Christmas & New Year in Nerja
The Spanish celebrate Christmas in a different way, Christmas eve is when families get together for their festive meal, so a lot of bars and restaurants will close early that night usually around 9pm.
As the Spanish don’t really celebrate on Christmas Day it is back to normal with pretty much all the bars and restaurants will be open for business even though it is of course a national holiday when all other businesses and banks will be closed.
The Spanish really celebrate the arrival of the 3 kings on jan 5th when kids put a shoe on their windowcills so Santa knows where to deliver presents
The is a big procession through Nerja on the 5th where the 3 Kings throw boiled sweets and the odd present into the crowds that follow the procession read more about 3 Kings
New Years Eve is celebrated big time with most people making their way to the Balcon de Europa just before midnight, and tradition has it that from the stroke of midnight you have to eat twelve grapes, one at each stroke and drink Cava. Shops sell a small bottle of Cava and a tinned grapes especially for this.
The Balcon can be very crowded and noisy so if you have arranged to meet people there be very specific as the exactly where to meet. Just the buzz from the crowd before midnight makes hearing your mobile phone difficult.
At midnight there will be a fireworks display and and then live music on the Balcon. Be aware that lots of bars close just before midnight and don’t re-open until around 1.30am
so take something to drink, Cava seems to be the thing, and of course plastic glasses.
The partying will then continue until the very early hours.
