:00 | Closed |
| Alcazaba | Check website | Check website | Check website | Normal hours | Check website |
- Museo Picasso: November to February, 10:00 to 18:00; €13, free on Sundays for the last two hours.
- Alcazaba: November to March, 9:00 to 18:00 (last entry 17:00); €7, or €10 with Gibralfaro Castle, and free on Sundays from 14:00. Holidays aren't listed on its website, so check before you climb up.
For the centre with proper context in two or three hours, the private Essential Malaga tour starts at €200 per group; Picasso fans can book a private visit to his birthplace and the museum.
New Year's Eve and Three Kings
- Midnight on Plaza de la Constitución: in 2025 bags of grapes and party favours were handed out from 21:30 to 23:45, while stocks lasted.
- Three Kings Parade (5 January): the Kings reach City Hall at 17:30 and the parade sets off at 18:00. City Hall stands by the Paseo del Parque: find a spot well away from the start for a better view.
The beach in winter
According to AEMET, December in Malaga has an average high of 17.5 °C and about 160 hours of sunshine, and January 16.8 °C. It's not swimming weather for most people, but it's perfect for a stroll along La Malagueta and Pedregalejo, sardine skewers at lunchtime and, on a clear day, a catamaran trip round the bay at sunset. After the beach, the Hammam Al Ándalus Arab baths in the centre are the cure for a chilly evening.
If you have a spare day
In winter the Alhambra is free of the summer heat; the private trip from Malaga includes the Albaicín. Closer by, Nerja and Frigiliana make an easy group day trip.
Common mistakes
- Going to see the Larios show on the 24th or 31st: there's no music those nights.
- Turning up for the 20:30 showing on a Saturday: it's the busiest. The 18:30 one, or any weekday, is far more enjoyable.
- Driving into the centre in December: the car parks around Larios fill up every evening. Walk, or take the bus or metro.
- Assuming everything opens on the 25th, 1st and 6th: the Museo Picasso is closed on all three.
