Semana Santa in Málaga: a day-by-day guide
This is part two of a two-part series on Semana Santa in Málaga. Part one is a backgrounder with information on the cultural context, music, who’s who in the processions, and lots more.
Each day of Holy Week in Málaga (with the exception of Saturday) there are processions on the streets, sometimes several at once. With so much going on, and thousands of people in the historic centre, figuring out where to be and when can be a challenge. Below are my hand-picked suggestions for what to see each day.
First, some logistics
If you’d like to see the full schedule of 40+ processions, you can check the official website (in Spanish), pick up a leaflet from any of the city’s tourist information points, or consult the schedules and route maps published online by newspapers such as Diario Sur, Malaga Hoy, or La Opinion de Malaga.
My top tip if you understand some Spanish is to download the mobile phone app El Penitente, which includes a real-time GPS tracker for each of the processions. If you are not able to install the app, Diario Sur has a real-time location map using data from El Penitente.
The moment when a procession departs is called a salida and its return is the encierro. These take place in churches and brotherhood houses in different points of the city, but all the processions head for a central ceremonial route known as the recorrido oficial.
This circuit includes Calle Larios, the city’s wide, pedestrianised shopping street, the main square Plaza de la Constitucion, and the Alameda Principal, the main thoroughfare at the edge of the historic centre. All of these are lined with temporary grandstands with seats that must be reserved and paid for. Many people (myself included) prefer watching the processions from street level, with the freedom to move around and see each one from a different vantage point.
The official route also passes by the Atarazanas Market, which is one of my favourite spots. There aren’t as many rows of official seating there, so it’s possible to get a decent view of the processions even if you’re standing behind the seats.
Having completed the official ceremonial route, each procession then heads back to the church or brotherhood house it departed from, but taking a different route. This means there are lots of opportunities to see each procession.
Should you need to get from one side of the official route to another - crossing Calle Larios, for example - look for the cruces (crossing points) which will be signposted and controlled by stewards. You may have to wait a while if there’s a procession in progress.
A crowd waits for a procession to pass so they can cross Calle Larios. Photo: author
A word on crowd size. I’ve seen photos and videos of the crowds at Semana Santa in Seville, the infamous bulla, and I feel panicky just looking at them. I’m relieved to say I’ve never experienced a crush like this in Málaga. I’m not sure whether this is because Seville just attracts more people, or because Málaga’s official route includes wide avenues as well as the narrow streets of the old town, but as a crowd-phobic person I’ve never felt trapped or overwhelmed.
Waiting for processions does involve a lot of standing around, and if you want to catch as many as possible, you’ll be criss-crossing the city and racking up the steps. I always head out with a small backpack with supplies including extra layers of clothes (even if it’s warm when the sun is out, this time of year can be chilly at night), water and snacks, and a phone battery.
Speaking of snacks, the traditional food to eat this week (and throughout Lent) is torrijas, which the cooking blog Spanish Sabores describes as a cross between French toast and bread pudding.
If extremely sugary desserts are not your thing, look out for the street vendors with stalls piled high with lemons. The idea of eating a whole raw lemon might sound insane, but these are special “sweet” lemons that are grown in Málaga’s fertile Guadalhorce Valley. Known as “limones cascarúos”, they are served peeled and sliced with optional sprinkles of salt and bicarbonate of soda to create a refreshing instant sherbet effect in your mouth.
Guadalhorce Valley lemons. Photo: author
Domingo de Ramos (Palm Sunday)
This day is the official start of Semana Santa, and the first procession to hit the streets is the Brotherhood of Pollinica. Palm Sunday, according to the Gospels, was the day that Jesus made his entry into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey, welcomed by a crowd waving palm branches. This throne recreates the scene, while the procession is accompanied by children holding palm leaves. Fun fact: the name Pollinica comes from the little donkey (pollino) that is among the group of figures.
Pollinica’s brotherhood house is in one of the most attractive and historic parts of the old town, Calle Parras, near the Parish of Felipe Neri. This 18th-century church and other buildings in the streets around here have some beautiful baroque wall paintings. These are worth checking out if you’re aiming to catch the salida and want to fill in some time beforehand.
