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Writer's pictureCarmela Castro

Why Arcos de la Frontera in Spain is the place to experience Carnaval...

Updated: May 4, 2020

"A colorful and wild Spanish celebration through out Spain in the late Month of February leading up to Lent."
The celebration roaming through out the towns streets..

The 2019 Carnaval was a celebration experience we will never forget. An epic party and traditions that caught us by surprise. All through out Spain especially in the Andalusia region, there is organized carnivals and festivities with music and dancing in the cities and towns at the end of February leading up to Lent. The Spanish dress in colorful, traditional costumes and take to the streets to celebrate the season. We chose to do the Carnaval celebration in the small beautiful town of Arcos de la Frontera in the south of Spain and a wild party it was. Luckily they're was plenty of public parking to leave our vehicle over night and even luckier we had a designated driver! But we do recommend reserving a hotel room to enjoy the festivities and not get behind a wheel after a night like Carnaval. The celebration and parade begins in the later afternoon around 6pm and begins at the south end of the town. The Spanish dress up in their creative costumes and start making their way north across the town up the steep town streets. While parading, dancing and drinking all the way to the other end of the town. But not without stops at the town bars as you follow the parade. It's literally a party in the streets with the whole town chanting, singing, and parading through the town streets!

The costumes are nothing short of color and creativity. From Families dressing up as super hero themes to a group of astronauts waving alien flags. The atmosphere in the streets are definitely as cool as it gets.

Besides the main parade, there is still plenty to do and sites to see around the town during the day working up to the parade. Arcos de la Frontera is a small town that sits around three sides of towering vertical cliffs and you won't have a problem exploring it in one single day. Do a day in Los Arcos as you please, but join the parade in the evening, a celebration you don't to miss!

Southeast views of Arcos de la Frontera sitting above the steep cliffs

A hidden gem to check out if you visit Arcos de la Frontera, is a cozy bar with good tapas called Taberna San Pedro, it's easy to miss and sits at the top of the highest point of the town across the street of the Iglesia de San Pedro. With a little luck you may run into "Manolo" at this bar, a super cool local of the town. Just another beautiful town in the Andalusia region that is a must see!


A short video of the Celebration making its way down the hill on the north end of the town...


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