Christmas in Malaga with activities and events in December

Are you visiting Malaga at Christmas? If you are in our province in December, you might be interested in some of the Christmas activities in our city. You will find a little bit of everything, from cultural activities to street markets or you can simply enjoy the best restaurants in the city. But Christmas goes beyond that, we can discover many other activities throughout our province, in other municipalities. Read below to find out what we recommend for Christmas in Malaga.

What do you feel like doing this Christmas in Malaga?

Christmas activities in Malaga

December is here and we are already starting to feel Christmas in Malaga. During this month there are lots of activities to enjoy, both for young and old. We are going to propose 10 ideas for you to make the most of December in Malaga.

Christmas in our province is one of the best rated in Europe, so it is worth discovering it, and why not, you can plan a trip to our province this month. How does it sound to celebrate the new year in the main square of our city? It would certainly be a moment to remember, so we encourage you to visit us in December.

All Christmas activities in Malaga usually end after the Three Kings’ Parade and usually start at the end of November or beginning of December.

Keep reading to find out about some of the many activities you can do if you decide to visit Malaga at Christmas.

1. Christmas markets in Malaga

Malaga Christmas market usually opens by the end of November or the begining of December with around a hundred stalls. It is a good opportunity to buy some typical products of our region and to enjoy a delicious chocolate with churros in front of Calle Larios, which these days is spectacularly illuminated.

You can find it in Plaza de la Marina, near Paseo de la Alameda. There is usually another one in Malaga’s Soho, in case you want to visit both.

Recommended products:

• Traditional sausage and black pudding from Malaga
• Churros with chocolate
• Artisan beer
• Olive oil
• Local cheese

We must remember that the Malaga street market is one of the best valued in Europe, so if you are in Malaga in December, you should not miss the opportunity to visit it.

There are street markets all over the province. Some of the most popular are located in:

• Muelle Uno.
• Torremolinos: Centre.
• Benalmádena: Av de la constitucion, in front of Casa de la Cultura.
• Fuengirola: Plaza de la Constitución
• Marbella: Ribera Pier in Puerto Banús.
• Estepona: For the first time ,in 2021 there will be a Christmas market in the Botanical Orchid Park from 17 December.

Most of the markets are active from the beginning of December, some during the first week and others during the second week. Most of them end on 5 January, after the parade.

2. Discover the new Christmas lighting

The switching on of the Christmas lights in Malaga, especially in Calle Larios, is the start of the season. On this occasion there will be more than 1,600,000 points of light, which will remain on until Three Kings Parade.

The Christmas lights are expected to be switched on on 26 November. The lights will be the same as in recent years, so no changes are expected; it remains to be seen whether the light and sound show will be maintained at certain times of the day as in past years.

The last day with Christmas lights is usually 5 January, after the arrival of the Three Wise Men in the city.

Other Christmas lighting in Malaga:

• The Christmas illumination in Torremolinos is from 2 December at 8:00 pm.
• In Fuengirola from 25 November.
• Marbella will have Christmas illumination from 2 December.
• Estepona use to turn the lights on from 25 November.
• Christmas Garden in the Botanical Garden of Malaga from 27 November to 9 January. From 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.

3. Visit the most beautiful nativity scenes in Malaga at Christmas

Every year Malaga Town Hall publishes a guide to Nativity Scenes for those who like to visit them all. There are nativity scenes in Neighbourhood Associations, Brotherhoods, Cultural Centres or Museums. The Town Hall guide includes addresses, opening hours and details of each location.

You can find Nativity Scenes also in other municipalities.

4. Dinner in a restaurant with a Michelin star

In the province of Malaga there are 6 restaurants with a Michelin star and different cuisine. These restaurants stand out by the quality of the dishes and products used; the list below has been updated by the end of 2021.

