What’s on in Malaga in April 2024

As usual, there’s plenty going on in April in Malaga, even though this year events don’t include Easter. Read on to discover free concerts, interesting markets and world-class exhibitions in our round-up of what’s on in Malaga in April.

Please note that the events on this page refer to those in April 2023. We will be updating them for 2024 as soon as we have the information.

Note that this post is as always a work in progress and we’ll be adding events as we hear about them. Bookmark the page and check back every so often. We also list events in our fortnightly Newsletter – sign up free here.

Looking for some inspirational things to do in Malaga in April? Read our 10 suggestions.

Public holidays in Malaga in April

Thursday 6 and Friday 7 April are both public holidays in Malaga. Bars and restaurants will be open as usual on both days, but shops will be closed on the Thursday. Museums and monuments have their usual opening hours with the exception of the Museum of Malaga, open on both days 9am to 3pm only.

Easter in Malaga 

Processions start on Sunday 2 April and continue every day until Sunday 9 April with the exception of Saturday 8 April. We have a dedicated section about Easter with full information about the events, who’s who and 10 things to do at Easter, 

Dramatised dockyard visits

This lovely spot in Pedregalejo comes alive next week with dramatised visits from Wednesday 5 to Saturday 8 April at 10am and noon. Two actors will guide you around the historic dockyards and bring Malaga’s Phoenician roots alive. The visit ends with a knot-tying workshop and the possibility of a jabega boat ride. Tickets cost €8 each.

For more information, visit the Nereo website or call 952 291 198.

Lux Light Festival

La Térmica cultural centre celebrates its tenth anniversary this year and has a number of events lined up as part of the festivities. In April, Lux Light Festival comes to the centre.

The Festival brings together all kinds of light in art, using technology, music, architecture and design in ten immersive designs throughout the building. It takes place on Friday 14 April and Saturday 15 April from 9.15pm to 1am. Entry is free, but you need a ticket.

More information and links to get your ticket (via Eventbrite) here.

Get to La Térmica cultural centre on foot (walk to the Port and then west along the western seafront until you see the Diputación glass building on the right. Or take the No 7 bus from the Alameda Principal (south side) and get off at Santa Paula stop.

Spring art exhibition

Casa Adnew in the Calle Victoria area of Malaga celebrates the new season with open doors during the weekend 14 to 16 April. This exhibition space showcases unusual artworks and has 35 on display by local, Dutch and international artists.

Open Friday 14 April 6 to 9pm, Saturday 15 April 2 to 7pm and Sunday 16 April 2 to 7pm.

Google map link to Casa Adnew here.

Colectivo Danza

These group of dancers celebrate International Dance Day with a free performance on Saturday 29 April at 6.30pm in Plaza de Jerónimo Cuervo (outside the Cervantes Theatre). Get there early to grab a spot with a good view.

International Kite Fest

Malaga hosts its first ever kite festival on the beaches in the city on 29 and 30 April. International kite wizards (pro and amateur) will be showing off their aerial skills and there are workshops and the chance to try flying a kite yourself.

La Misericordia Beach

This big beach on the western seafront has kite flying (string and inflatable) on Saturday 29 April from 10.30am to 2pm and 3 to 6pm, and on Sunday 30 April from 10.30am to 2pm.

Las Acacias

This beach at the far end of El Palo has inflatable kite flying on Saturday 29 April from 10.30am to 2pm and 3 to 6pm, and on Sunday 30 April from 10.30am to 2pm.

El Jardín del Viento

Kite making and flying workshops take place in the appropriately-named Windy Garden on Las Acacias beach on Saturday 29 April from 10.30am to 2pm and 4 to 6pm, and on Sunday 30 April from 10.30am to 2pm. These activities are suitable for children aged 5 to 12 and are free. Places allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.

Wonderful wisteria

One of the highlights during the spring in Malaga is the wisteria pergola at the Botanical Gardens. The wrought-iron pergola literally groans with scented purple blooms for around 3 weeks between mid-March and mid-April. To avoid disappointment, call the Gardens (951 926 180) before you go to check if the wisteria has flowered yet. These gardens are a great place to visit all year round – the wisteria is an added extra! Read all about the Malaga Botanical Gardens.

Note that the wisteria is late this year because of the February chill.

