Ice rink next to the Cable Inglés, Paseo unveiled and nativity scenes with dates in the Christmas of Almería and its province
Topics Almería Parque de las Almadrabillas Paseo de Almería Teatro Apolo
The ice rink moves to Las Almadrabillas, the Paseo unveils lights and Roquetas opens its Monumental Nativity Scene on Saturday, December 5. This is what already has a date in the capital and the province, and what can be expected based on what there was last year.
Redacción ·
Almería's Christmas has two premieres this year. El Paseo, recently renovated, will be the great stage for the lights, and the ice rink leaves the Rambla and moves to Las Almadrabillas, next to the Cable Inglés. In the province, Roquetas de Mar has already set the date for its Monumental Nativity Scene.
At this point only a few events have an official date for 2026. We list them first. The full programme for the capital and for most of the towns is usually presented in late November or early December; for those events we give what was done last year so you know what to expect.
| Fecha | Lugar | Cita |
|---|---|---|
| Desde el 25 de noviembre, como pronto, hasta el 6 de enero | Almería, explanada de Las Almadrabillas | Pista de hielo |
| Del 5 de diciembre al 3 de enero | Roquetas de Mar, Castillo de Santa Ana | Belén Monumental |
| 10 de diciembre | Almería, Auditorio Maestro Padilla | «El Cascanueces», Ballet Clásico Internacional |
| 11 de diciembre | Almería, Teatro Apolo | Eva Jesús, Concierto de Navidad |
| 12 de diciembre | Vera | XIII Carrera de Navidad |
| 13 de diciembre | Almería, Círculo Mercantil | Candlelight: Clásicos Navideños |
| 15 de diciembre | Almería, Auditorio Maestro Padilla | Coro Gospel Clasijazz, Concierto de Navidad |
| 29 de diciembre | Almería, Auditorio Maestro Padilla | Concierto de Navidad del Grupo Almenara |
| 5 de enero | Almería | Cabalgata de Reyes |
A newly opened Paseo and the rink, next to the Cable Inglés
The Almería City Council has awarded the special lighting to Iluminaciones Ximénez for 970,238.50 euros. The lights will reach nearly fifty streets and squares, with about 200 arches and figures, and will be on from late November until January 6. The date of the switch-on has not yet been announced.
The star will be El Paseo, which fully unveils its new look after the works. It will have 80 illuminated trees, 18 special arches and 15 decorative elements. The City Council is putting the final touches to the works so that everything is ready before the installations begin. There will also be two 18-metre light trees, one in Puerta Purchena and another in the plaza de las Velas, and the light and music show in the plaza de la Catedral and the one in the parque Nicolás Salmerón return.
The ice rink changes location for the first time: this year it will be on the esplanade of Las Almadrabillas, next to the Cable Inglés, with two rinks, one for adults and one for children. According to the terms of the municipal tender, it may open from Wednesday, November 25, or from the official inauguration of Christmas if that is later, until January 6, generally from 10:00 to 22:00.
Concerts with tickets already on sale
Several Christmas shows in the capital are already selling tickets at the municipal box office of Almería Cultura and at the Teatro Apolo:
On Thursday, December 10, at 20:30, the Ballet Clásico Internacional performs «El Cascanueces» at the Auditorio Maestro Padilla, from 27 to 33 euros. On Friday, December 11, at 20:30, Eva Jesús sings Christmas carols, copla and Spanish song at the Teatro Apolo, for 18 euros. On Tuesday, December 15, at 20:30, the Coro Gospel Clasijazz returns to the Auditorio with its children's and youth choirs, for 10 euros. And on Tuesday, December 29, at 20:30, the Grupo Almenara holds its traditional Christmas concert at the Auditorio, with Laura Diepstraten as guest, for 15 or 10 euros.
On Sunday, December 13, there is also a Candlelight concert of Christmas classics at the Círculo Mercantil, on El Paseo, with two sessions, at 17:00 and at 21:00.
Christmas 2025 in the capital
The 2026 municipal programme has not yet been published. Last year it began on Friday, December 5, with the switch-on in the plaza de la Catedral and had more than 120 activities. This is what there was, according to the official City Council programme:
Christmas 2025 in the capital
- Switch-on: on Friday, December 5, at 19:00 in the plaza de la Catedral, with parades from Puerta Purchena at 18:00 and a gospel concert.
- Music and light show in the plaza de la Catedral, under a large tunnel of light: every day until early January, with sessions at 19:00, 20:00 and 21:00.
- Light show in the parque Nicolás Salmerón: from December 5 to January 6, with sessions at 18:30, 19:30, 20:30 and 21:30. There were no shows on December 24 or 31.
- Christmas market on the avenida Federico García Lorca, on the Rambla: from December 5 to January 8.
- Ice rink at the Mirador de la Rambla and carousel in Puerta Purchena: from December 5 to January 6.
- Almeripark, the Christmas park at the Port, on the muelle de Levante, from December 5.
- «Un Paseo en Navidad», with workshops, games and Father Christmas on El Paseo: from December 22 to January 4.
- Feria Sabores Almería, with products from 38 companies of the Diputación brand, in the plaza de las Velas: from December 4 to 8, from 11:00 to 22:00.
- Zambombadas through the neighbourhoods, by the Ashal association and by brotherhoods, and the Zambomba Flamenca at the Auditorio on December 20.
- Los 12 Tomates de la Suerte, on December 30 at 19:00 in the plaza de la Constitución, and mini bell-ringing for children on the 31st at midday.
