Antequera carnival groups are ready for the festivities, which take place from 6 to 15 February

Zoom

The proclamation will start the activities on Friday 6 February

Antonio J. Guerrero

Friday, 23 January 2026, 13:39

Carnival will be celebrated in Antequera from 6 to 15 February, featuring a proclamation, competitions, a carousel and performances by local groups that blend humour with music. These groups are driving the local revival of this festival, which had waned in recent years, according to various participants.

Friday 6 February will begin with the opening speech, which this year will be given by the 'El Caldeo' association, a group of friends who have been dressing up for carnival for years and bringing rhythm and joy to other annual celebrations such as the Three Wise Men parade. "In recent years, with the tuna and the mariachis, we’ve had a great time because we provide music, we dance and we get people involved, and honestly, it’s been wonderful,” say members of the group.

The different local groups will be performing in the Sala EMMA (Escuela Municipal de Música de Antequera) and the bar LeBistrot. This year, four chirigotas (satirical singing groups) and one romancero (traditional Spanish ballad group) will be performing local and national songs.

Competition and carousel

The weekend of 14 and 15 February will be the most popular part of the festival, with a fancy dress competition and carousel on Saturday 14, details of which will be announced shortly by the town hall. And as a grand finale, the ‘meeting of groups’ (Encuentro de Agrupaciones) will take place on the Patio de Caballos of the bullring.

This is a carnival where the little ones are the ones who take centre stage, eager to dress up and rule the streets in a year packed with activities for adults.