Plaza Vieja
The day opens on the Plaza Vieja — the Plaza de la Constitución, seat of the city council — with the institutional act presided over by the mayor in front of the town hall.
The memory of a city
A tradition that comes
from 1489
On 26 December 1489, the Catholic Monarchs took possession of Almería, which was incorporated into the Crown of Castile. From that day was born a commemoration the city has never stopped celebrating: the Día del Pendón, every 26 December.
It is neither a re-enactment nor a festival: it is a civic act, sober and solemn, in which the city council, presided over by the mayor, honours the founding date of modern Almería. December 2025 marked the 536th anniversary — more than five centuries of unbroken tradition, and counting.
For the visitor, it is a rare opportunity: to watch an entire city lean into its own history in the heart of the monumental centre, between the Plaza Vieja and the Cathedral, a stone's throw from the Alcazaba.
1489
the taking of the city, on 26 December
+5
centuries of unbroken tradition
×3
times the pendón is waved from the balcony
The rite
One morning,
three moments
The Día del Pendón follows a fixed ceremonial, repeated every 26 December through the historic centre of Almería.
On the way to the Cathedral
A civic-religious procession crosses the historic centre from the Plaza Vieja to the Cathedral, where a solemn mass is celebrated.
The pendón at the balcony
Back at the town hall, the historic pendón is waved three times from the balcony with the proclamation formula: "Almería por Andalucía, por España, los Reyes Católicos…".
December in the province
A month to combine
The Día del Pendón closes a December full of dates: a few weeks earlier, from the 5th to the 8th, Alhama de Almería celebrates its patron saint festivals of San Nicolás and La Purísima; and all month long, nativity scenes and Christmas lights accompany a stroll through the capital and the villages. One December getaway is enough for all of it — and to understand where this land comes from.
Practical information
Plan your visit
Date
26 December, every year
Place
Almería city · Plaza Vieja and Cathedral, in the historic centre
Access
Public act in the street · open to all
More information
turismodealmeria.org and almeriaciudad.es
Photographs: JamesNarmer, Javi.cavi, Jebulon · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA / CC0