What’s on in Malaga in August 2023

The latest of our what’s on in Malaga monthly round-ups includes music, open-air cinema, dance, gardens and of course, some really great art. Read to find out more about what’s on in Malaga in August.

Note that (as always) this post is a work in progress because many events are publicised last minute. We’ll be adding to it as the month progresses, so bookmark the page and check back regularly for updates. 

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Public holidays in August

Tuesday 15 August is a public holiday in Malaga (and in Spain). Most shops, bars and restaurants will be open as usual, but not businesses or banks. Saturday 19 August is also a public holiday, but just in Malaga city, when businesses and shops will be closed.

Read more about public holidays in Malaga.

Note that many shops, particularly the smaller ones, close during Malaga Fair week (12 to 19 August), reopening on 21 August. Note also that most shops in the city centre close at lunchtime during the Fair.

Malaga Fair

August means fair time in Malaga and the 7-day event starts with fireworks at midnight on Friday 11 August and continues until Saturday 19 August. Expect it to be very busy this year as many locals are keen to celebrate in style again.

For information about what usually goes on, check-out our dedicated guide to Malaga Fair.

Sporting events in Malaga

Some sporting events take place throughout August for both participants and spectators. There are also free yoga, qi gong and zumba sessions. Full information on dates, times and how to sign up is available here (check on agosto and then on individual dates – in Spanish only).

Jabega Regatta

The traditional jabega boats take part in the 6th edition of this rowing race on Saturday 5 August in the Port from 5pm. Boats from nine local clubs will be taking part in what is usually a great sporting event in Malaga.

Malaga Port Swimming Race

Pop along to watch the swimmers and cheer them on as they swim the annual 1km race in Malaga Port. The first jump in the water at 10.50am on Sunday 6 August from Malaga port. There are 500 competitors in the timed race. 

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Best tomato in the world tour 

The nearby Guadalhorce Valley has a very special crop in August, the big, red huevo de toro tomato (‘bull’s ball’). It comes bursting with flavour and to celebrate its place as king of the tomatoes, restaurants in Malaga city and the province have created special dishes available on the menu until 31 August.

You can see the list of participating venues in Malaga here. Or you can buy this tomato at Atarazanas Market – just add a sprinkling of salt and a dash of olive oil for a delicious summer feast. 

Happy 7th Anniversary to Araboka

One of our favourite restaurants in Malaga, Araboka, is celebrating its 7th anniversary this August (how time flies!). The party is on Thursday 3 August at 9pm and includes special amuse-bouches and a tasting menu with the best of the Araboka dishes. Top wine producers will be there along with local organic produce grown by Hermanos Hevilla. Live music too.

Tickets cost €50 per person. If you’d like to join the festivities, click here.

Horse & carriage competition

Malaga Fair also includes parades of horses and carriages, all dressed up to the nines for the occasion. This year’s competition takes place on Friday 4 August in La Malagueta bullring at 8pm.

The 40th edition of this event will showcase 30 carriages vying for the top prize and also include parades by the Legionnaires and local police horses. Plus there’s a competition for the best flamenco dress and traditional mantilla.

Free entry, but get there early to be sure of a seat.

Book a flamenco show with dinner in Malaga.

Cinema in Malaga in August

If you like events on the big screen, try these:

Outdoor cinema

The summer programme of outdoor cinema (Cine Abierto) continues until the end of August with free viewings at different locations in Malaga. Films are mostly dubbed in Spanish, but there’s something pretty magical about watching a movie with a gentle evening breeze in your face. For the full Cine Abierto programme click here. 

Classic American movies from the 70s

The Albeniz Cinema on Calle Alcazabilla is showing classic American films from the 70s on Thursdays in July and August. All are in their original version with Spanish subtitles and their original format (35mm). All start at 8.30pm and cost €4.50 (tickets available from the box office).

In August, you can see:

• Thursday 3 August – Taxi Driver (1974), directed by Martin Scorsese.
• Thursday 10 August – Escape from Alcatraz (1979), directed by Don Siegel.

What’s on in Malaga in August musically

As usual, music takes pride of place in Malaga this month, with several events including free concerts.

Museum of Malaga

This month’s performance takes place on Sunday 6 August at 11pm, with a recital from ONIRIA, ‘La Música Estremada’. Free entry, but get there early to be sure of a seat (we’d recommend 10am).

Las Noches del Inglés

The lovely English Cemetery has a full cultural programme during August, with a ton of evening concerts, special lighting effects and La Terraza del Inglés where you can enjoy a little something to eat and drink.

Concerts include an eclectic range of music, so there’s something for everyone.

The English Cemetery opens Tuesday to Sunday, 8pm to midnight and entry costs €5 per person. Tickets are only available on the door.

More information available on the website (right-click to translate into your language if you don’t understand Spanish).

Ocón Auditorium

The lovely stage in the middle of the Paseo del Parque continues with its free concerts during August and showcases young local talent. Free entry

• Thursday 3 August at 8pm – a rock concert
• Thursday 10 August at 8pm – a rock concert
• Thursday 24 August at 8.45pm – breakdance performance from Kinexcencia: Hi Summer.

Music during Malaga Fair

Music forms an essential part of Malaga Fair, so expect plenty of it! There are free concerts on Plaza de la Constitución every day during the celebrations, usually from noon to 4-5pm. Look out for groups of musicians and dancers in the streets in the old quarter too.

