Nerja’s Carnival has been given the status of “Feria Singularidad Turística” (Unique Tourist Festival) by Malaga county council. This award recognises the originality and tradition of the festival which takes place every year just before Lent.
Nerja Carnival dates from the 1920s, but the modern version that we know today started in 1984, becoming one of the most important tourism events in the region with thousands of people taking part.
For a festival to be given this unique status it has to have taken place at least three times and reflect the customs, culture, folklore, gastronomy and ethnicity of the towns where they are held.
Every year more than 400,000 visitors come to the region to take part in the different festivals that have been given the Singularidad Turística status and are an important part of the local tourism economies.
Nerja Carnival takes place every year in the week before the start of Lent, which itself is the run up to Easter. The finalé of the Carnival is the ‘Entierro Del Bogueron’ or the Burial of the Sardine – in this bizarre and macabre event, a giant sardine is paraded through the streets of the town before being blown up at Calahonda Beach. This symbolises the fasting that many Christians undertake during Lent.
Nerja Carnival itself is one of the most entertaining festivals of the year, with four days of partying and extravagance, in preparation for the self-denial of the Lent period.
Click here for our Nerja 2013 Carnival Photo Gallery.
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