This is a useful calendar of some of the major events, festivals, exhibitions and curiosities you can look forward to in Spain in 2006. i.e. What I’m missing unless someone wins the lottery!
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This is borrowed from Expatica.com
1 January - Ban on smoking in many public places starts
2 January - Last chance to see Dora Garcia exhibition, Madrid's Reina Sofia museum
6 January - Los Reyes de Magos - Epiphany - public holiday; Nadal and Josep Pla literary prizes
14-15 January - Van Morrison plays Madrid; Dakar rally ends
18 January - Baptism of La Infanta Leonor
25 January - Ana Botin, head of Spain's Banco Banesto, heads the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos
29 January - The Goya Film awards
Spain's Oscar ceremony, Madrid
1 February - Musical Fame opens, Teatro Calderon, Madrid
6-7 February - Depeche Mode play Madrid, then Barcelona on 10-11 February
9-13 February - International Feria of Contemporary Art (ARCO) opens in Madrid.
The hippest creations in Spain will be on show. Last year the exhibition was bombed by ETA as the King was about to open it. Until 13 February.
10-13 February - Paserela Cibeles or Madrid Fashion Week
This gathering of fashionistas vies with Barcelona's version in the second division of fashion shows. Not Milan or Paris but it does throw up some interesting ideas.
14 February - Madrid's Thyssen Museum begins 'The Vanguard of the Russians' exhibition about Russian art. For three months.
16 February - King's Cup Final basketball
23 February - 25th anniversary of the failed coup d'etat, attempted by a small group of army officers who took over parliament briefly.
2 March - 16th Festival of Fantasy Cinema, Universtiy of Malaga, El Teatro Cine Alameda
11 March - Second anniversary of the Madrid bombings in which 191 people were killed and more than 1,500 injured.


Las Fallas de Valencia
15-19 March - Las Fallas de Valencia
In one of Spain's best-known festivals, huge papier-mache figures each adapted for a satirical theme are paraded through the streets. They are burnt on 19 March, St Joseph's Day – or Father's Day in Spain. www.fallas.com
19 March - Public holiday for St Joseph's Day
except in Andalusia, the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands and La Rioja.
9 April - Start of Easter holiday across Spain.
12 April - Final of the Kings Cup, Football
23 April - International Books Day
25-30 April - Feria of Seville
Week long party in the Andalucian city
28-30 April - ViñaRock Festival in Albacete
28-April - Final Four climax of basketball season to decide who wins Euroliga
1 May - Dia del Trabajo
May Day bank holiday
5 May - International Festival of Short Films, Documentaries and New Producers, Madrid

10 May - Football´s UEFA Cup Final


Columbus
11-13 May - WOMAD international music festival in Caceres, bringing sounds from all over the globe
14 May - Last day of Spanish football's La Liga season
20 May - 500th anniversary of the death of Columbus
23 May - The Eagles play only concert in Spain in Barcelona marking 30 years as a group


"Guernica"
23 May - Madrid's Prado Museum opens major Picasso exhibition, called Picasso: Tradition and Vanguard, marking the 125th anniversary of the artist's birth and another anniversary of the return of Guernica to Spain following the death of Franco in 1975
26-27 May - Madrid holds two-day rock festival Festimad Sur; Feria of the Book in Madrid's El Retiro park until 11 June.


The Rolling Stones
27 May - Rolling Stones play Madrid, then on 29 May, they hit the stage in Barcelona
1-3 June - Primavera Sound Music Festival, Barcelona
3 June -Barcelona Marathon
7-23 June - PhotoEspana international photographic exhibition in Madrid.
Until 23 June
7 June - Football's World Cup Finals start in Germany. For one whole month Spain, like most of footballing world, will be glued to the TV screen.
14 June - Bridal week begins in Barcelona; 20th anniversary of the death of Jorge Luis Borges, one of the greatest Latin American writers.
15-17 June - Sonar International Festival of Advanced Music and Multi-media art, Barcelona.
The three-day festival offers the hippest sounds around. Contact: www.sonar.es
15-25 June - The 17th Festival of Classical Theatre, Caceres.
18 June - Motorcycling Grand Prix, Catalonia.
18 June - Las Hogueras de San Juan, Alicante
Coinciding with the Summer solstice and are like a smaller version of Las Fallas in Valencia, wood and paper maché structures (hogueras)are erected around the city centre and suburbs. Next to each one an open-air cafe is put up, called barracas, and local people belong to one barraca and contribute cash to finance them. On the last night of fiestas, enormous palmtree-shaped fireworks are let off from the top of Alicante castle, overlooking the city and the hogueras are burnt one by one.
23 June - Eve of St John the Baptist's Day, Catalonia.
Celebrated with big bonfires, firecrackers and fireworks, and people eat the traditional "coca de Sant Joan" (a pastry).
24 June - Public holiday in Catalonia for St John's Day patron saint of Catalonia.
The Catalans celebrate Saint George's day by offering a rose and/or book, and the main shopping streets of Barcelona are filled with book stands.
30 June – Final of the Feria of Theatre in Palma del Rio, Cordoba
1 July - The Festival of Classical Theatre, Merida, Extremadura
6–14 July - San Fermin Festival and Running of the Bulls, Pamplona, Navarra
Famous bull-running event mythologised by Hemmingway and beloved of reckless