The nativity scenes of the capital
In the capital the nativity scene route is free to enter. Last year the Belén Municipal was set up in the Museo de la Guitarra Antonio de Torres, from December 5 to January 6, from 10:30 to 14:00 and from 17:00 to 21:00. There was also a Playmobil nativity scene at the Centro de Interpretación Patrimonial, the «Almerimesón» nativity scene at the Barrio Andalusí site and the nativity scene by Luis Álvarez Duarte at the Museo Doña Pakyta, with a donation of 2 euros.
The oldest is the Belén Provincial, which the Miras family and the Hermandad de las Angustias have been setting up since 2005 in the Patio de Luces of the Diputación, on the calle Navarro Rodrigo. It has almost a thousand figures, 64 of them moving, and very Almerían scenes: looms, esparto, threshing on the threshing floor, the pig slaughter or a mojaquera with the water. In 2025 it opened on December 5 and could be visited until January 5, from 10:00 to 14:00 and from 17:00 to 21:00.
January 5: the Cabalgata
The Three Kings Parade will set off on Tuesday, January 5, 2027. The City Council has already put out to tender the eleven floats, eight for children and the three thrones of Melchor, Gaspar and Baltasar, and 13,000 kilos of sweets, with gluten-free options. The time and route will be known later.
Last year, due to the works on the Paseo, the Parade took a circular route: it set off at 19:00 from the Anfiteatro de la Rambla, went down along avenida Federico García Lorca, passed through the streets Belén, Canónigo Molina Alonso, José Artés de Arcos, Maestro Padilla, Altamira and Doctor Carracido and went back up along the Rambla. Earlier, at 17:45, the Kings went from the Catedral to the plaza de la Constitución to greet from the Ayuntamiento. With the Paseo finished, it remains to be seen whether this year it will pass through it again.
Roquetas opens its nativity scene on December 5
The Belén Monumental de Roquetas de Mar will open on Saturday, December 5 at the Castillo de Santa Ana and can be visited until Sunday, January 3. Opening hours are Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 to 13:00 and from 17:00 to 20:00, and on Sundays and public holidays from 11:00 to 13:00, according to the Faro Cultural agenda. That same day the Christmas concerts in the squares begin, whose programme has not yet been published.
In Vera, the XIII Carrera de Navidad will be on Saturday, December 12, with the children's race at 16:30 and the adults' race at 18:00, over 3 and 10 kilometres. Anyone who runs dressed as a superhero can win 50 euros.
Cuadrillas, aguinaldos and living nativity scenes
Almería's Christmas has a sound of its own: that of the cuadrillas de ánimas, which are still alive in Los Vélez and in the north of the province. None of these events has a date yet for this year. This is how they were in 2025:
Traditions in 2025
- Vélez-Rubio: 42º Encuentro de Cuadrillas de la Comarca de Los Vélez, from December 12 to 14, with cuadrillas from Vélez-Blanco, Pulpí, Vélez-Rubio, Huércal-Overa and María and groups from Murcia and Málaga. It is held every year on the weekend closest to Christmas.
- Huércal-Overa: Encuentro de Cuadrillas «Juan de Dios Alcolea» on Sunday, November 30, with a pasacalles at 11:00 and a performance at 16:00 at the Teatro Villa. And the Belén Viviente of the Las Norias district, on Sunday, December 21 at 17:00.
- Mojácar: the Aguinaldo mojaquero, which goes through the old town at night singing traditional carols from the Cueva de Mariquita la Posá, on December 29. The Belén Municipal was inaugurated on Sunday, December 7 at 12:00 in the plaza del Parterre, with a living nativity scene and chocolate.
- Gádor: switching on of the lights and Belén Viviente, on Saturday, December 13 in the afternoon.
- Fiñana: XI Recreación Histórica de los Reyes Católicos, which recalls the night they spent in the town in December 1489, on Sunday, December 28, with dialogues in old Castilian and neighbours dressed in period costume.
Light switch-ons and parks in the villages
The large town councils of the province are still preparing their programmes. Last year it was like this:
Christmas 2025 in the villages
- El Ejido: switch-on on Friday, November 28 at 19:00, with the opening of the children's park in the plaza Mayor, open until January 6. Christmas Market in the plaza Mayor from November 28 to 30, from 11:00 to 22:00. And the Belén Monumental by the craftsman Miguel Ramírez at the Teatro Auditorio, from December 1, with nearly 20,000 visits the previous year.
- Roquetas de Mar: switch-on on Thursday, December 4 at 20:00 in the plaza de la Constitución, with a 20-metre walk-through tree. Little Park, the children's space in the parque de Los Bajos, with its 25-metre light lighthouse. And Three Kings parades on January 5 in Aguadulce, Roquetas and El Parador.
- Mojácar: Día Disney and switch-on on Saturday, November 29, with a concert by the Banda Municipal at 17:30. The children press the button for the lights.
- Huércal-Overa: switch-on with pyrotechnics on Friday, November 28 at 20:00 in the plaza de la Constitución, and parade on January 5 from 16:30, after the Kings tour the districts in the morning in classic cars.
- Berja: switch-on on Friday, December 5 at 18:30 in the plaza Porticada, and Belén Monumental by the Asociación Cultural Amigos de la Navidad at the Museo de la Semana Santa, from December 8 to January 5. The parade set off on January 5 at 18:30 from the Centro de Usos Múltiples.
In What's On: El Cascanueces. Ballet Clásico Internacional · 10 de December
In What's On: Belén Monumental · from 5 de December to 3 de January
Shall we let you know what matters?