Cascamorras Guadix & Baza 2026 🎉

The Cascamorras is one of the most unique, vibrant, and original festivals in all of Spain. Declared a Festival of International Tourist Interest, it takes place every year in September, pitting the towns of Baza and Guadix against each other around a legend dating back over five hundred years. In 2026, Baza hosts its events on September 5 and 6, while Guadix celebrates its big day on September 9. If you have never experienced Cascamorras, this is your year.

The legend: What is the Cascamorras?

The story begins at the end of the 15th century, when a builder from Guadix named Juan Pedernal discovered an image of the Our Lady of Mercy (Virgen de la Piedad) in Baza while working on the construction of the Church of La Merced. Both Baza and Guadix claimed the sacred image for themselves. According to tradition, the statue remained in Baza, although Guadix was granted the right to reclaim it if an emissary could reach the Church of La Merced without getting stained.

Every year, the Cascamorras—the character representing the messenger from Guadix—sets off for Baza with the mission to reclaim the statue. The residents of Baza (bastetanos), armed with black paint and water, wait to prevent him from doing so. If the Cascamorras manages to reach Baza clean, the image returns to Guadix. If not—and he has never succeeded in over 500 years—the image stays in Baza. Afterward, the festival repeats in Guadix, where the locals (accitanos) also pelt the character with paint for failing to retrieve the Virgin.

Baza welcomes the Cascamorras with the full energy of its streets covered in black paint. The event in Baza combines the religious fervor of the novena to the Virgen de la Piedad with the festive explosion of the run. Here is the full schedule:

After his time in Baza, the Cascamorras arrives in Guadix. Now it’s the turn of the locals (accitanos) to confront the character, ensuring he stays covered in paint throughout his route through the city streets until reaching his final destination.

Send-off of the Cascamorras to Baza

Children’s Cascamorras in Guadix

The Cascamorras Run in Guadix

2026 Run Route (with detours due to roadworks)

Carretera de Baza at Rambla Baza → Carretera de Baza → Buenos Aires Avenue → Plaza de las Américas → Medina Olmos Avenue → Doctor Tena Sicilia → Tárrago y Mateos → Ancha Street → Juan de Dios Ponce y Pozo → Paseo de la Catedral → Arco de Palacio (reception by the Bishop of Guadix, Francisco Jesús Orozco Mengíbar) → Santa María del Buen Aire → Plaza de la Catedral → Plaza de la Constitución (entering in reverse direction, reception at the Town Hall by Mayor Jesús Lorente) → Magistral Domínguez → Ancha Street (in reverse direction) → Caño de Santiago → Placeta de Santiago → Santiago Street → San Antoñico → Bovedilla → Cruz de Piedra → San Miguel → Real de Santo Domingo → Chapel of Cristo de los Favores (end of route, replacing the Church of Santo Domingo, closed for construction)

Tips if you are going to experience Cascamorras in Guadix and Baza

More information on the official City Council websites of Guadix and Baza.

Come to Guadix and discover it with Quo Wadis Tours

Cascamorras is the perfect excuse to visit Guadix. And if you are already here, don’t leave without truly getting to know the city. At Quo Wadis Tours, we are experts in guided tours in Guadix: the 11th-century Moorish Alcazaba fortress, the Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque Cathedral, the world’s unique cave houses, the ancient Medina, and the secrets of a city inhabited for more than 2,000 years.

The very same city that covers itself in paint every September for Cascamorras is steeped in layers of history best explored at a relaxed pace. Private groups, families, solo travelers, and school trips—contact us and we’ll organize the perfect tour for you.