Another Palm Sunday must-see is Lagrimas y Favores (Our Lady of Tears and Favours), one of several processions managed by the brotherhood Fusionadas. The actor Antonio Banderas, a proud malagueño, is a member of this brotherhood and often takes part in this procession.
Lagrimas y Favores before its encierro in the Church of San Juan.. Photo: author
Lagrimas y Favores has only one throne, bearing a figure of the Virgin Mary. It departs from, and returns to, the church of San Juan in the heart of the old town, another baroque gem (those wall paintings again!). If you are prepared to get there an hour or two in advance, this is a beautiful encierro to experience. As well as a petalada (a cascade of rose petals from above), everyone sings this lovely hymn. As encierros go, it’s not too late, either - around 11.30pm.
Lunes Santo (Holy Monday)
The big procession today is El Cautivo (The Captive), A figure of Jesus as a prisoner with bound wrists. Images of this emblematic figure are everywhere in his home barrio of La Trinidad, one of Malaga’s oldest neighbourhoods. The local health centre is named after him, as are local businesses, and you’ll see photos and artworks depicting him on wall plaques and in shop windows, bars, and restaurants (especially as Semana Santa approaches).
El Cautivo is also popularly referred to as “El Señor de Malaga”, the Lord of Malaga, because of how deeply he is venerated in the city. One of the most striking aspects of his appearance is the flowing white robe that he wears. As the procession moves through the city streets, the movement of the fabric creates the illusion that he is walking.
The most emblematic spot to see El Cautivo is when his procession crosses the narrow bridge known as the Puente de la Aurora. Huge crowds gather on both sides of the “dry river” Guadalmedina to watch this.
Another notable Monday procession is that of the Hermanded de los Gitanos (Brotherhood of the Gypsies), or as it is officially known, “Nuestro Padre Jesús de la Columna y María Santísima de la O”. You will sometimes see it listed in official schedules as Columna.
Since as far back as the 17th century this brotherhood has been associated with the Roma community. The figure of Christ in this procession is popularly known as El Moreno (the dark-skinned one). One of the most striking images of Holy Monday is when the brotherhood’s thrones of Jesus and the Virgin have their encuentro (meeting) in Plaza de la Merced.
My other top tip for Holy Monday is to catch the procession of the brotherhood Estudiantes (Students), which as the name suggests is associated with the city’s university students. When the procession passes through Plaza del Obispo (next to the Cathedral) they sing their Latin hymn Gaudeamus Igitur, which always makes me quite nostalgic as it was my own university’s graduation song.
Martes Santo (Holy Tuesday)
One of the undoubted highlights of this day is the procession of Rocio, whose figure of Mary is known as La Novia de Malaga (the Bride of Malaga). Dressed all in white and surrounded by candles, she is a spectacular and moving sight. I recommend watching her arrival into Plaza de la Merced after travelling down Calle Madre de Dios. The photo at the top of this page was taken there.
The procession with the longest distance to travel takes place this day - Nueva Esperanza, which departs from and returns to its brotherhood house in the neighbourhood of Nueva Malaga. These hombres de trono are carrying their thrones for an incredible 14 hours.
Miércoles Santo (Holy Wednesday)
One of the week’s most curious events takes place on this day, during the procession of the brotherhood El Rico. Each year, in Plaza Obispo on the steps of the Cathedral, a prisoner is pardoned and released, in a tradition that dates back to the 18th century.
In 1759, an outbreak of the plague meant the Semana Santa processions were cancelled, but the inmates of Malaga prison who were devoted to the image of Jesus “El Rico” broke out of prison and carried him through the streets anyway. Later, they returned to prison of their own free will. As recognition for this act of devotion, King Carlos III gave the brotherhood the right to free one prisoner each year.
The ceremony of the release of the prisoner, Plaza de Obispo. Photo: author
The ceremony occurs after the procession’s two holy figures, Jesus El Rico and the Virgen del Amor, meet in the Plaza. The event has a decidedly medieval air (the prisoner wears a black hood) and draws massive crowds.
