The season at a glance
| What | Where | When (2025 edition) | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lights switch-on | Centre and neighbourhoods, about 300 streets | 29 November, 18:30 | Free |
| Acordes de Sevilla projection | Plaza de San Francisco, City Hall façade | From 29 November, 18:30 to 23:00 | Free |
| Nativity fair (Feria del Belén) | Between the cathedral and the Archivo de Indias | 8 November – 23 December | Free |
| City Hall nativity scene | City Hall archway | All day | Free |
| Setalandia | Plaza de la Encarnación (Las Setas) | 25 November – 5 January (closed 24 & 31) | Free |
| Christmas crafts fair | Jardines de Cristina | 5 December – 5 January | Free |
| Christmas market | Plaza de la Magdalena | 1 December – 6 January | Free |
| Zambombas at the Alcázar | Salón de los Tapices | 13, 14 and 20-23 December | Free |
| Navigalia, a story on the river | Muelle de la Sal | 18 December – 4 January | €2 |
| Naturaleza Encendida | Real Alcázar gardens | 30 October – 15 March | From €5.50 |
| New Year's Eve chimes | Plaza Nueva | 31 December | Free |
| Three Kings Parade | Centre and Triana | 5 January, afternoon | Free |
These are the 2025-26 dates: the city publishes the 2026 programme in late November and we'll update the guide as soon as it's out.
The lights and the Plaza de San Francisco show
Seville lights up about 300 streets with religious motifs: the Christ Child, the Virgin, the ox and the mule, some of them huge. The streets with the most atmosphere are Tetuán, Sierpes, Salvador, Reyes Católicos and Avenida de la Constitución.
The highlight is the projection on the plateresque City Hall façade on Plaza de San Francisco. In 2025 it was called Acordes de Sevilla, lasted about 14 minutes and featured music from Carmen and the Andalusian rock band Triana. It repeats every evening from 18:30 to 23:00; on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and the eve of Epiphany it ran until midnight.
To see the lights without battling crowds or walking miles, the private electric tuk-tuk covers the centre and Plaza de España in an hour, just for your group of up to four.
Nativity scenes, markets and convent sweets
- Feria del Belén: more than three decades of figurines, moss and cork between the cathedral and the Archivo de Indias. In 2025 it opened 10:30 to 14:00 and 17:00 to 21:00 on weekdays, and 11:00 to 15:00 and 16:30 to 21:30 at weekends and on holidays.
- Nativity scene trail: around twenty belenes across the centre, such as the one at the Fundación Cajasol on Plaza de San Francisco itself, or the Círculo Mercantil on Sierpes. Many close on 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January.
- Convent sweets: every December the Real Alcázar hosts a sale of sweets made by enclosed nuns, around the Immaculate Conception holiday (5 to 8 December in 2023, with 20 convents). The rest of the year you buy them through the convent tornos: San Leandro's yemas are the best known.
A December evening, done right
- 17:00, Feria del Belén: with the cathedral and the Giralda lighting up behind you.
- 17:45, Avenida de la Constitución towards Plaza Nueva, with the lights already on.
- 18:30, Plaza de San Francisco: the first showing of the projection, the calmest one.
- 19:00, Sierpes and Tetuán, plus the Fundación Cajasol nativity scene.
- 20:00, Las Setas or La Magdalena for the Christmas market.
- 21:00, flamenco or tapas in Triana.
If you like the city after dark, the private sunset legends tour fits neatly before the light show: an hour and a half through the old town, €125 for a group of up to four.
Zambombas and flamenco
A zambomba is a party of flamenco Christmas carols, with tambourines, anís bottles scraped like percussion and the friction drum that gives it its name. In 2025 the Alcázar put on free zambombas in the Salón de los Tapices on several days before Christmas, and in December you'll find them in Triana's peñas and bars. If you'd rather have a show at a fixed time, Casa de la Memoria in the centre is intimate and costs from €24.
With kids
- Setalandia, under Las Setas, and the ice rink at Prado de San Sebastián (29 November to 6 January in 2025).
- Navigalia tells a Christmas story projected onto the Guadalquivir at the Muelle de la Sal, for €2.
- Naturaleza Encendida, the light trail in the Alcázar gardens, runs until March.
Monuments on public holidays
| Place | 24 & 31 Dec | 25 Dec | 1 Jan | 6 Jan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real Alcázar | Shorter hours | Closed | Closed | Closed |
| Cathedral and Giralda | Depends on services | Depends on services | Depends on services | Depends on services |
- Real Alcázar: October to March, 9:30 to 17:00.
- Cathedral: Monday to Saturday 10:45 to 18:00 and Sundays 14:30 to 19:00; €13 online. On major feast days the visit can change, so check the calendar on catedraldesevilla.es before you go.
December tickets are in high demand, so the private Alcázar tour with an official guide locks in your day and time.
New Year's Eve and Three Kings
- Midnight chimes: on Plaza Nueva, in front of City Hall.
- Royal Herald: on 4 January he rides through the city announcing the Kings.
- Three Kings Parade (5 January): in 2026 it left the old Tobacco Factory at 16:15, went along Menéndez Pelayo, Feria, Campana, San Pablo and Reyes Católicos, crossed to Triana and got back around 22:00, with 33 floats. For a good view without the crush, pick a stretch outside the centre, such as Ronda de Capuchinos.
If you have a spare day
In winter Córdoba is pleasant, without the heat that makes it hard going from April to October. The full-day trip with the Mezquita starts at €109.
Common mistakes
- Going to the light show at 20:00 on a Saturday: San Francisco fills up all the way back to Sierpes. The 18:30 showing, or any weekday, looks just as good.
- Planning the Alcázar for the 25th or the 6th: it's closed. On the 24th and 31st it closes early.
- Not booking dinner for the 24th or 31st: many bars close or only serve a set menu.
- Driving on 5 January: the parade closes half the centre and Triana for hours.
