Marbella

Marbella’s Fiestas and Gastronomy

Marbella’s cosmopolitan character has not diluted the city’s festive traditions—perhaps just the opposite. It has, however, diversified its entertainment offer to cater to an ever more heterogeneous population. The San Bernabé Fair in the first week of June is the celebration most deeply rooted in folk tradition of the entire Marbella festive calendar. During the day, the fair is held in the Arroyo de la Represa, and with the coming of night, the excitement moves to the fairgrounds. In both places a markedly Andalusian touch predominates, with foreign visitors joining in with genuine enjoyment. The various districts hold their own festivals. Nueva Andalucía’s are in the third week of July, Las Chapas’s in August and El Ángel’s in early October. In addition all the neighbourhoods of Marbella stage popular fiestas and street parties.

In May, the pilgrimage is held to Cruz de Juanar, an iconic site in the mountain range of the same name. San Pedro Alcántara, Marbella’s second largest centre of population, decks itself out for four days around 19 October to honour its patron saint. The fair revolves around the municipal booth, where the most notable performances are held. The fair includes the saint’s procession through the streets of the urban district.

Just as in most mountain villages, Marbella celebrates its traditional "tostón" (chestnut roast) on 1 November, the Todos los Santos (All Saints) festival. Numerous groups of young people spend the day in the country where they roast chestnuts that are enjoyed along with the locally produced brandy.

It is during Holy Week, though, that Marbella shows its most Andalusian face. This celebration is not only perfectly compatible with the customs and usages of the thousands of foreign residents but has also been strengthened in recent decades by the creation of new brotherhoods.

The first documentary evidence of this religious manifestation in Marbella dates from the sixteenth century and affirms the existence of the Misericordia (Mercy) and Vera Cruz (True Cross) brotherhoods. There are only a few historical snippets from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries that can be pointed to as support of the continuity of this tradition, which experienced a definite resurgence beginning in the 1960’s. There are nine brotherhoods that stage a Procession of Penance in Marbella and the urban districts of San Pedro Alcántara and Nueva Andalucía, where on Palm Sunday there is a live re-enactment of the Entry into Jerusalem.

The walls of the ancient Arabic castle are a beautiful historical stage setting that you can watch Our Father Jesus and Our Lady of Peace pass by on their Entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. The bringing down of the throne of María Santísima del Calvario (Our Lady of Calvary) from her chapel on Maundy Thursday is one of the most arresting moments during Holy Week in Marbella.

The Marbella International Film Festival’s goal is to make known independent filmmakers and offer them the chance to show their work. The festival is also aimed at gathering businessmen, producers, supporters and artists so that they can meet each other. The festival, in early October, features film screenings, music and dance shows, art shows, workshops, conferences, fashion shows, and so forth.

In September, Marbella becomes a huge gallery of contemporary art when Marb Art opens as a collectors’ event drawing the best present-day artists. As a space to share interests and experiences, Marb Art is aimed at gathering art dealers, collectors and artists.

From January to June, Marbella celebrates its musical Saturdays, a series of classical music concerts featuring young talents. They are held in the local convention centre and are conceived of as a way to promote classical music among young people. The concerts are becoming increasingly popular, attracting big audiences every year. In February, there is a Family Concert, an event that gathers local families and invites the little ones to take part.

The Marbella and San Pedro Alcántara Trade Fair attracts large crowds. It takes place between October and November. Travel, arts & crafts, food, furniture, relax, photography, home, wellness industries, among others, take part in the fair, which is housed in the local convention centre, over a surface area of 3,000 square metres. Within the framework of the fair, "De Picoteo" food fair and the comic theatre festival take place.

In December, the Conference Centre plays host to the Christmas charity bazaar, an event aimed at raising funds to be given out to associations and people in need.

As in any other coastal municipality in Málaga "pescaíto frito" (small fried fish) is the most requested traditional dish in Marbella, along with paella, gazpacho and ajoblanco, which also hold their own at the top of the most traditional menus. Marbella’s culinary offer goes far beyond that, however, as this municipality with good reason is famous with international gourmets. Several of the most famous restaurants on the Costa del Sol are located in Marbella, where international haute cuisine combining the traditional and the innovative has gained full acceptance.