Fiestas, Markets and other special events

Fiestas of Capileira and surrounding villages: Fiesta de San Antón which is in the second half of January. Fiestas de la Virgen de la Cabeza which is in the last weekend in April and second week in August. In these beautiful fiestas the villagers parade a large wooden sculpture of the Virgin around all of Capileira's tiny streets.

Romería de la Virgen de las Nieves : 5th August. This involves a climb up Mulhacen to a service on the top. Some travel by foot, others by mule. Fiesta de la Mauraca o la castaña : 1st November. Braziers are lit on street corners and locally collected chestnuts are cooked and handed out for free with an aniseed flavoured alcohol.

The fiestas in Bubion and also Pitres (another small village around the other side of the mountain towards Trevelez) have long fiesta weekends that follow on after the Capileira fiesta in the summer. All of these village fiestas involve flamenco, dancing in the square all night to bands laid on by the village – and there is plenty more performers and entertainment on offer (for the kids there is a massive water fight and foam extravaganza).

It is important to know which days the local markets happen on as, although there are small supermarkets in the villages, fresh fruit and veg is cheap and very plentiful in the weekly markets. Plus, the cafes and squares in and around the market places are the places to hang out on those days….

Capileira: Tuesday until 1/2pm. Orgiva: Thursdays (locals, ex-pats, small holders and travellers all congregate at this very lively weekly event), Make sure you bags a table at the wonderful Baraka Café to ensure you have a good (and tasty) vantage point. Pitres: Friday until 1/2pm. Once a week this sleepy village is transformed into a buzzing social event. You could catch the bus from Capileira to Pitres, and round off your market experience with a swim at the beautiful campsite/restaurant/bar of ‘Balcon de Pitres'.