Other festivals

San Blas. 3rd of February

The image of the saint is venerated in the Church of San Nicolás, where the faithful flock to have food blessed. On the day of the festival, the porches around the church are full of stalls selling pastries and sweets which have been blessed. This market has a long tradition in the city.

Santa Águeda. 4th of February

The eve of the day of Santa Águeda is celebrated on the 4th of February. On this day, young people pass through the streets of the city singing popular songs in Basque about the life of Santa Águeda, while marking the rhythm with their sticks (makilas) on the ground.

Holy Week

Easter Thursday

The Vow of the Five Wounds is commemorated on Easter Thursday. The original act took place in 1599 with the city devastated by the plague. In the face of the impotence of the population, it was decided that the symbol of the five wounds of Christ and the crown of thorns should be paraded through the streets of the city. Following the procession, the plague vanished.

In commemoration of this, the Council attends the Church of San Agustín in full ceremonial attire to celebrate the Solemn Act of the retaking of the Vow and the effigy memorialising the event, the Five wounds and the Crown of thorns, is carried in procession.

Good Friday

The most representative act of Holy Week in Pamplona is the Procession of the Holy Burial. The image of Our Lady of La Soledad, better known as “La Dolorosa”, is carried from the Cathedral to the Church of San Agustín.

The Return of la Dolorosa, from the Church of San Agustín to the Church of San Lorenzo takes place in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Both processions are organised by the Hermandad de la Pasión del Señor.

San Miguel de Aralar. Monday following Easter Monday

The image of Saint Michael Archangel arrives in the city on the Monday following Easter Monday. A crowd of locals and the "angelico de la Misericordia” await it in the Park of Antoniutti. When the image arrives, the group sets off for the Church of San Nicolás, where it is venerated. The angel visits several churches and official centres until the following Sunday, when the faithful bid it farewell.

Privilege of the Union. 8th of September

The Privilege of the Union is celebrated on the 8th of September. The Privilege was the treaty, signed by King Carlos III in 1423, by which the city, until then divided into three parts, was united under a single Council, each burgh losing its walls, mayors and particular income systems. A Solemn Mass with floral offering and prayer in the memory of King Carlos III the Noble and Queen Leonor of Trastámara is held in Pamplona Cathedral, where their remains lie at rest, to commemorate the union of the three burghs.

San Fermín of Aldapa. 25th of September

The festival to commemorate the martyrdom of San Fermin is celebrated on the 25th of September. Different festive acts take place in Navarrería, near to the Cathedral, from Thursday to Sunday, the previous week. The fiestas get under way with the launching of a rocket by the "alcalde Txiki" (Little Mayor), a local child, and there is a whole range of activities over the next few days, including a procession and "Pobre de Mí" (Act marking the end of the fiesta).

Saint Saturnine. 29th of November

The 29th of November is a bank holiday in Pamplona in honour of the city’s patron saint, Saint Saturnine, who baptised Pamplona’s first Christians, including its first Bishop, San Fermin, The day is celebrated with several institutional events, including a procession and a mass in the church bearing the saint"s name, attended by the Council, together with “giants”, a music band and a gala procession.

Christmas

Olentzero

New Year’s Eve

The night of New Year’s Eve has become a carnival-like night of fancy dress and masks. The party is not officially organised, but rather a popular initiative which has taken firm root.

The Three Wise Men

The Parade of the Three Wise Men from the East is Pamplona’s most popular Christmastide event. Children and grown-ups line the streets of the city to see the royal carriages and the Three Kings, Melchior, Gaspar and Balthazar. The parade begins at the Casa de la Misericordia Old People’s Home and passes through the streets of the city to the Bullring.

Tourism

• San Fermin fiestas