Jerez opens the zambombas on November 20 and the province of Cádiz already sets the date for its Christmas
Topics Gran Teatro Falla Teatro Juan Luis Galiardo Teatro Villamarta Ubrique
The zambombas in Jerez may begin on Friday 20, the Falla and the Villamarta are already selling their carols and El Puerto, San Roque and Chiclana have dates. As for the rest, living nativity scenes and Christmas lights, we tell you what there was last year in the capital and in the towns.
Redacción ·
In the province of Cádiz, Christmas sounds before the lights come on. Since Friday, November 20, zambombas can be held in Jerez, and in the theatres there are already flamenco carols on sale for almost every weekend in December.
At this point, most town councils have not yet presented their programme. They usually do so in the second half of November. We first report what already has an official date and, for the rest, what was done last year, so you know what to expect.
| Fecha | Lugar | Cita |
|---|---|---|
| 13 de noviembre | Sanlúcar, plaza de toros | «Así canta Jerez en Navidad» |
| Del 20 de noviembre al 25 de diciembre | Jerez | Temporada oficial de zambombas |
| 29 de noviembre | Jerez, Teatro Villamarta | «Navidad flamenca a lo Peláe», de María Peláe |
| 1 de diciembre | Cádiz, Gran Teatro Falla | «Puro Cádiz», villancicos flamencos |
| 1 de diciembre | Chiclana, Teatro Moderno | «La Fragua por Navidad», a beneficio de los juguetes |
| 2 de diciembre | Cádiz, Gran Teatro Falla | Villancicos «Lumbre» |
| Del 3 al 6 de diciembre | Jerez, Teatro Villamarta | «Así canta Jerez en Navidad», siete funciones |
| Del 3 al 27 de diciembre | La Línea | Periodo de zambombas autorizadas |
| Del 5 de diciembre al 4 de enero | Cádiz, intramuros y extramuros | Belenes del Concurso de Nacimientos |
| 6 de diciembre | El Puerto, Teatro Pedro Muñoz Seca | Zambomba flamenca con la Peña El Nitri |
| 7 de diciembre | San Roque, Teatro Juan Luis Galiardo | «Así canta Jerez en Navidad» |
| 10 de diciembre | Jerez, Teatro Villamarta | «La Zambomba de la Alegría», benéfica |
| 12 de diciembre | Cádiz, Gran Teatro Falla | Gala de Navidad de la Orquesta y Coral de la UCA |
| 12 de diciembre | El Puerto, Teatro Pedro Muñoz Seca | «A compás del Puerto por Navidad» |
| 12 de diciembre | San Roque, Teatro Juan Luis Galiardo | «Papá Noel, el musical de Navidad» |
| Del 18 de diciembre al 3 de enero | Chiclana, Nueva Gadeira | Exposición de dioramas navideños |
| 19 de diciembre | Jerez, Teatro Villamarta | «Jerez Flamenca Navidad» |
| 19 de diciembre | El Puerto, Teatro Pedro Muñoz Seca | Concierto de Navidad de la Banda Maestro Dueñas |
| Del 21 de diciembre al 3 de enero | Cádiz, Teatro de la Tía Norica | «Autos de Navidad», títeres |
| 2 de enero | Arcos de la Frontera | Cabalgata de Reyes del Barrio Bajo |
| 6 de enero | Jédula (Arcos) | Cabalgata de Reyes |
Jerez: zambombas from November 20 to December 25
The zambomba of Jerez has been a Bien de Interés Cultural since 2015, and the Christmas of Jerez, a Fiesta de Interés Turístico de Andalucía. This year the bando de la alcaldesa sets the zambomba period from Friday, November 20 to Friday, December 25, both included. One day earlier than last year, when they began on the 21st.
The zambombas of bars, peñas and patios without a stage or amplification can be held from 15:00 to 00:00. Those set up in the street need a permit and will never go past 02:00; on terraces, the limit is midnight. The Ayuntamiento also again convenes the Concurso de Zambombas, which rewards those most faithful to tradition and those that bring the party to the neighbourhoods.
The Ayuntamiento has not yet presented the Christmas programme. Last year it did so on November 11, and the lights were switched on on Friday, November 21 with a free concert by Luis de Perikín. On Saturday, December 13 there was a big event in the plaza de la Asunción for the ten years of the zambomba as BIC.
Watch out for the dates circulating on the internet: some websites give this year's switch-on for the weekend of November 22 to 24. Those were the dates of 2024. The 2026 one is not yet announced. The municipal belén, set up by the Asociación de Belenistas de Jerez in the Cabildo, was open from November 22 to January 6, from 11:00 to 14:00 and from 17:30 to 20:30.
The Cabalgata de Reyes will set out on Tuesday, January 5. Melchor will be Alfredo Carrasco; Gaspar, María del Carmen Tejero, and Baltasar, Joaquín Vallejo. The Cartero Real is Ángel Sáez.
