Seville Holy Week 2026: Madrugá, brotherhoods and 2027 dates

Update (September 2026): Seville's Holy Week 2026 was held from 29th March to 5th April and all brotherhoods, from Sorrows Friday, were able to complete their route. That of 2027 will be from 21st to 28th March: Maundy Thursday falls on 25th March and Good Friday on 26th, according to the Andalusia public holiday calendar for 2027.

The Holy Week in Seville It runs from Palm Sunday to Resurrection Sunday. In 2026, 71 brotherhoods took part between Friday of Dolores and Resurrection Sunday; those that process from Palm Sunday onwards do penance at the Cathedral. On Thursday night before Holy Thursday, the Matinée, six of the most famous brotherhoods take part, including Gran Poder, Macarena and Esperanza de Triana.

If you come to see her and want to book a flamenco night, check out the opening hours and prices of the Tablao Flamenco Las Setasduring high season, such as Easter, a 16:30 tour is added.

How Holy Week in Seville is organised

Holy Week in Seville has been a Festival of International Tourist Interest since 1980. It is led by brotherhoods and confraternities, and the General Council of Hermandades and Confraternities of Seville approves its timetables and routes every year.

Each brotherhood leaves its temple, passes through Carrera Oficial, makes a penitential station in the Cathedral and returns to its neighborhood. Carrera Oficial begins at La Campana and continues through Sierpes, San Francisco Square and Constitution Avenue until the Cathedral. Before that, on Friday of Dolores and Saturday of Passion, other brotherhoods also process.

Below each step is a group of costaleros who carry the workers on their shoulders, protected by the costal. The foreman leads them from outside, with his own vocabulary and the blows of the caller. For decades, the costaleros were wage workers; in 1973, a group of costaleros brothers made the first step of the Christ of the Good Death procession of the Brotherhood of the Students.

Key days and best-known brotherhoods

These are some of the best-known days and brotherhoods:

• Palm Sunday La Borriquita, the brotherhood of the Sacred Entry into Jerusalem, opens the Official Route.
• Madrugá (night from Maundy Thursday to Good Friday): el Silencio, el Gran Poder, la Macarena, el Calvario, la Esperanza de Triana and los Gitanos.
• Good Friday afternoon: The Cristo de la Expiración sets off from Triana, El Cachorro.
• Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday: On Saturday the Holy Burial brotherhood, among others, processes, and on Sunday the Resurrection one brings the week to a close.

How to watch the Seville Holy Week processions

Watching the brotherhoods on the street is free. The chairs and boxes of the Official Route are distributed through season passes managed by the Council: for 2026, it raffled 686 chairs before a notary among 28,246 applications. Outside the Official Route, the most practical approach is to check the itineraries and wait for the brotherhood at a point along its route.

In 2026, the Sevilla App of the City Council allowed users to track the real-time position of the guide crosses and floats, and showed the crowds in the streets of the centre.

Getting around Seville during Holy Week

The centre can be explored on foot and the processions block streets for hours, so always allow extra time. If you are going to stay in Seville, book your accommodation in advance.

To get to the center and back, the metro is a good option. In 2026, the Seville Metro extended its hours to 2:00 AM, provided uninterrupted service on Thursday and Good Friday nights, and the Puerta Jerez station only operated as a departure from 1:30 PM and throughout Good Friday. If you’re taking the bus, check the Tussam detours beforehand.

What to eat during Holy Week

Lent shapes Seville's cuisine: salt cod, spinach with chickpeas, meatless Friday stews and, for dessert, torrijas and pestiños. You have the details in our guide to Easter sweets in Seville.

The saeta, the song of Holy Week

As the images pass by, a saeta can be heard: a short couplet that is sung without accompaniment, from a balcony or from the street. The flamenco version is sung by seguiriyas, by martinetes or as a carcelera. We tell you about it what is flamenco saeta and where does it come from.

Flamenco at Las Setas after the processions

Tablao Flamenco Las Setas is located at Plaza de la Encarnación, 38, on the ground floor of the Cathedral Metropol Parasol, about 10 minutes' walk from the Cathedral. There are performances at 18:00, 19:30, 21:00 and 22:30, and one more at 16:30 during the high season. Each show lasts 60 minutes, without intermission, with 8 artists on stage from one of the tablaos. line-up of over 80 artists in rotation and artistic direction of Sandra Guerrero «La Negra».

The doors open 15 minutes before and late entry is not permitted once the show has started. During Holy Week, check the day's itineraries before heading towards La Encarnación: a procession might block your way.

Frequently asked questions about Holy Week in Seville

When is Holy Week in Seville in 2027?

From Palm Sunday, 21 March, to Easter Sunday, 28 March 2027. Maundy Thursday (25 March) and Good Friday (26 March) are public holidays in Andalusia, and the Madrugá will be the night of 25 to 26 March. In 2026, Holy Week was celebrated from 29 March to 5 April.

Do you have to pay to watch the processions?

No. The brotherhoods can be seen for free from the street. Only the chairs and boxes on the Official Route, between La Campana and the Cathedral, are paid for and are distributed through season tickets from the Council of Hermandades y Cofradías. For 2026, 686 chairs were raffled among 28,246 applications.

Which brotherhoods process on the Madrugá?

Six: El Silencio, El Gran Poder, La Macarena, El Calvario, La Esperanza de Triana and Los Gitanos. They set out on the night of Maundy Thursday and some do not return to their church until well into the morning of Good Friday: in 2026, the return of the Esperanza de Triana was scheduled for 13:45.

How to follow the routes of the brotherhoods?

The General Council of Brotherhoods and Confraternities publishes the official timetables and itineraries of all confraternities every year. In 2026, moreover, the Seville City Council's Sevilla App showed in real time where the lead crosses and floats were, along with the volume of crowds in the centre.