The festival of San Antón, patron saint of animals, is celebrated on the third weekend of January, around the 17th. On the eve of the saint’s day, Saturday night, the image is transferred from the church of San Miguel to the hermitage that bears his name.

Around the hermitage and in every neighborhood of the city, the typical bonfires or “chiscos” are lit, where according to tradition “the saint’s beard is burned so he will protect us”. Neighbors, friends, and family enjoy typical roasted pork products by the fire, accompanied by local wine.

On San Antón’s day (Sunday morning), he goes in procession through the streets of the San Miguel neighborhood in an ox-drawn cart. The custom is to do nine laps around the hermitage on foot, horseback, mule, or donkey. It is also typical to buy the San Antón Wedge (Cuña de San Antón) —tangerines, dates, figs, and various fruits— and to eat the San Antón Stew (Olla de San Antón) with family, made with oxtail, jowl, bacon, and pig’s ear.

Guadix’s Holy Week is considered a Festival of Andalusian Tourist Interest due to its great citizen participation and the unique contrasts of its processions through the historic center and the caves. Its origin dates back to the 16th and 17th centuries, when after the Reconquest a new religious order was established, giving rise to the brotherhoods.

In the 18th century, Guadix’s Holy Week took its current form, with centers of brotherhoods in Santo Domingo, San Francisco, Santiago, and San Sebastián. Today, it is one of the most important and popular at the regional level.

Its images and floats are of great artistic quality: the Christ of Mercy, the Christ of Flagellation, Our Lady of Hope, The Virgin of Humility, or Saint John the Evangelist, created during the 18th and 19th centuries.

Guadix dresses up for spring by celebrating the traditional May Crosses. The different neighborhoods show off their decorated courtyards, squares, and corners where people enjoy the company of friends and family, typical products of Guadix’s gastronomy, and outdoor bars open until dawn.

The Chavicos —crosses made by groups of children— are paraded on the shoulders of young and old through the streets of Guadix with imagery and the music of bugles and drums.

San Torcuato, one of the Seven Apostolic Men ordained bishops by Saint Peter and Saint Paul in Rome, was sent to preach in Spain and was martyred on May 15th of the year 66. The day of his feast makes him the Patron Saint of the city.

The first event is the Pilgrimage to the Face Retama Sanctuary from the Arch of San Torcuato, where the Saint’s relics entered Guadix. Upon arriving at the Sanctuary, a mass and a Torchlight procession are held with the Sacred Image of San Torcuato.

At the end of May, the Cave District and the Church of Fátima close out the spring by dressing up to celebrate their festivals in honor of the Virgin of Fátima. The evening procession through the streets of the neighborhood accompanies the three little shepherds to whom the Virgin appeared: Lucía, Francisco, and Jacinto.

The Festival of the Virgin of Grace, patroness of the Caves of Guadix, is the most important festival in the Cave District. The celebrations begin on Saturday and end on Sunday night with Floral offerings of carnations, gladioli, and white tuberoses that adorn the image of the Virgin.

Among the events, the mass and the procession through the streets of the neighborhood stand out. On the 50th anniversary of her coronation, the city was presented with the Mayor’s Staff (Bastón de Alcalde), a deeply rooted tradition in the kingdoms of Spain inherited from the old councilors.

Every year, Guadix dresses up to celebrate its summer festivals. Fairground attractions, booths (casetas), outdoor bars, tapas (pinchos), churros with chocolate, concerts, theaters, children’s activities, and highly prestigious pyrotechnic shows. In 2026, it will be held from Monday, August 31st to Sunday, September 6th.

See 2026 fair activities and events

Originally, it was celebrated at the end of September, being more of a cattle fair that coincided with the festival of San Miguel, closing the harvest season for fruits and vegetables from the Guadix plain.

The Cascamorras is one of the most unique and spectacular traditions in all of Andalusia, shared between Guadix and Baza. The festivals are celebrated in Baza on September 6th and on September 9th in Guadix. Its origin dates back to 1490, when during the start of the construction of the Church of La Merced in Baza —promoted by the knight Don Luis de Acuña Herrera—, one of the workers, Juan Pedernal, discovered the image of the Virgin of La Piedad.

His arrival in Baza takes place on September 6th in the afternoon, and as usual, he is stained and cannot recover the virgin. After failing to successfully accomplish his mission in Baza, the Cascamorras must return to Guadix on September 9th, where the people of Guadix, upset that he failed to bring back the Virgin of La Piedad, stain him again, celebrating the festival there.

To participate: wear old clothes, stay well hydrated, and have a place planned to remove the dye with water and olive oil.

From the first and second weekend of November, Guadix celebrates its patron saint festivals in honor of the Virgin of Sorrows, based in the church of San Diego. Popular devotion to this image dates back to the 17th century and she is the co-patroness of Guadix.

The current image is the work of the Sevillian sculptor Castillo Lastruchy, as the original image, attributed to the Guadix artist Torcuato Ruiz del Peral, was destroyed during the Civil War.

The cult of the Virgin has always been linked to historical moments in Guadix: the cholera epidemic of 1835, the drought of 1858, fires, and earthquakes, moments when people sought her protection through public prayers.

The “Raffle Dances (Bailes de Rifa)” and “Dances of the Souls (Bailes de Ánimas)”, from the late 19th century, took place in the Placeta de la Ermita Nueva, in the Cave District of Guadix, during the afternoons of the Christmas holidays. Their organization was the responsibility of the Brotherhood of Ntra. Sra. de Gracia, patroness of the District.

They consisted of any participant offering a cash donation for a certain man to dance with a chosen woman. At that moment, the picturesque character of the “Floreo” would intervene, pointing out the two people and communicating the dance proposal to them. The most tense moments occurred when the husband or boyfriend of the chosen woman refused to let her dance with another man.

Celebrated until 1970, they were recovered (Christmas 2006) and are held the weekend following December 25th at the Ermita Nueva in the Cave District. The character of Floreo is today played by the Cascamorras.