Semana Santa Seville 2020
- When: 5th -12th April 2020
- Where: Seville, Spain
- Website: semana-santa.org
Of all the Holy Week celebrations in Spain, Seville’s Easter week is a religious spectacle like no other and this year, Semana Santa, Spain’s Easter celebrations, are from the 5th to 12th April 2020. Undoubtedly the most famous place in Spain to celebrate the Easter festival is indeed Seville, located in the region of Andalusia, with a packed schedule of events, including the famous processions.
Processions galore
The turnout to see the Seville Easter processions is astonishing and the religious fervour, devotion and passion in Seville is felt in every corner of the city. The Seville Easter parades 2020 will be organised by brotherhoods local to the city, each one with their own specific day and route to follow.
Some of these processions stay in the historic centre of Seville and others take long, winding routes, accompanied by thousands of people dressed in traditional clothes who bring realism to the traditional Spanish acting out of the crucifixion of Christ. There are serious brotherhoods for the more sombre religious processions and others which are more laid-back which organise the more popular parades. Whatever the case, they either take place in the afternoon or at night, except for the famous “madrugá”, which starts at 1 o’clock in the morning.
Seville has a special colour
The Andalusian city of Seville has a rich Arabic legacy dating back to when it was first founded. The old town has many landmark buildings which have been declared World Heritage sites, as well as traditional neighbourhoods, such as La Macarena and Triana. There are lots of hotels and tourist attractions in the form of theatres, theme parks, museums, cinemas and clubs which make Seville a great place for holidays in 2020, and that’s not even to mention the taverns, terraces and bars where the art of tapas is at its best. For all these reasons and more, tourists flock to Seville en masse, especially during the Holy Week Easter festival.
Seville's Semana Santa schedule for 2020
Easter week in Seville kicks off on the Friday and Saturday with simple processions away from the city centre. Palm Sunday (5th April 2020), however, is a big day in the city’s calendar when people visit churches and flock to see the brotherhoods.
While the Monday is more muted and sober, Holy Tuesday is another big day with traditional processions like the Candelaria, the Bofetá and the Cristo de los Estudiantes, the students’ Christ. Wednesday brings more processions with beautiful images and impressive religious re-enactments of the Passion of the Christ. On Maundy Thursday, expectations are high and the processions are famously admired.
The Madrugá is the most exciting night of Semana Santa in Seville. This is when some of the most popular processions take place, such as La Macarena, El Gran Poder and La Esperanza de Triana. The most beautiful processions, including Las Tres Caídas (the Fallen Three), the Buena Muerte (Good Death) and La Carretería are on Good Friday, which falls on Friday 10th April this year. Seville’s Holy Week finishes on Easter Sunday with yet more solemn processions, which don’t tend to have as many attendees.
Easter in Seville carries the scent of incense and the sound of music, with musical groups playing beautiful traditional and religious songs to make your hair stand on end. This truly is one of the best Easter festivals in Spain.