Villancicos at the Teatro Villamarta
- Sunday, November 29, 19:00: «Navidad flamenca a lo Peláe», with María Peláe.
- From Thursday, December 3 to Sunday, December 6: «Así canta Jerez en Navidad», the group of Luis de Perikín, which turns 15. Thursday at 21:00 and Friday to Sunday at 17:30 and at 21:00.
- Thursday, December 10, 20:00: «La Zambomba de la Alegría», charity concert by the Fundación Alalá.
- Saturday, December 19, 17:30 and 20:30: «Jerez Flamenca Navidad», directed by Dani Peña, with Enrique el Zambo and Jesús Méndez as guests.
«Así canta Jerez en Navidad» also goes on tour around the province: it will be on Friday, November 13 at 22:00 at the plaza de toros of Sanlúcar and on Monday, December 7 at 22:30 at the Teatro Juan Luis Galiardo in San Roque, here with tickets at 35 and 40 euros. We report it here.
Arcos: BIC zambombas and one of the oldest living belenes
The one in Arcos de la Frontera is the other zambomba declared Bien de Interés Cultural. The Ayuntamiento has already closed the deadline for brotherhoods, peñas and associations to request permission, and is preparing the Guía Oficial de Zambombas 2026, which will include those held from November 20.
The Belén Viviente, in the old town, is also under way. The Ayuntamiento has convened the photography competition to choose its poster and will present it the week of November 9 to 13. That is where the date will be known. These were last year's:
Arcos in 2025
- Belén Viviente: Saturday, December 13, from 18:00 to 22:30, through the streets of the old town, with 26 scenes.
- Zambombas BIC: on December 5 at the Palacio del Mayorazgo, on the 12th at the plazoleta de Juego Padilla, the one of the Marcelo, and on the 19th on calle Gomeles. All at 19:00.
- The Ayuntamiento published a booklet with 25 villancicos and popular romances of Arcos so that the public could sing.
The Reyes already have faces. The Cabalgata del Barrio Bajo will be on Saturday, January 2, and the one of the district of Jédula, on Wednesday, January 6.
In the capital, villancicos, puppets and belenes
The Cádiz City Council has not yet presented its programme or the date of the Christmas lights. What is on sale is the Christmas season at the Gran Teatro Falla: «Puro Cádiz», flamenco carols, on Tuesday, December 1, and «Lumbre», by David Gavira, on Wednesday, December 2, both at 20:00 and from 10 to 18 euros. On Saturday, December 12, at 20:00, the Orquesta y Coral de la Universidad de Cádiz give the Christmas Gala, from 15 to 36 euros. Tickets at the box office and on the City Council website.
La Tía Norica, the Cádiz puppets that are a Bien de Interés Cultural, perform their «Autos de Navidad» at 18:00 on December 21, 22, 23, 28, 29 and 30 and January 2 and 3, at their theatre on calle San Miguel.
The nativity scenes of the Concurso de Nacimientos, organised by the City Council with the Asociación Gaditana de Belenistas, can be visited free of charge from Saturday, December 5 to Monday, January 4, inside and outside the walls. There are scenes from organisations, from individuals and in shop windows, and each one is open at least two hours a day. A guide with all of them will be published.
The Christmas craft market, with about twenty stalls, will be set up in the plaza de la Catedral from Friday, November 27 to Tuesday, January 5, pending the City Council's announcement.
The bay: El Puerto, Chiclana and San Fernando
The Teatro Pedro Muñoz Seca in El Puerto has three events, all at 20:00. On Sunday, December 6, flamenco zambomba with the Peña El Nitri, directed by Paco León, at 15 and 20 euros. On Saturday, December 12, «A compás del Puerto por Navidad», with Jesule del Puerto and about fifteen artists; tickets will go on sale soon. And on Saturday, December 19, the Christmas Concert by the Banda Maestro Dueñas, at 6 and 8 euros. The City Council is also preparing Christmas with the Asociación de Belenistas Portuense Ángel Martínez, which will have a competition and an exhibition.
In Chiclana, Christmas begins with two charity events for the «Ningún Niño Sin Juguetes» campaign: the dinner of the Asociación de Reyes Magos, on Saturday, November 28, and «La Fragua por Navidad», on Tuesday, December 1 at 19:30 at the Teatro Moderno, at 10 euros. The Nueva Gadeira archaeological site will open an exhibition of Christmas dioramas from December 18 to January 3, with advance booking.
The bay in 2025
- El Puerto: lights switched on on Friday, November 28 in the plaza Peral, after the Cabalgata de la Estrella from the plaza de la Noria. Christmas Sweets Market in the cloister of San Agustín on December 6, 7 and 8, and zambomba in the plaza del Castillo. The Belén Viviente, with about a hundred participants, was on December 13 and 14 at the casa de hermandad del Rocío, on calle Los Moros.
