SHARE
COPY LINK

FESTIVALS

What’s on in Spain: November 2014

November in Spain is bursting at the seams for lovers of art, culture, food and sport. Find out what's on as The Local showcases the best the country has to offer in the month before Christmas.

Arts

Primavera Club 2014, October 31st–November 2nd, Barcelona: Big names in club music come together to crank out tunes that will keep you dancing all night (and all day as well if you want). Best of all, a ticket to the whole event will only set you back €25 ($32).

Madrid en Danza, November 6th–November 30th: Dance companies from 23 countries descend on the Spanish capital to offer styles from ballet to urban to flamenco and everything else in between. Not to be missed. 

Cartegena Jazz FestivalNovember 1st–November 22nd: Beautiful Cartegena is in November hosting big names including Macy Gray, Branford Marsalis and Cat Power.   

Seville European Film Festival, November 7th–November 15th: This popular event showcases the best of European cinema in a public-friendly format. On offer are features, documentaries and short films. This year Austrian cinema will come under the spotlight while the festival will also see the Spanish debut of UK director Mike Leigh's film Mr Turner.        

Opera: Mozart's Don Giovanni, Seville, November 21st–November 29th: Don't miss the chance to see Mozart's opera at Seville's glorious Maestranza Theatre.  

Barcelona, Zona Neutral, Fundación Miro, Barcelona, October 25th 2014–February 15th 2015: During the First World War, Barcelona was a hot bed of culture as artists escaped the conflict in Europe by heading to the city. This exhibition about a unique era features films, photography, advertising materials and much more.

Zinebi documentary and short film festival, Bilbao, November 14th–November 21st. A highly-rated festival featuring documentaries and short films from around the world.  

Culture

Tosantos, Cádiz, October 31st/November 1st: November 1st is a national holiday in Spain to mark All Saints Day, when families traditionally visit the graves of their ancestors and honour their memory. However, many places like to start off the mourning process with a bit of a party and Cádiz leads the way when it comes to Halloween night japery.

The Andalusian city celebrates Tosantos by focusing on its local food produce on the eve of All Saints Day, with locals typically dressing up as rabbits, pigs and chickens lurking around the city’s main markets. Fruit and vegetables are often used to satirize social realities and politicians and other public figures from Cádiz, Spain, the sensationalist media or the world are put together in an edible and humorous manner. 

Food

Valladolid National Tapas and Pinchos Competition, November 3rd–November 5th: Watch on as some of Spain's best chefs battle it out to take home the prize for the best tapas and pinchos in the country.

Gourmet Tapas Competition, Córdoba, 14th to 23rd November: This two-pronged festival is dedicated to food from Córdoba and from Latin America — appropriate as the city has been named as Gourmet Capital of Latin-American culinary culture for 2014. This year 39 establishments are taking part, and there are 73 tapas on offer.  

Sport

Real Madrid versus Liverpool, November 4th: Ten-time European champions Real Madrid take on five-time winners Liverpool at the Spanish capital's iconic Santiago Bernabéu stadium. Real Madrid, the current holders of the title could be without Welsh star Gareth Bale while Liverpool have this season failed to reach the heights that saw them come second in the English Premiere League 2013–2014.    

Madrid Horse Week, November 26th–November 30th: Madrid Horse Week is Spain's major horse riding event: a multidisciplinary affair where spectators can do everything from ride ponies to watch the prestigious Madrid leg of the Show Jumping World Cup. Stars at the event include Hugo Simon, John Whitaker, Rodrigo Pessoa and Ludger Berbaum.

Have we missed an event? Let us know in the comments field below.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

EVENTS

How Cologne is preparing for the start of Carnival on Friday

Dressing up, singing, and drinking: On Friday, countless Jecken (revelers) in Cologne will once again celebrate the start of the Carnival session.

How Cologne is preparing for the start of Carnival on Friday

Dubbed Germany’s “fifth season” by locals, the event starts every year on November 11th at 11:11 am, and typically stretches into February or March, when colourful parades spill into the streets.

Carnival stronghold Cologne in particular is preparing for the onslaught of tens of thousands of people who will flock to its Altstadt (old town), and especially to the student quarter, starting early Friday morning. 

READ ALSO: 10 unmissable events in Germany this November

“Far too many people want to celebrate in far too small a space,” city director Andrea Blome told DPA. “We can’t stop anyone from coming to Cologne now.” 

More security this year

In the popular Kwartier Latäng student quarter, there have been regular bouts of drinking by young partygoers in the past, who crowded into a confined space, leaving litter everywhere and publicly peeing on the corners of buildings. 

Google Maps shows the location of the so-called Kwartier Latäng part of Cologne.

But with a new security plan, the city and police hope to keep the situation under control.

Several checkpoints and road closures have been set up to secure the safety of the revelers and relieve the burden on worried residents, according to Blome. Visitors will only be able to enter the closed-off area around Zülpicher Straße via a single access point. 

On Friday, Cologne is also set to send a total of 150 employees from the Ordnungsamt (public order office) onto the streets, who will be supported by 520 private security guards. 

A glass ban will again apply in the celebration zones, and several hundred toilets will be set up at the hotspots, “which nevertheless will probably not be used by all visitors,” Blome predicted.

READ ALSO: 10 words you need to know at Cologne’s Carnival

Up to 1,100 police officers are expected to be on duty on the day – about 200 fewer than last year, said head of operations Rüdiger Fink. But he expected to keep the situation “under control with a new security plan.”

What to expect

On Cologne’s Heumarkt, there will be a stage program all day with bands such as the Bläck Fööss, the Paveiern and Brings. 

Google Maps shows Cologne’s Heumarkt along the Rhine River.

According to the Willi Ostermann Society, about 10,000 tickets were sold in advance for the event, which will be aired by German WDR for several hours.

Meanwhile, in Düsseldorf, the day will start at 11:11 a.m. with the “Hoppeditz Awakening” in front of City Hall. 

According to a spokesman, the police will be adequately prepared for the start of the season, with a particular focus on the Altstadt, where there will certainly be celebrations.

“But 11.11. is a very different event here in Düsseldorf than in Cologne,” he said, referring to a more orderly start and fewer guests.

READ ALSO: What you need to know about celebrating Carnival in Germany

SHOW COMMENTS