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What’s on in Spain: December 2014

As the countdown to the new year in Spain begins, The Local rounds up the best sports, arts and cultural activities in the country to keep you entertained during the short days of December.

Published: 25 November 2014 18:17 CET
What's on in Spain: December 2014
Bonfires will blaze all over Spain to light up the longest night of the year on December 21st. Photo: Miguel Riopa/AFP

Arts

Cartagena International Film Festival, December 7th – 13th. Held every year since 1972 in Murcia's Cartagena, the festival focuses on up-and-coming film makers from Spain.

Almería En Corto: International Festival Of Film Shorts, December 2nd – 6th. A range of parallel festival activities for fans complements the on-screen action as film-makers compete for prizes in different categories.

Exhibition: Young Velázquez, Seville, October 15th 2014 – January 15th 2015. Your chance to check out the first public exhibition of a newly discovered 1616-1617 work by the Seville-born artist Diego Velásquez. "The Education of the Virgin" was found in Yale University and restored in 2010.

Gospel Greats, Barcelona, December 5th – 20th.  Some of the world's greatest gospel choirs and solo singers will provide inspiration and entertainment at this festival, with events taking place at different venues around Catalonia.

Exhibition: Sorolla, The Colour Of The Sea, Majorca, October 9th 2014 – February 8th 2015. CaixaForum Palma presents an exhibition of works by Spanish painter Joaquin Sorolla. The works chosen all showcase Sorolla's mastery of painting the sea.

Joaquin Sorolla's paiting Children on the Beach. Photo: AFP

Culture

University "New Year's Eve" party, Salamanca, December 11th. OK, so it's not on New Year's Eve but this massive party on December 11th could still leave you with a hangover on January 1st. Join an international crowd of over 45,000 people to usher the Christmas season in with style.

Winter Solstice, all over Spain, December 21st. Bonfires will blaze all over Spain to light up the year's shortest day but those in Robledo de Chavela (near Madrid), Olombrada (near Segovia), Castrillo de Don Juan (near Palencia) and Viniegra de Abajo (near La Rioja) are all particularly noteworthy.

Madrid Christmas Market, Plaza Mayor, November 28th to December 31st. If you want to get into the Christmas spirit in the Spanish capital, this is the place to come for trinkets, gifts and nativity scenes.  

Sport

Canary Islands Olympic Sailing Week, December 4th – 8th. A week of exciting regattas, featuring Olympic sailors of over 10 different nationalities.

Champions League: FC Barcelona – PSG, Barcelona, December 10th. The two favourites from group F go head-to-head in the iconic Camp Nou stadium, featuring some of the biggest names in world football including Messi, Suárez, Ibrahimovic and Neymar.

Buff Epic Run, Barcelona, December 21st. A crazy combination of an eight kilometre (five-mile) fun run, obstacle course and fancy dress event, the Buff Epic Run at Montjuic castle sees participants scramble through mud pits and over tyres while dressed in themed costumes. Places are limited but if you miss out you can just go and watch.

Polar Bear Swim, Gibraltar, December 26th. Join the brave souls wading into the cold water at Catalan Bay on Boxing Day. Those who indulge in the shiver-inducing dip will be treated to hot brandy, mince pies and a Polar Bear Certificate.

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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.

Published: 9 November 2022 10:29 CET
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

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