La Rioja, a land of festivals all year round
La Rioja is small in size but immense in traditions. From the bonfires of San Antón to the Christmas markets, there is not a single month without something to celebrate.
From Casa Rural Río Tirón in Tormantos you are in the heart of the Rioja Alta, a stone’s throw from the most important festivals. Here you have all the major festivals of 2026, month by month, with dates, locations and distances.
“In La Rioja there is always a festival nearby. You just need to know when and where.”
Overview: the must-see festivals of 2026
A quick glance at the most important dates. Below, full details for each month.
| Month | Festival | Location | From Tormantos |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | San Antón Bonfires | Various villages | 5–30 min |
| February | Haro Carnival | Haro | 20 min |
| Mar–Apr | Holy Week | Haro, Logroño | 20–45 min |
| May | Fiestas de la Cruz | Various villages | 10–30 min |
| June | Batalla del Vino / San Bernabé | Haro / Logroño | 20 / 45 min |
| July | Patron saint festivals | Tormantos and villages | 0–20 min |
| August | Ezcaray and Sto. Domingo festivals | Ezcaray, Sto. Domingo | 30–35 min |
| September | San Mateo – Grape Harvest | Logroño | 45 min |
| October | Vegetable Gastronomy Days | Calahorra and Rioja Baja | 70 min |
| November | San Martín – New Wine | Various villages | 15–30 min |
| December | Christmas markets / Olentzero | Logroño, Haro | 20–45 min |
January: San Antón bonfires
The festive year kicks off with fire. On 17 January, the feast of San Antón, dozens of Riojan villages light monumental bonfires in their squares. Animals are blessed, old junk is burned and neighbours share mulled wine and grilled chorizos.
San Antón Bonfires
What to expect: enormous bonfires in the main square, blessing of animals, tasting of grilled produce and a warm community atmosphere. Some villages hold bonfire competitions and torch parades.
Why go: the most authentic rural festival of winter. No tourists, no staging: just neighbours, fire and wine.
Tirgo and Anguciana: 5–10 min from Tormantos | Haro: 20 min
If you visit Casa Rural Río Tirón in January, ask us which villages are holding bonfires that week. Afterwards, the txoko fireplace is the perfect ending.
February: Riojan carnivals
The Riojan carnivals may not have the fame of those in Cádiz, but they are intimate and tremendous fun. The most notable are in Haro, where local groups and troupes take over the streets with costumes, brass bands and parades.
Haro Carnival
What to expect: parade of troupes, fancy dress competition, brass bands, evening dance and the traditional “burial of the sardine”. Local groups prepare themed floats.
Why go: festive atmosphere without crowds. Combine it with a pintxos route around la Herradura.
Haro: 20 min from Tormantos
Santo Domingo de la Calzada, Nájera and Logroño also hold Carnival programmes. In 2026 it falls on the weekend of 14–15 February.
March–April: Holy Week
Holy Week in La Rioja is emotional and solemn. Without the Andalusian baroque, the processions have a beauty of their own that is well worth experiencing.
Holy Week in Haro
What to expect: centuries-old brotherhoods with floats of great artistic value. Good Friday is the main procession: members in robes, torches and drums through cobbled streets. The church of Santo Tomás is the focal point.
Why go: processions in an exceptional architectural setting. And when they finish, the bars are still open with their pintxos.
Haro: 20 min from Tormantos
Logroño: 45 min from Tormantos
In 2026: Palm Sunday on 29 March, Easter Sunday on 5 April. High demand: it is advisable to book well in advance.
May: Fiestas de la Cruz and spring pilgrimages
May is when La Rioja bursts into colour. The vineyards turn green, temperatures are perfect and villages celebrate the Fiestas de la Cruz (3 May) and spring pilgrimages.
Fiestas de la Cruz
What to expect: floral crosses in the squares, processions, countryside picnics and traditional dances. In some villages, “mayos” (tree trunks decorated with ribbons and flowers) are raised. Open-air meals and dulzaina and drum music.
Why go: May is perhaps the most beautiful month to be in La Rioja. Ideal for families and authentic experiences without crowds.
Santo Domingo de la Calzada: 15 min | Labastida: 30 min
In Santo Domingo de la Calzada, May hosts the celebrations of the patron saint, with processions and a medieval market in this jewel of the Camino de Santiago.
June: the Batalla del Vino and San Bernabé
June is the big month. Two unmissable events: the Batalla del Vino in Haro and the Fiestas de San Bernabé in Logroño.
Batalla del Vino in Haro
What to expect: thousands of people dressed in white climb to the Riscos de Bilibio to throw thousands of litres of red wine at each other. Festival of National Tourist Interest. Procession at 7:00, mass at 9:00, battle at 9:30. In the afternoon, bulls, local groups and an evening dance.
Why go: a unique experience in the world. Nothing else like it exists.
Read our full guide: Guide to the Batalla del Vino in Haro 2026
Haro: 20 min from Tormantos
Logroño: 45 min from Tormantos
Tip: for the Batalla del Vino, book at Casa Rural Río Tirón as far in advance as possible. It is the highest-demand date of the year.
July: village patron saint festivals
July is the month of patron saint festivals par excellence. Every village celebrates its own, and since they are so close together, you can chain festivals for weeks on end. Emigrants return, local groups bring out the brass bands and the nights are filled with dances.