• José Carlos García
  Andalusian and creative food restaurant.
  Is at Plaza de la Capilla, in front of luxury yatches in Pier One, at Malaga Port.
• Café de París
  Traditional cuisine restaurant that was awarded the city’s first Michelin star in 2002. It specialises in dishes to share and has very good reviews from those who eat here.
  Calle Vélez-Málaga, 8.
• Kaleja
  Food based on the seasonality of prepared products.
  Marquesa de Moya 9
  
• La Cosmopolita
  Andalusian cuisine with exotic flavours.
  José Denís Belgrano 3
  
• Ta-Kumi
  Japanese restaurant with views of the Alcazaba from its terrace.
  Calle Mundo Nuevo, 4
• Figón de Juan
  Traditional cuisine with meats, fried and grilled fish and homemade desserts.
  Pasaje Esperanto 1
  

5. Enjoy traditional dances and festivities at Christmas in Malaga

Every year, on December 28th, we celebrate All Fools’ Day in Spain. For those of you from abroad, it is equivalent to April’s Fools Day. In the city of Malaga it is also the Verdiales Competition between the different “pandas”. Divided into three styles: Montes, Almogía and Comares, the Verdiales are a dance and song of very ancient origin.

The origin of the verdiales can be traced back to the mysterious and disappeared Minoan civilisation in Crete, where they performed dances with hats adorned with flowers for fertility. These dances were adopted by the Greeks and Romans, reaching the present day.

6. Taste the mantecados of Antequera

As well as the traditional cinnamon, nougat or sesame mantecados, or the delicious wine and anise or almond rolls, we recommend you try the extra virgin olive oil mantecados or the new pistachio polvorones. Very typical Christmas products in Malaga.

7. Lucky grapes for the New Year in Malaga

At least since 1897 – as far as we know from newspaper archives – it has been a tradition to eat twelve grapes next to the clock that divides the outgoing year from the incoming one. At first only in Madrid, and from 1909 onwards in the rest of Spain. This tradition later spread to Mexico, Venezuela, Argentina and Colombia.

In Malaga the place to start the new year is the Plaza de la Constitución. Here the Town Hall of the capital usually hands out more than 2,500 bags of grapes and cotillion. If you are in another municipality, the festivity use to take place in the most central square near the Town Hall.

8. Activities for children at Christmas

Every year they organise events that children love, from exhibitions of the famous Playmobil toys to large Lego constructions. If it does sound good for you, it usually takes place in the Exhibition Hall of the Municipal Archive of Malaga and lasts until after the Three Kings Parade. There are also Nativity scenes made with toys.

Ice Skating

In case there isn’t any exhibition this year or if you feel like doing other activities with children, you might be interested in visiting Santa Claus in the main squares of the Costa del Sol. You can also go ice skating in Torremolinos (Parque de la Batería from 17th December), where they say there will also be many other children’s activities.

9. Christmas events in the Cervantes Theatre

This year you can attend The Cinderella, The Nutcracker or the musical Dumbo among others. If you want to know more about these and many other Christmas events at the Cervantes Theatre, you can check the programme here:
https://www.teatrocervantes.com/es/programacion/

10. The Three Kings’ Parade

Every year the Three Wise Men’s Parade arrives in the centre of Malaga, with sweets and lots of surprises to please children. The route starts near the Alcazaba; the last one was with the following itinerary, however we do not expect it to change much:

6 pm:  Departure from Malaga Town Hall.

• Avenida de Cervantes
• Plaza del General Torrijos
• Paseo del Parque
• Plaza de la Marina
• Alameda Principal
• Puerta del Mar
• Atarazanas
• Plaza de Arriola
• Pasillo de Santa Isabel
• Carretería
• Calle Álamos
• Plaza de la Merced

We remind you that if you want to be there, we can take you to a nearby place as they close to traffic the route of the Three Wise Men’s parade.

There are Three Wise Men parades all over the province, so if you are in another municipality you only have to go to the historic centre of the town on the afternoon of 5th January.

Transport during Christmas in Malaga

Public transport may vary its route or timetable during the festive season. We are available at any time of the day and 7 days a week, so if you want to plan your New Year’s Eve outing to Malaga’s Plaza de la Constitución or anywhere else. Remember to book in advance and we will be happy to take you there.

Do you want to visit the Christmas market in Marbella? Are you in Estepona and want to see the Christmas lights in Malaga? Or maybe you want to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Granada? Let us help you make the most of this Christmas in Malaga.

We not only offer Malaga airport transfers, but also from anywhere in the province to wherever you need.