If you’ve ever been curious about why people get so misty‑eyed talking about Carnival in Cádiz, 2026 is a good year to understand it properly. This isn’t a glossy parade-first carnival like Tenerife. Cádiz is sharper, noisier, funnier and far more local at heart.
- Cadiz Carnival 2026 dates and key information
- What is the Cadiz Carnival and why it’s different
- Cadiz Carnival 2026 programme and schedule
- COAC 2026 at the Gran Teatro Falla
- Cadiz Carnival 2026 parades, street events and traditions
- Cádiz Sonora concerts during Carnival 2026
- Carnival food festivals
- Pregón del Carnaval
- Cadiz Carnival 2026 tickets and how to watch live
Cadiz Carnival 2026 dates and key information
The official Carnival period in Cádiz runs from Thursday, 12th February to Sunday, 22nd February 2026.
- Carnival is celebrated as a festival of International Tourist Interest
- The main street celebrations begin on Saturday, 14th February
- The closing day is Sunday, 22 February, known as Domingo de Piñata
- The traditional end comes with the burning of the Bruja Piti
What is the Cadiz Carnival and why it’s different
Cádiz is often described as Spain’s biggest carnival and one of the best carnivals to visit in the country. The festival is built around humour, irony and commentary. Politics, celebrity scandals, local gossip and national absurdities all get pulled apart in song. The city has a long tradition of laughing at itself, and Carnival is where that really comes out.
Lyrics matter far more than costumes. You’ll hear thick Andalusian accents, local slang and jokes that make more sense once you’ve spent a bit of time in the city. Compared to Tenerife’s carnival, which leans into spectacle, costumes and big parades, Cádiz is more about wit, voice and proximity.
Cadiz Carnival 2026 programme and schedule
The Carnival programme mixes official events with a huge amount of informal street activity. Evenings and late nights are the busiest, especially from Saturday 14th onwards.
Key Carnival dates
These are the dates that shape the week:
Date | Main events |
|---|---|
Thursday 12 February | Official lighting and Romanceros Final at the Gran Teatro Falla |
Friday 13 February | COAC Grand Final |
Saturday 14 February | Batalla de Coplas and official start of the street carnival |
Sunday 15 February | Carruseles de Coros and the Gran Cabalgata |
Monday 16 February | Lunes de Coros, with a public‑holiday feel |
Tuesday 17 February | Quema del Dios Momo |
Saturday 21 February | Cabalgata del Humor |
Sunday 22 February | Domingo de Piñata and burning of the Bruja Piti |
Sunday 1 March | Carnaval Chiquito, the local encore |
COAC 2026 at the Gran Teatro Falla
The COAC, or Concurso Oficial de Agrupaciones Carnavalescas, is the backbone of Cádiz Carnival. It takes place at the Gran Teatro Falla and runs through several phases before Carnival week even starts.
- Four phases: preliminaries, quarter-finals, semi-finals and the Grand Final
- Adult semi-finals take place from 8th to 11th February
- The Grand Final is held on Friday, 13th February
- Children’s final: 7th February
- Teenagers’ final: 6th February
- Romanceros final: 12th February
Tickets are notoriously hard to get, and most sell out well in advance.
Groups performing in COAC and on the streets
You’ll see the same types of groups both on stage and roaming the streets:
- Chirigotas: comic groups known for sharp satire and crowd-pleasing humour
- Comparsas: more serious, musically complex and often emotional
- Coros: large groups that often perform while moving through the streets
- Cuartetos: theatrical, absurd and deliberately unconventional
- Romanceros: solo performers telling stories with visual boards and verse
Cadiz Carnival 2026 parades, street events and traditions
The most visually familiar event is the Gran Cabalgata, or Main Parade, on Sunday, 15th February, which runs along the main avenue and draws big crowds.
Beyond that, much of Carnival happens without barriers or schedules. Carruseles de Coros move through the historic centre, while street groups cluster in areas like La Viña, El Pópulo and Mentidero.
Already this year, a comedy group dressed and performed as Stephen Hawking to raise awareness of ALS. The video went viral and has sparked debate about where the line sits between sharp satire, homage and bad taste.
Cádiz Sonora concerts during Carnival 2026
Alongside the traditional events, Cádiz hosts a series of official concerts under the Cádiz Sonora banner:
- 12 February, 19:00: Las Guerras K‑Pop
- 15 February, 22:00: Judeline
- 18 February, 21:00: DenisDenis and Miss Caffeina
- 19 February, 22:00: Pastora Soler
- 20 February, 22:00: G5 (Kiko Veneno, El Canijo de Jerez, Tomasito, Muchachito Bombo Infierno and Diego Ratón)
- 21 February, 21:00: Vera Fauna and Lori Meyers
- 22 February, 12:00: Luli Pampín
Carnival food festivals
Carnival in Cádiz really starts weeks before the official dates, thanks to a run of traditional food events:
- Ostionada Popular: Sunday 25 January, Plaza de San Antonio
- Erizada Popular: Sunday 1 February, Calle La Palma
- Mejillonada Popular: Sunday 1 February, Peña La Perla
- Gambada Popular: Sunday 8 February, Peña La Perla
- Chicharronada Popular: Sunday 8 February, Plaza de la Catedral
Pregón del Carnaval
The symbolic start of Carnival week is the Pregón del Carnaval, held on Saturday, 14th February in Plaza de San Antonio. In 2026, the pregón will be delivered by Manu Sánchez, and it marks the moment when the city really switches gear.
Cadiz Carnival 2026 tickets and how to watch live
For many visitors, COAC tickets are simply unrealistic. The good news is that the competition is broadcast in full. All COAC sessions are shown live by Onda Cádiz TV at 8 pm, from the preliminaries through to the grand final.
- Television: TDT: Channel 38, Vodafone TV: Channel 702 (Cádiz province)
- Online: Livestream via Onda Cádiz Digital, YouTube channel: Onda Cádiz Carnaval, Twitch channel: Onda Cádiz TV
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