Flamenco in Malaga in April

The Flamenco Lo Serás Tú festival returns for another year to the Cervantes Theatre, with flamenco performances from Wednesday 19 April to Sunday 23 April.

Performing on stage will be:

• 19 April – Bonela Hijo (singing, music and dance)
• 20 April – Alba Molina and Pepe Rivero (singing) with special guest, Lole Montoya, a legend in flamenco song.
• 21 April – Diego del Morao and Dani de Morón (flamenco guitar).
• 22 April – Farruquito, one of flamenco’s top dancers.
• 23 April – Juan Requena (music, song and dance).

All concerts start at 8pm, except Juan Requena on Sunday 23 April at 7pm. Tickets cost from €24. More information and links to book tickets here.

Free flamenco concert

This month’s free concert takes place on 10 April at 7.30pm in the MVA Cultural Centre on Calle Ollerías. Singer Luisa Muñoz will be performing – the video below gives you an idea of what to expect.

Tickets are free, but you need to get yours from the box office on the day (available from 7pm onwards) or from the Municipal Fiestas Department in Camino de San Rafael 99 (available from 9am onwards – you can get here on the No 20 bus from the Alameda Principal).

Bienal de Flamenco in Malaga

April also sees the start of the 8th edition of the Bienal de Flamenco in Malaga. The opening gala takes place on 29 April and there are performances in all flamenco genres in the city and surrounding towns and villages until 27 May.

For more information and link to book tickets read our dedicated guide to Malaga Flamenco Festival.

Musical Events in Malaga in April

As usual, there’s an eclectic choice of concerts and musical performances this month.

Free concerts

There are several free concerts this month:

Museum of Malaga

This lovely patio at this museum has its two monthly freebies:

• Sunday 16 April at 11am when a harp and flute duo play French and Spanish music in celebration of Picasso. The programme includes Bizet, Debussy, Mornpou and Granados.
• Sunday 23 April at 11am with a piano recital by Ana Benavides.

Entry is free, but get there early to be sure of a seat. We recommend being in the queue at least by 10am.

Russian Museum

A string sextet plays Strauss and Tchaikovsky at this museum on Friday 21 April at 7pm. Entry is free, but you need a ticket, available from the museum from 5pm onwards on the same day.

Botanical gardens

The Municipal Band plays in these lovely gardens on Sunday 23 April at noon with a programme that includes works by Beethoven, Ferran and Guerrero. Free entry but you need tickets, available online here. Note that the web page opens on Thursday 20 April and tickets are only available from 11am (the link doesn’t work before hand).

There’s a special bus service, leaving from the mainline station at 11am, arriving at the gardens at 11.40am. The return bus leaves at 1pm. Tickets cost €1.40 each way.

La Térmica Cultural Centre

‘The Untold Story of Jazz’ is a free concert on Saturday 29 April from noon to 1.30pm at this cultural centre. 30 musicians and a narrator will tell the story of this musical genre and include some of the best-known jazz songs. Suitable for all the family. Free entry, but again, get there early to bag your place.

Muelle Uno

Celebrate World Jazz Day with CAMM (Centre for Music and Arts) outside Mariner’s Chapel on Muelle Uno on Sunday 1 May at 7.30pm with a free Big Band concert.

Charity concert at Russian Museum

The renowned concert pianist Grigory Sokolov plays here on Saturday 15 April at 7.30pm. Tickets cost €50, including a glass of wine in the interval and money raised will go towards funding accessibility and other needs in the museum. More details including how to pay here.

Opera in Malaga in April

La Fille du Regiment – Donizetti’s famous opera goes on screen at the Albeniz Cinema on Tuesday 18 April at 7pm, when you can watch the performance recorded at the Wierner Staatsoper in Vienna in 2017. Tickets cost €15 and are available from the cinema’s box office.

Wine tasting in Malaga

Our friends at Winederlust are showcasing wines from Txacolina to Toledo on Saturday 22 April at 2pm in the gardens at the lovely Villa Atumalal in the east of the city. More information and link to book tickets (€45 for 6 wines and pairing cheeses) here.

Free film in Malaga in April

A Woman of Paris

You can see Charlie Chaplin’s 1923 film at the Jorge Rando Museum on Friday 28 April at 6.30pm. There’s an introduction and chat at the end in Spanish, but the film itself is silent, so no language barriers! Entry is free, but get there early to grab your seat.

