The top 5 Carnival celebrations in the Region of Murcia

From the spectacular parades of Águilas to the Masked Ball in Cehegín!!

Every year the people of the Region of Murcia take to the streets and fill their towns, cities and villages with colour, music and tradition as they celebrate the arrival of Carnival, and in many places their party spirit is taken a step further by flocks of visitors joining in the revelry!

The central events of Carnival are, of course, the costume and dance parades, which over the years have evolved into what they are today while never losing the essence of what Carnival is about – a final fling of exuberance before the supposed austerity of Lent. On account of this evolution each of the main Carnival celebrations is different, reflecting the choices made by the locals over the generations which have led to the parades being what they are today!

In the following lines the regional tourist board of Murcia offers suggestions as to which of the Carnival celebrations are most rewarding for visitors to attend – you’re sure to find something to your liking in the list!

1. Águilas (February 22 to March 21)

Inevitably, top of the list comes the Carnival of Águilas, where it is forecast that this year the number of visitors to the south-westernmost town in Murcia could reach half a million for the first time! This is the biggest and most colourful of the Carnivals in the Costa Cálida, and the local population spend most of the year planning and preparing their costumes and dance routines – by the time the main events come around (in early March this year) the town is at fever pitch, as schoolchildren and their grandparents (and everyone in between) are swept up in the wave of excitement which transforms Águilas every year!

Águilas Carnival is so widely-known that it has been awarded International Tourist Interest status, and it is recognized as one of the most spectacular in all of Spain. The highlights are the four major parades (on the Sunday), the release of the “Mussona” beast, the Battle of Eggshells Confetti, the Night Carnival, the Drag Queen, paper costumes and body-painting competitions and, for many, the local Carnival beverage of “cuerva” (based on wine and fruit)!

Click here for the full program of the 2025 Carnival celebrations in Águilas!

2. Carnaval de Cabezo de Torres (February 22 to March 8)

The main events of Carnival in Cabezo de Torres, just a few kilometres outside the north of the city of Murcia, take place a little earlier than in Águilas, during the last week of February, and include the children’s Carnival, the Visitors’ Parade and the Open Carnival, where anyone can join in the parade as long as they stick to the theme of the event! There are also numerous gala shows, a pet costume competition and the exhibition of the history of the local Carnival.

This is well worth a look as the Carnival of Cabezo de Torres is the oldest documented celebration of its kind in Murcia, dating back to at least 1878. Despite being suspended during the Civil War and then during Franco’s dictatorship, during the 1960s it returned in various guises – one celebration for men, another for women, etc), and since the 70s it has been a thoroughly modern affair.

Around 1,500 people take part in the parades, including the popular “chiringota” music groups, the dancers, the seamstresses and the make-up artists!

The full schedule in Spanish can be found online here.

3. Santiago de la Ribera (March 1 to 9)

Although there was an unofficial celebration of Carnival in Santiago de la Ribera, on the shore of the Mar Menor, as long ago as the 1940s, it was not until as recently as 1988 that it was officially created by the local housewives’ association to commemorate the centenary of the town, and it was then that the first parade was held.

At that time there were just 4 troupes involved, but this soon grew to around 10 times that number every year, including 20 local groups and 20 from elsewhere in Murcia and the rest of Spain. The hub of the celebrations is a large marquee on the beach, where locals and the thousands of visitors congregate to enjoy the festive atmosphere!

Click here for the full program of the 2025 Carnival celebrations in Santiago de la Ribera!

4. Cartagena (February 21 to March 4)

Another fiesta to have been awarded Regional Tourist Interest status, the Carnival of Cartagena begins on the Friday and features a series of parades, costume and musical competitions and dance performances, the highlights including the regional “chirigota” competition and the regional dance choreography competition, both of which attract large audiences every year.

The main event this year takes place on Saturday March 1, when the Grand Parade follows a route through the old city centre and concludes with the ceremonial burning of the figure of Don Carnal. This ends a week off fun and tradition on the seafront, and the start of Lent is marked by the holding of a spectacular firework display over the harbour.

The full schedule in Spanish can be found online here.

5. Cehegín (early March)

Meanwhile, in the north-west of the Region of Murcia, the Carnival celebrations begin on Sunday March 2 with more than 1,800 youngsters taking part in the children’s parade before a huge party for all of them. On Shrove Tuesday (March 4) the locals make something similar to the British tradition in their fried “tortas” and celebrate the "Noche del Reventón" (loose translation “blow-out night”!) before going out into the streets disguised behind their masks, while the official Masked Ball is held in the Palacio de los Fajardo.

On March 8 the grand Piñata event takes place, followed by the main parade when over 40 troupes await the starting signal of the traditional “Grito de Salida” (which is performed by the winner of the Masks Competition).

The program for the 2025 Carnival in Cehegín can be found here.

Plenty of opportunities, then, to create your very own Carnival memories in the Region of Murcia and join the murcianos in their celebrations! These days, of course, the religious basis of the festivities is far less significant than it used to be, but many people would argue that this is inevitable – Carnival has a life of its own, and since it was first observed in Murcia it has taken on the characteristics given to it by the creativity, inventiveness and capacity for partying of the people!

Source and images: ITREM