Pope Benedict XVI
tourists everywhere. If you haven't got the guts or money, you can watch it live on television every day.
8-9 July - Pope Benedict XVI visits Valencia. Hundreds of thousands are expected to attend the two-day visit of the Pontiff to Spain's third city to mark the Fifth World Meeting of the Family.
11 July - San Sebastian stages the Basque Festival of Theatre

16-24 July - Expo Science Europe, Tarragona


The spanish civil war
18 July - 70th anniversary of the begining of the Spanish Civil War
20 July - PopRock Festival in Benicassim, Castellon
One of the biggest and best festival in Spain. Forget awful Spanish Europop, this attrats the best bands from Britain and the US.www.fiberfib.com
21 July - 41st San Sebastian Jazz Festival
5-27 July - Spanish Gold Panning Championships Navelgas, Asturias
25 July - Public holiday for Saint James' Day
except in Andalusia, Catalonia and Navarra.
16 August - First anniversary of the helicopter crash in which 17 soldiers died in Afghanistan.
14-16 August - Creamfields Andalusia, Playa de Villacarios, Almeria.
This famous British clubbing festival comes to Spain once again. This year's line-up has not been announced. See website, www.creamfields-andalucia.com
15 August - Public holiday for the Ascension of the Virgin Mary
19 August - Seventieth anniversary of the murder of Spanish poet Gabriel Garcia Lorca who was shot by Franco's troops at start of the Civil War.
26 August-17 September - Spain's equivalent of the Tour de France begins.
31 August - La Tomatina, Bunol, near Valencia.
Famous festival where everyone throws tomatoes at each other. At least 100,000 kilogrammes are normally used. Contact: www.lahoya.net
4 September - Paserela Cibeles or Madrid fashion week has its second chance to hit the catwalk this year.
21 September - San Sebastian International Film Festival
Spain's premier film festival begins
24 September - La Mercè festival, Catalonia
This is the festival for Barcelona's patron saint, held in the week of the 24 September, the day of La Mercè. All kinds of activities are organized, for all tastes and all ages. Of particular interest is the "correfoc" (fire-breathing dragons from all over Catalonia), and the pyrotechnical music show (fireworks and classical music next to the Montjuïc fountains).
26 September - International Festival of Music in Barcelona, timed to go with La Merce festival. It includes the Live Music Market in Vic, Catalonia, and the Festival BCN Accio Musical, Barcelona
26 September - Womex 06 World Music Festival, Seville.
One of the major music festivals in the world.
1 October - First opera season at Valencia's Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia, which was deisgned by Santiago Calatrava.
3 October - Madrid´s Thyssen Museum starts exhibition of the works of Sargent and Sorolla.
5-15 October - Sitges International Festival of Film.
Showing the best horror, fantasy and downright strange films around. Hollywood stars always turn up. This year they are paying homage to David Lynch.
11-15 October - Girona Film Festival
12 October - Public holiday for Spain's National Day
14-22 October ATP Golfing Masters tournament in Madrid
28 October - 50th anniversary of the start of TVE, Spain´s state television channel
1 November -All Saint's Day, public holiday
2 November - 7th edition of Latin Grammy awards; Third Irish Fleadh, with best Irish music around, Caceres Theatre, Caceres.
Until 5 November
3-19 November - Granada International Jazz Festival
Major jazz festival which attracts international stars. Line-up for this year, not yet announced.
6-November - Madrid's Thyssen Museum opens a major exhibition called Express featuring the work of Rauschenburg.
Until 17 February.
14 November - Museum of Reina Sofia, Madrid, begins exhibition of German painter, Jose Albers.
Until 17 February
6-8 December - 'El Puente' or Bridge national holiday.
Spain celebrates El Dia del Constitucion - Constitution Day, on 6 December and the Day of the Immaculate Conception on 8 December.
22 December - El Gordo lottery is drawn
25 December - Christmas
26 December - Public holiday for Boxing Day
31 December - New Year's Day

