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Marbellas Popular Cultural Festivities & Events

Marbella features an impressive calendar of events with many prominent festivals taking place throughout the year. Popular celebrations in Marbella include the Fiesta del Cármen, San Bernabé Fiesta, February carnival, Holy Week around Easter time, and the Summer Fair.

Before Marbella became a glitzy cosmopolitan resort it used to be a small fishing town. The local populace still celebrates the annual Fiesta del Cármen, honoring the patron saint of seafarers.

Every year on the 16 July the Vírgen del Cármen is taken aboard a boat for a procession around the beach and then paraded through the town. It’s a time for much festivity and gaiety.

Each year Marbella pays homage to its patron saint, San Bernabé, with weeklong festivities. Music, dancing and locals in traditional dress fill the plazas and streets of the old town. The festival is inaugurated in the Paseo Marítimo with a fireworks display.

The last day is the most important, with a procession in the morning to commemorate the Reconquest. This is followed by a second procession in the afternoon in honor of San Bernabé.