Segovia's Lively Events and Activities
In addition to program-sponsored activities, there are many local cultural events and activities that students can take advantage of. Your Site Director is a good source of information if you are looking for something special and specific.
You can sign up with local teams for soccer, tennis and basketball; access to swimming, fencing, and track and field opportunities can be arranged as well as music and dance lessons.
Cultural festivals and events throughout the year in Segovia include:
January
• Celebration of Three Kings Day (January 6th) brings an official end to the Christmas season.
February
• Traditional celebration where women “rule” for a day (Feb 5th) in honor of St. Agueda and the role women played in helping the town’s men take back control of the Alcázar castle from the Moors.Lots of food, drink, music and dance where women eat and drink for free, but men have to pay.
• Segovia celebrates Carnaval (Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday) with lots of parades, music and dancing throughout the town.
March
• Easter Week/Holy Week includes a week of Sacred Music and the many religious processions, including the Good Friday procession, and the week culminating with High Mass in the cathedral on Easter Sunday.
April
• A popular month for book fairs and handicraft fairs to find special gifts.
May
• The famous International Puppet Festival has patios and plazas around town full of creative performances appealing to adults and children alike.
• Baroque Fair takes place in nearby La Granja with lots of food, drink, shopping and performances by characters in period attire.
June
• Tapas Competition has many restaurants vying for the coveted 1st prize. Visitors and Segovia residents alike go “tapa hopping” and vote for the best tapa in town.
• A week-long festival in honor of San Juan and San Pedro feast days, activities include a huge bonfire at the base of the Roman aqueduct, carnival rides, booths and concerts at the fairgrounds, dances and traditional bullfights in one of the oldest bullrings in Spain, and a grand paella feast in the park.An impressive fireworks show culminates the end of the festivities.
July
• Folk Segovia is a noted music and dance festival featuring talented, up and coming artists as well as traditional acts.
• Other summery musical festivals include the International Music and Dance Festival, the Festival of Segovia, the Chamber Music Festival along with several youth concerts.
• Medieval fairs take place in various towns and villages throughout the province.
August
• Los Lunes en La Moneda are intimate musical concerts that take place every Monday in the gardens of the Mint (Casa de la Moneda).
• Other intimate concerts that take place every Tuesday on the medieval walls of Segovia during Los Martes en la Muralla offer a variety of music including jazz, rock and blues.
September
• The annual Hay Festival, a literary festival when distinguished authors from all over the world for debates, interviews and literary discussions on their works or important literary topics of the day.
October
• The evening of October 24th, the night before the holiday of San Frutos, the Patron Saint of Segovia, a garlic soup feast is enjoyed by residents and visitors, followed by a dance in the Plaza Mayor at midnight.Then, the ceremony of the “turning of the page” takes place in front of the cathedral and the statue of San Frutos.
November
• La Muestra de Cine Europeo Ciudad de Segovia (MUCES) is a week-long film festival featuring quality movies not previously offered in Spain commercially, yet relevant examples of European cinematography today.
• The third Sunday of November (the Sunday before Thanksgiving) is the annual Christmas Bazaar held by the American Women’s Club at the Hotel Intercontinental in Madrid, the largest American event in Madrid. It features an abundance of handmade gifts, American hot dogs and chili, raffle and tombola prizes, and Santa, of course.
December
• SegoJazz is a weekend of delightful jazz performances throughout town.
• Just in time for the Christmas holidays, the Ceramics Fair that includes other handmade artistic items and foods to satisfy holiday shopping needs.