Another important procession today is Paloma. Paloma means dove in Spanish, and during the processional route of their Virgin Mary (Maria Santissima de la Paloma), doves are released as she passes. After a new animal welfare law came into effect in 2023, the release of the doves is now supervised by vets and limited to certain points such as her entry into Plaza de la Constitucion and Plaza del Obispo. Plaza de la Constitucion is a good place to watch as there’s usually quite a lot of space.
Jueves Santo (Maundy Thursday)
Some of Malaga’s brotherhoods have a close connection to military corps of the Spanish armed forces, and the most famous of these is undoubtedly the relationship between the brotherhood Mena and La Legión (the Spanish Legion).
Since 1928, Mena’s Christ of the Good Death has been considered La Legión’s official protector, and each year - in one of the most anticipated events of Semana Santa - they arrive in Malaga to escort this procession through the streets, singing their famous anthem El Novio de la Muerte (The Bridegroom of Death).
La Legión march through the centre of Málaga. Photo: author
The legionarios arrive in the morning by ship, disembark then march through the city to Plaza Fray Alonso de Santo Tomás. There, a massive crowd watches as they transfer the figure of Christ from the Church of Santo Domingo to his throne in the adjacent brotherhood house of Mena, ready for the procession later in the day.
This year, there are some changes to both their arrival and their route through the streets in the morning. Their ship will dock at 10am at Muelle II alongside the Palmeral de las Sorpresas and the troops will take a longer route through the historic centre.
Another notable procession today is that of Esperanza. This brotherhood’s figure of Mary, Maria Santissima de la Esperanza Coronada, sits atop the heaviest throne of the week - it weighs four tonnes.
The salida of Esperanza is an impressive moment that draws a large crowd. Photo: author
The Virgin of Hope, as she is called in English, will be travelling to Rome later this year for the Magna procession, part of the 2025 Jubilee year events organised by the Catholic church. Along with the Cristo de la Expiracion, from the Seville brotherhood Cachorro, Esperanza will represent the Catholic community of Andalucia.
Viernes Santo (Good Friday)
As this marks the day of Jesus’s death, the processions have a solemn air, especially those of Sepulcro and Servitas.
One of the most moving experiences of the day is watching Dolores de San Juan, which is the only procession to have a woodwind ensemble accompanying it instead of a brass band. The music is hauntingly beautiful. When the procession passes the convent of the Sisters of the Company of the Cross, in Plaza Arriola, the nuns gathered at the windows sing to the Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows, as she passes.
Soledad de San Pablo is another notable procession, in which the Nazarenos wear sandals and some in the procession dress as Roman soldiers.
Sepulcro is the official brotherhood of the city of the Malaga. The figure of Christ is pictured lying on his tomb, and the artistic style is sombre. The crowd hushes to complete silence as he passes. It is particularly striking to witness this on one of the grand streets of the recorrido oficial, such as Calle Larios.
Finally, Servitas is the final procession of the day, beginning at 10pm and with its encierro after 3am. It is organised by a religious order rather than a brotherhood, the Venerable Third Order of the Servants of Mary, which was founded in Florence in the 13th century.
The candlelit procession of Servitas passes along Calle Atarazanas. Photo: author
Servitas is unlike any other procession during the week. It has no musical accompaniment - just the slow beating of drums, while a priest prays continuously. Like Sepulcro, it is received in complete silence, and as the small figure of the Virgin Mary passes, the street lights go out one after the other. To light her way in the darkness, the Nazarenos in this procession carry tall candles with three burning wicks in each one.
A good place to watch Servitas as she passes is Calle Atarazanas, just outside the central market.
Domingo de Resurección (Easter Sunday)
There are no processions on Saturday, and only one on Easter Sunday.
Resucitado, with its figure of the risen Christ, has (unsurprisingly) a decidedly more upbeat atmosphere than many of the processions. It’s also unusual in that it starts in the morning and is finished by just after 3pm, in time for everyone to go off and have lunch with their families.
As there’s no such thing as “Easter Monday” in Spain, you’ll find that a lot of Spanish visitors to the city start making their way home from Sunday morning onwards. And with that, Semana Santa is over for another year.