wish i was going to see Van Morrison in Madrid. i've seen him loads of times here in the UK, but would really love to see him there. Is anyone going to see him?

I have to asked. Do people celebrate this day?

Also the festivities of Moors and Christians in Alcoy is not listed. Is it not going to take place this year?

Bill

One typo on Expatica's list: The June 24th "The Catalans celebrate Saint George's day by offering a rose and/or book, and the main shopping streets of Barcelona are filled with book stands." belongs up on April 23rd, which is St. George's Day or, in Catalan, Sant Jordi and also is International Book Day.

One other I would day is Catalunya's Day of Independence: September 11th. It is a holiday in the province of Catalunya. I was there in 2001, a very quiet city, reading a book in my neighborhood park (Monterols), when my cell phone rang and a Spanish friend in Tarragona called asked me if I had heard/seen the news out of NYC. The next day, September 12th, when many children were returning to school after summer break, they all were wearing "I Love NY" tee shirts over their uniforms and NY Yankee baseball caps as they quietly walked to school. I will never forget it.

The expatica.com list is far from comprehensive:

Conspicuous by their absence from their calendar are Carnaval, best in Cadiz Semana Santa, best in Sevilla; and Sevilla's Bienal de Flamenco in Sep-Oct, 2006

Right you are Eddie - suppose I should have looked more closely but did a quick copy 'n paste job prior to posting .... price one pays for dreaming of Spain while at work

About the smoking ban, just back in Jerez after having been away for the holidays, and what I've noticed is practically EVERYWHERE the bars and restaurants have continued to allow smoking in their establishments, I've even heard of a few places that started the year and the new law pronouncing their establishment non-smoking, then changing it over once they saw their business drop! Any similar stories in other parts of Spain?

Most bars and restaurants in my neighborhood still allow smoking. It makes sense. If you have to choose between allowing smokers and allowing children under sixteen, the answer is obvious to most.

Anyway, I think this is a choice that has to be made by establishments which are smaller than 100 square meters. If the place is larger, then the owners are required to have a non-smoking section. Can anyone confirm that for me?

I'm not sure why, but it seems like there is a lot of misinformation about this. Children are still allowed into bars and restaurants where smoking is permitted. They are not allowed in the smoking sections of restaurants that have non-smoking sections.

You're right, Mariposita, there seems to be a lot of misinformation.

The reason for my understanding (or misunderstanding, if you will) is that when the law was close to being enacted, the allowing of minors in a bar was an issue. At least that is how I understood it on Spanish radio. Bars and restaurants under 100 m2 could decide what they wanted to do. If they went with a smoking ban, then minors under 18 (I originally said sixteen) could not go in. At least that was the debate.

But what you say makes sense because I saw some friends of mine, who are smokers, go into a "smoking" bar with their kids who were definitely under eighteen. I thought to myself that it was strange because I thought minors couldn't enter. So, you may be right, but here's my point (and I realize we are digressing from the main topic here):

1) What's the point of the law in the first place? No bar, given the choice, would ban smoking.

2) What I've been told is that the national government has enacted the law but has left it up to the Comunidades Autónomas (state level, for those of you who are more familiar with the American system) to point out the specifics, including inspections and fines. Apparently the Comunidad de Madrid has not delineated these points and therefore, for the moment, no establishment can be raided or fined until the law has been completely spelled out.

Anyway, as far as I know, if the bar prohibits smoking, minors are not allowed in. But I'm curious to know the truth. Can anyone confirm this.

One more thing: Newspaper stand owners are on the verge of going on strike. A good chunk of their income came through selling cigarettes and now they can't selll them (personally I think this part of the law is absurd). In just a week or two they've noticed the difference.