Muelle Uno

Look out for free concerts during August in the square next to the pharmacy. Confirmed dates include:

• Friday 4 August – The Bottles will perform at 9.30pm.

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What’s on in Malaga in August at the art museums

Some of the best things to do in Malaga in August take place at the city’s art museums. This month you can see:

Casa Natal Picasso

The temporary exhibition space at Picasso’s birthplace on Plaza de la Merced has just opened Ages of Pablo. This ambitious exhibition covers Picasso’s entire artistic career through eight themed sections, from when he was 15 years old until his death.

The 58 works on display include oils, engraving, sketches and ceramics and start with the Formative Years. This section displays several Malaga-themed works since Picasso spent his summers in the city although he lived in Barcelona.

The exhibition then moves on to Blue and Pink, Cubism, Classicism, Joie de Vivre, before finishing with the Jacqueline Years.

Until 1 October. Open daily 9.30am to 8pm. Price €3, €4 combined ticket to see Picasso’s birthplace (well worth the extra).

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.

Picasso Sculptor: Matter and Body

This is the first of the two big exhibitions commemorating the 50th anniversary of Picasso’s death this year and the first major exhibition in Spain to focus on him as a sculptor. It was just one of his favoured mediums and he mostly focused on the human body. Until 10 September.

Open daily 11am to 7pm. Tickets €9.50, free Sundays after 5pm. While you’re there, do visit the Picasso Museum café with its lovely patio.

Buy tickets in advance for the Picasso Museum.

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.

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 collection at the Pompidou Centre

Sheila Hicks: Travelling Threads

The latest temporary exhibition at the Pompidou Centre showcases textile art by American-born, Paris-resident artist, Sheila Hicks. This is the first exhibition dedicated to her in Spain. Until 10 September.

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

Buy tickets in advance for the Pompidou Centre.

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 the following temporary exhibitions:

Buenos Aires Fever – over 100 photos by Hoarcio Coppola and photomontages by his wife, Grete Stern, from the 1930s. Until 10 September.

Memory of the Streets – photographers of Barcelona in the 1930s and 1940s by three photographers, Margaret Michaelis, Kati Horna and Montserrat Vidal-Barraquer. The pictures show the city at three key stages of its history (Regeneration, Civil War and the early years of the Franco dictatorship. Until 24 September.

Open Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 8pm. Tickets cost €10. Free entry on Sundays after 4pm.

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. 

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. 

Ahead of his time – a brand new exhibition has just arrived, with dozens of artworks from the huge collection owned by José María Castañé. Divided into four sections, it showcases work by Russian artists as well as key figures from 20th century art such as Paul Delvaux, David Hockney, Eduardo Arroyo and Diego Rivera.

Different perspectives – two award-winning photographers, Elena Anosova and Javier Arboledas showcase their images of two different parts of Russia. Anosova focuses on a remote part of southern Russia, where his family comes from, and reflects on isolation and collective memory. Arboledas looks at Sosnovy Bor, one of the secret cities built during the 1950s in the USSR, and his pictures reflect on memory and utopia.

Kandinsky, Chagall and Poliakoff – this trio of artists were major contributors to the art magazine XX Siècle, published between 1938 and 1985. This exhibition shows their original lithographs and engravings. Until 24 September.

In the flow – German artist, Boris Groys, who spent many years in Russia, has three videocollages on display.

CAC Malaga

The contemporary art museum has the following exhibitions in August:

Wild Flowers – Spanish artist, Jorge Galindo, fills the large space at the museum with 25 of his large floral paintings, all created over the last three years. Until 3 September.

Tell Me – a first in Spain from US artist Devan Shimoyama. The artwork on show includes Tarot Series. Until 28 August.

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-2pm and 5 to 9.30pm. Free entry. 

Jorge Rando Museum

As well as the permanent exhibitions, you can see one 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.

La Térmica Cultural Centre

Ferocious Expressionism shows 54 photos in black and white by award-winning photographer Alverto García-Alix. On the walls are portraits, still life compositions and scenes from everyday life.

Free entry, open Tuesday to Sunday 11am to 2pm and 5 to 8.30pm.

La Térmica is on the western seafront and you can get to it on foot (walk west from the Port and about 0.5km after the tall chimney, you’ll see a modern glass building on the right – La Térmica is behind it) or by bus on the No 7 from the Alameda Principal (south side; get off at the Santa Paula stop and walk down to the seafront).

Looking for somewhere good to eat out?

Malaga has dozens of good restaurants and we’ve selected the best. You’ll find them divided into handy categories, allowing you to easily select what you’re looking for.

Or if you like a detailed description of what a venue is really like, take a look at our Malaga Restaurant Reviews. We’re continually adding new ones, so check back regularly.

Markets in Malaga in August

Arts and crafts – El Zoco market at Muelle Uno takes place every Sunday.

Soho Market – arts and crafts stalls on Calle Tomás Heredia in the Soho district on Sunday 27 August from 11am to 7pm.

Organic Markets – the best summer fruit (think apricots, watermelon, peaches…) and vegetables are now in season and these markets sell them plus products, all grown and produced locally in the Guadalhorce River valley. Saturday 12 August on Calle Cervantes and Paseo de Reding (near La Malagueta) and Saturday 26 August in Huelin Park. 10am to 2pm.

Read more about markets in Malaga.

Heads up for September

September includes several big events including Malaga Fashion Week, with its famous blue catwalk. This year’s edition takes place on Friday 15 and Saturday 16 September in Calle Larios.

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