Holy Week in Malaga
From Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday the brotherhoods carry their tronos along the official route. Festival of International Tourist Interest.
When
Next: March 21 to 28, 2027.
From Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday; the date changes every year because it depends on Easter.
Last time: from March 29 to April 5, 2026.
Holy Week, day by day
The brotherhoods, their times and routes, the official route and the traditions.
Open the section →What it is
Malaga's Holy Week is declared a Festival of International Tourist Interest. For eight days the Passion brotherhoods carry their tronos in procession, representing the Passion of Christ from his entry into Jerusalem to the Resurrection.
A key part of its history is the Agrupación de Cofradías, founded on 21 January 1921 in the now-demolished church of La Merced and considered the first body of its kind in Spain. The Agrupación set the processions' timetables and established a stretch common to all of them, the official route, through the main streets of the centre. That same year it organised the first procession of the Risen Christ, its titular image.
The events of May 1931 destroyed much of the brotherhoods' heritage. Processions returned in 1935, were interrupted by the Civil War and resumed from 1939 onwards.
Where
Each brotherhood leaves its church or brotherhood house, often in the neighbourhoods, and heads for the centre to pass along the official route: Plaza de la Constitución, home to the main stand, Calle Marqués de Larios, Martínez, Atarazanas, Torregorda, the Alameda Principal and Plaza de la Marina, up to Molina Lario, next to the Cathedral.
On Easter Sunday the Risen Christ, titular image of the Agrupación de Cofradías, processes from the church of San Julián.
Get directions
During the processions the centre is closed to traffic and many EMT bus lines move their terminus stops out of the centre while the processions pass. Temporary taxi ranks are set up around the route.
Customs and traditions
Neighbourhoods live the departures and returns of their images with special intensity. Among the best-known moments are the transfer of Jesús Cautivo in the early hours of Holy Monday, in the Trinidad district, and the release of a prisoner by Jesús el Rico every Holy Wednesday, a privilege that tradition attributes to Charles III.
Some brotherhoods process accompanied by military units they are linked to, such as the Legion with the Christ of the Good Death on Maundy Thursday.
Many brotherhoods have a brotherhood house with a museum, where tronos, mantles and processional items can be seen up close.
FAQ
When is Holy Week in Malaga?
From Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday; the date varies every year because it depends on Easter.
What recognition does Malaga's Holy Week have?
It is declared a Festival of International Tourist Interest.
Where does the official route run?
Through Plaza de la Constitución, Calle Marqués de Larios, Martínez, Atarazanas, Torregorda, the Alameda Principal and Plaza de la Marina up to Molina Lario.
What is the release of the prisoner?
Every Holy Wednesday the brotherhood of Jesús el Rico frees a prisoner, a privilege that tradition attributes to Charles III.
Who organises Holy Week?
The Agrupación de Cofradías de Semana Santa de Málaga, founded in 1921, coordinates the brotherhoods' timetables and routes.