The Jorge Rando Museum is on Calle Cruz del Molinillo 12, to the north of the old quarter.

Photographic exhibitions in Malaga 

La Termica Cultural Centre is showing Women, a Century of Change with the best photos depicting women from the National Geographic Archives over the last 130 years. Free entry and open Tuesday to Sunday 11am to 2pm and 5 to 8.30pm. Until 5 May.

Get to La Térmica by walking west along the seafront (the cultural centre is behind the modern glass Diputación building) or on the No 7 bus from the Alameda Principal (south side).

Charity concert

The 4th edition of the Festival Soles de Málaga takes place on Saturday 30 April from 1.30pm onwards at the Malagueta bullring. On the agenda are food, drink and live music including local and national bands such as Efecto Mariposa, soloists like Javier Ojeda, and DJ sets. Tickets cost €10.18, available on the door or online here.

Funds go towards helping mental health charities.

Dramatised tour of English Cemetery

Discover the history behind the tomb stones at the lovely English Cemetery on Saturday 22 April when actors will bring the stories alive. Tours in English take place at 7 and 9pm. For more information, contact the English Cemetery.

Art exhibitions in Malaga this April

As usual, Malaga is showcasing some excellent art this month. Here’s our pick of the best.

Pompidou Centre

The latest exhibition, Our Own Time, is our favourite so far. It’s divided into six sections (Leisure Time, Holiday Time, InnerTime, Interspatial Time, Introspective Time and Confrontation Time) and showcases work by artists from the early 20th century to the present day. Expect to see the usual thought-provoking collection of paintings, sculptures, videos, photos and installations. Artists on show include Accardi, Léger, Matisse, Picasso and Zangewa.

Read about the latest art collection at the Pompidou Centre.

You can also see The Laberynth of Light and the Minotaur by Bernardi Roig, an installation made from 25 blocks of polystyrene. Until May.

Open Wednesday to Monday 9.30am to 8pm. €7 for the permanent exhibition, €9 for both. Free Sundays after 5pm. 

Picasso Museum

The most-visited museum in southern Spain has a permanent collection, called Conversations with Picasso 2020-2023. The exhibition explores 8 decades of artistic creativity from the 20th century’s greatest artist. The Museum also has a room (Sala XII) showing 19 ceramics and 3 paintings created by Picasso between 1931 and 1962. You can also see 22 works from his La Californie sketchbook, which he drew in Cannes in 1956.

Open daily 11am to 7pm. Tickets €9, free Sundays after 5pm. While you’re there, do visit the Picasso Museum café with its lovely patio.

Russian Museum

It’s been all change at this art museum in Malaga since (understandably) no new artworks from the Russian State Museum have arrived. But the latest exhibitions are excellent and both draw on the alternative collections. 

Russian Art Through English Eyes – works by Russian artists such as Venetsianov, Kandinsky and Goncharova from the private collection belonging to Jenny Green. She owns one of the largest collection of paintings and sketches from the 19th and 20th centuries. Until 5 June. 

Sputnik: The Odyssey of the Soyuz 2 – the exhibition includes objects, photos and documents that trace the journey of the Soviet astronaut, Ivan Istochnikov and his dog, Kloka, into space in 1968. Both disappeared into space, but until the fall of Communism, the Soviet authorities maintained the rocket was unmanned. Until 23 April.

For Sale – an installation by Ukranian artists Ilya and Emilia Kabakov. Until 5 June.

Absent – a photo exhibition by award-winning Spanish photographer Jose Manuel Ballester whose works reflect on scenes with no people and the absence of Russian art at the museum. Until 5 June.

Shadow Dancers – Mallorcan artist Bernardi Roig has two art works at the Russian Museum this month. Shadow Dancers are four bronze sculptures of ballerinas displayed in a room and his drawing Cap Negre.

Open Tuesday to Sunday 9.30am to 8pm. Permanent exhibition €6, temporary exhibitions €4, €8 combined ticket. Free on Sundays after 5pm.

Carmen Thyssen Museum

The museum continues to showcase Spanish art from the 18th and 19th centuries seen in the permanent collection.