- Chiclana: on Friday, November 28 the municipal nativity scene was inaugurated in the atrium of the City Council and the lights were switched on at 19:00. That day the Christmas Market opened in the plaza de Jesús Nazareno and the Santa Claus village in the plaza de las Bodegas. There were zambombas in the plaza Mayor almost every weekend and parades of Santa Claus, the Cabalgata de la Estrella and the Three Kings.
- San Fernando: the singer Nía switched on the lights on Saturday, November 29 in the plaza del Rey. The municipal nativity scene opened on December 6, from 11:00 to 14:00 and from 18:00 to 21:00.
Campo de Gibraltar
San Roque, which presents itself as «Ciudad de la Navidad», already has two events at the Teatro Juan Luis Galiardo: the zambomba of Luis de Perikín on Monday, December 7 and «Papá Noel, el musical de Navidad», on Saturday, December 12 at 19:00, at 5 euros. The rest of the programme, which reaches all the neighbourhoods, is still being finalised.
La Línea has set from December 3 to 27 as the period for the zambombas. They may run until 00:00 on Fridays, Saturdays and the eve of public holidays, and until 22:00 on the other days.
In Los Barrios, the Peña Cultural Taurina Toro Embolao will provide the Three Kings for the parade on January 5.
Campo de Gibraltar in 2025
- San Roque: lights switched on on Saturday, November 22 on the Alameda Alfonso XI, with a 20-metre walk-through tree and a children's park with an ice rink and carousel until Epiphany. There were living nativity scenes in Puente Mayorga, Taraguilla, Estación and Guadiaro.
- Algeciras: lights switched on on Thursday, December 4 in the plaza Alta, with zambombas and a children's party. The municipal nativity scene was set up in the courtyard of the old Hospital Militar, on calle Alfonso XI, from 10:00 to 14:00 and from 17:00 to 21:00. The one of the Asociación de Belenistas «Oro, Incienso y Mirra» also opened every day. The Belén Viviente de Pelayo opened on December 6, 7, 8, 13 and 14.
- Algeciras, January 5: Arrastre de Latas at 12:00 from the plaza de Andalucía, arrival of the Three Kings by boat at the Llano Amarillo at 13:30 and Gran Cabalgata at 17:00.
- La Línea: lights switched on on Friday, November 28 at 20:30 in the plaza de la Iglesia, with lights also on the avenidas del Ejército and de España.
Living nativity scenes in the province
None has announced its 2026 date yet. They usually do so in late November or early December. These were last year's, to give an idea:
Living nativity scenes in 2025
- Arcos de la Frontera: Saturday, December 13, from 18:00 to 22:30, in the old town.
- Medina Sidonia: Sunday, December 14, from 12:00 to 19:00, with more than 60 scenes. It opened an hour earlier for families with children with ASD or reduced mobility, with a pass requested by WhatsApp.
- Vejer de la Frontera: Sunday, December 7, from 13:00 to 20:00, on a route through the historic centre that starts at the Plazuela and continues along the church atrium, calle Castillo and the Judería.
- Ubrique: Saturday, December 13, in the old town.
- Chiclana: Saturday, December 13, from 16:00 to 21:00, the one by the Federico García Lorca residents' association.
- El Puerto de Santa María: December 13 and 14, at the Rocío brotherhood house.
- Algeciras: the Pelayo one, on December 6, 7, 8, 13 and 14, in the morning and some days also in the afternoon.
Lighting ceremonies and programmes in other towns
Sanlúcar, Conil and Ubrique are also preparing their Christmas. Last year it was like this:
More towns in 2025
- Sanlúcar de Barrameda: the municipal nativity scene was inaugurated on December 6 at the Rafael Pablos library and the lights, with snow, on Sunday, December 7. The parade set off on January 5 at 17:00.
- Conil: lights switched on on Friday, November 28 at 20:30, with snow and zambomba. There were municipal zambombas on December 6 on calle Cádiz, on the 19th at La Bodega and on the 20th at El Colorado, and the Three Kings arrived on January 5 along La Fontanilla beach.
- Ubrique: Christmas market from November 27 to 30 in the plaza del Ayuntamiento, lights switched on on November 29 and zambombas in the neighbourhoods from December 5.
And in several towns people are already thinking about January 5. Rota has drawn its Three Kings, its Star and its Royal Postman, and its nativity makers are preparing the Regional Congress of Nativity Makers. Benalup-Casas Viejas chooses its Three Kings by draw, with registration until Friday, November 13. In San José del Valle, the Three Kings will give a gift to every child aged 1 to 11 before the parade; the ticket is collected at the Ayuntamiento until December 18.
In What's On: 'Puro Cádiz' villancicos flamencos · 1 de December
In What's On: Villancicos Lumbre · 2 de December
Special Zambombas de Jerez 2026Shall we let you know what matters?