Tormantos Festivals
What to expect: authentic patron saint festivals. Mass, procession, communal meal in the square, children’s games, open-air dance with a live band and a young cow run. The neighbours organise everything, cook together and dance together. If you stay at Casa Rural Río Tirón during the festivals, you experience it as a local.
0 min — you are home
5–20 min from Tormantos
Between festivals, check things to do in La Rioja to combine with hiking, wineries and river bathing.
August: Ezcaray, Santo Domingo and the mountains
August shifts the festive epicentre to the mountains. High temperatures in the valley invite you to head up to the hills, and the cultural programme never stops.
Fiestas de la Virgen de Allende in Ezcaray
What to expect: festivals around the Virgen de Allende (15 August). Bull runs through the streets, evening dances, gastronomic competitions, concerts and activities for children. Family atmosphere in a spectacular mountain setting.
Why go: Ezcaray is one of the most beautiful villages in La Rioja, with stone mansions and top-level restaurants (including Echaurren). While the valley exceeds 35°C, here the mountain freshness makes the evenings pleasant.
Ezcaray: 35 min from Tormantos
Santo Domingo de la Calzada: 15 min from Tormantos
August is also excellent for the wine route and visiting the wineries of Haro, many of which host special events in summer.
September: San Mateo and the Grape Harvest
The Fiestas de San Mateo are the largest festivals in La Rioja. Logroño celebrates for a week the grape harvest and the new wine. It is the great wine festival of Rioja.
Fiestas de San Mateo – Grape Harvest Festival
What to expect: central event of the Grape Treading on the Espolón, concerts in the Plaza del Mercado, bull runs, float parade, local groups with brass bands, DO Rioja wine tasting stalls, fireworks and evening dances. Calle Laurel becomes a hive of activity at all hours.
Why go: the biggest festival in La Rioja. If you want to understand what wine means to this land, San Mateo is the moment. Perfect climate: warm days, cool nights and the golden autumn light tinting the vineyards.
Logroño: 45 min from Tormantos
Beyond San Mateo, September is the month of the grape harvest: teams in the vineyards, tractors loaded with grapes and wineries offering participatory harvest experiences. From Casa Rural Río Tirón you are surrounded by vineyards to experience it first-hand.
Did you know? Many wineries offer participatory harvesting: cutting grapes, treading bunches and tasting must. Ask us when you book.
October: gastronomic events
Harvest finished, vineyards in red and gold: October is the month of gastronomy. Restaurants and bars celebrate the fruits of the land with themed events that are reason enough to travel.
Vegetable Gastronomy Days
What to expect: La Rioja is a land of market gardens as well as vineyards. Events celebrating artichokes, asparagus, peppers and borage with special menus, producers’ markets and cooking demonstrations.
Why go: special menus at reasonable prices in restaurants across the region. Many in Haro, Santo Domingo and Logroño take part, so there is no need to go all the way to Calahorra.
Participating restaurants in Haro: 20 min | Calahorra: 70 min
October is also the month of landscape: the vineyards turn from green to yellow, orange and purple. The best time for walking among the vines and taking photographs.
November: San Martín and the new wine
“On San Martín you taste the wine and slaughter the pig.” 11 November marks the moment to taste the new wine and celebrate with traditional butchering feasts and communal meals.
San Martín: new wine festival
What to expect: tastings of the first young wine from the 2026 harvest, traditional pork tapas (chorizo, black pudding, pork scratchings), roast lamb. Some wineries organise tastings comparing the new wine with previous vintages.
Why go: tasting a wine fresh from fermentation is an experience you can only have at source. The autumnal atmosphere with the first mists over the Ebro adds a special touch.
Local wineries: 15–30 min from Tormantos
November is quiet —perfect for enjoying Casa Rural Río Tirón at a leisurely pace: fireplace in the txoko, walks among bare vineyards and winery visits without crowds.
December: Christmas, markets and Olentzero
The year closes with Christmas celebrations that blend Castilian traditions with Basque and Navarrese influences.
Christmas markets
What to expect: Christmas market on the Espolón in Logroño with craft and sweet stalls. Spectacular lighting. In Haro, the Plaza de la Paz hosts a smaller but charming market. Live nativity scenes in several villages and carol concerts.
Why go: perfect for Christmas group getaways: Christmas Eve dinner in the txoko, a visit to the Haro market and a toast with the finest wines of the harvest.
Haro: 20 min | Logroño: 45 min
Varies by village: 15–40 min
In December, the txoko fireplace becomes the heart of the house. Cold outside, warmth of home inside, wine and good company.
Tips for enjoying Riojan festivals
Our most useful tips after years of experience:
- Book well in advance for key dates. Batalla del Vino (June), San Mateo (September) and Holy Week are the highest-demand periods.
- Always ask us. We can tell you which festivals are on nearby during your stay. Sometimes the best ones are in a tiny village 5 minutes away.
- Keep an open mind. Riojan festivals are authentic: genuine, spontaneous, sometimes chaotic. Accept the glass of wine offered to you and enjoy.
- Carry cash. At village festivals, card payments are not always accepted.
- Designated driver. Festivals and wine go hand in hand. Take turns driving.
- Respect the village. Enjoy with the locals, don’t leave litter and respect the traditions.
Important: some dates are approximate. Confirm with the village council or ask us: we are up to date with the entire area’s festival calendar.