The museum also has three temporary exhibitions:

• Street Life, Lisette Model and Helen Levitt in New York – 20 photos taken by these women artists during the 1940s. Until 11 June.
• Buenos Aires Fever – over 100 photos by Hoarcio Coppola and photomontages by his wife, Grete Stern, from the 1930s. Until 10 September.
• Painting Itself – an exhibition by Spanish abstract artist, Luis Feito. Until 11 June.

Open Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 8pm, €10 (€6 for entry between 2.30 and 4pm), free on Sundays.

The Carmen Thyssen Museum has a lovely café serving coffee, light snacks and lunch. There’s a daily lunchtime menu, which is excellent value for €12.90. 

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CAC Malaga

This contemporary art museum has the following exhibitions in April:

• The Beginning of Something – the first museum exhibition by local artist, Imon Boy, includes 10 paintings as well as murals painted on site. The artist uses his works as diary, telling daily stories. Until 4 June.
• There must be a Spanish word for that feeling – 20 paintings by German artist Friedrich Kunath. This is the LA-based artist’s first exhibition in Spain (and what a great name!). Until 21 May.

• Dek Tau – comic book artist and illustrator Joan Cornellà shows over 150 of his original works in comic book and sketch form. Until 4 June.
• Golden Hours – an 11-minute video by Mexican creator Gonzalo Lebrija. Until 30 April.

While you’re at CAC, don’t miss the permanent and Neighbours exhibitions. They’re both packed with interesting and thought-provoking artwork and installations.

Tuesday to Sunday 9am-9.30pm. Free entry. 

Jorge Rando Museum

A new exhibition arrives at this museum, combining the work of Pablo Picasso and Jorge Rando. Their shared theme is bullfighting and you can see engravings by Picasso made between 1929 and 1960 and paintings by Rando from the 70s.

Open Monday to Friday 10am to 2pm and 4 to 8pm, Saturday 10am to 2pm. Free entry. The museum is on Calle Cruz del Molinillo 12, on the northern edge of the old quarter. Don’t miss the Mercado de Salamanca market opposite.

Bishop’s Palace

The exhibition rooms at this gorgeous building next to the Cathedral in Plaza del Obispo has welcomed a fun collection by local artist Javier Calleja. Mr Günter, The Cat Show includes 209 works by Calleja including his iconic cats, a giant Mickey Mouse and lots of paintings and sculptures.

Open Monday to Saturday 10am to 2pm and 4 to 7pm, Sunday 10am to 2pm. Free entry, but you’re asked to donate €3, all of which goes to AVOI, the local children’s cancer charity and two animal shelters.

Markets in Malaga in March

We’ll be adding dates for markets as soon as they’re confirmed.

Arts & crafts markets

El Zoco market on Muelle Uno sells arts and crafts every Sunday from 11am to 7pm. Combine your browsing with a stroll in the sunshine under the Pergola.

Merced Market is on Plaza de la Merced from 11am to 7pm. 

El Paseo Market takes place on La Malagueta seafront promenade.

Soho Market on Calle Tomás Heredia, takes place on Sunday 23 and Sunday 30 April from 11am to 7pm.

Organic food markets

Fresh produce grown organically in the Guadalhorce Valley to the north of Malaga. As well as fruit and veg, local producers sell bread and cakes, honey, olive oil, dried fruit and nuts, and organic soaps and creams.

La Malagueta (between Paseo de Reding and Calle Cervantes) on Saturday 8 April from 10am to 2pm.

Huelin Park Saturday 22 April 9am to 2pm.

Sporting events in Malaga in April

Fun run in El Palo

Run a fun 5k around El Palo on Sunday 23 April at 10.30am. Sign up is free here. Collect your t-shirt and number from the Asociación de Vecinos El Palo (Calle Niño de las Moras 2) on 18 April, 5 to 8pm, 19 April 10am to 2pm and 5 to 8pm, 20 and 21 April 5 to 8pm.

Queen’s Cup for Handball

Malaga hosts the final games for women’s handball in Spain and teams include the local defending champion Costa del Sol Malaga. The tournament takes place on 21 to 23 April at the Martín Carpena Sports Stadium (the last stop on Line 2 of the metro from the Atarazanas station in the Alameda Principal. More information and link to tickets here.

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