What’s on in Malaga in November 2023

It hardly seems possible that it’s already time for the events in Malaga in November post – where has the year gone? But 10 months have indeed slipped by, so here’s the latest in our monthly series bringing you a round-up of what’s on in Malaga in November.

The month comes with several highlights. Top of the list is the Malaga Jazz Festival, celebrating its 37th anniversary this year with some big-name concerts. There’s also some great dance and art plus the usual monthly markets.

And the event lots of people have been waiting for – the official switch-on of Malaga Christmas Lights. Read on to discover the best things to do in Malaga in November.

Note that this post is a work in progress and will not be properly up-to-date until the last week or so in October. Even then, we’ll be adding new information as we receive, so bookmark the page and pop back often. Or sign up for our free newsletter that always includes a round-up of forthcoming events.

Start the month with a day off!

The autumn’s a busy time for public holidays in Malaga. The month starts with a day off and then there are two at the beginning of December:

Wednesday 1 November – is a public holiday so businesses and banks will be closed. Most shops, bars, cafés and restaurants will, however, be open for business as usual.

Heads-up for December – Wednesday 6 December and Friday 8 December are both public holidays.

Read more about public holidays in Malaga.

Malaga Jazz Festival

One of the biggest annual events in Malaga and this year the Festival celebrates 37 years. The main concerts take place in the Cervantes Theatre from 6 to 13 November.

Find out who’s playing when in our dedicated post about Malaga Jazz Festival. For information on free concerts around the city during the Jazz Festival, scroll down to the music section. 

Board Game Convention

Fans of board games, large and small, indoor and out, are in for a treat at La Térmica Cultural Centre on 10, 11 and 12 November.

The venue is bringing together new games to try, the presence of E-minis and giant outdoor games in the gardens. There’s a competition to find the best new board game and Mac Gerdts, an international board game guru will be there.

Free entry and doors are open on Friday 10 November from 1 to 10pm, Saturday 11 November from 11am to 8pm and on Sunday 12 November 11am to 8pm.

Keep your finger on the Malaga buzzer – sign up for our free fortnightly newsletter. All you need to know about what’s on and what’s new in the city in your inbox every other Friday.

Fantasy Film Festival 

Fancine is back in Malaga and celebrating its 33rd edition this year. Running from 8 to 16 November, the Festival is showing a long list of weird and wonderful films including shorts, at different venues around the city. Mostly at the Albeniz Cinema (in Calle Alcazabilla) but some at Malaga University.

Films are shown in their original language with Spanish subtitles. Highlights this year include Concrete Utopia, pre-selected for an Oscar nomination, Little Bone Lodge by Mattias Hoene and The Beast by Bertrand Bonello.

For full information and to book tickets, check out the website. 

Open House Malaga

The second edition of this architectural fest takes place 17 to 19 November with guided visits and tours around the city’s most emblematic buildings. Leading the tours are architects and historical experts giving you a unique insight into Malaga’s architectural past.

Note that all visits are in Spanish, but even if you don’t quite understand what’s being said, you’ll see some amazing interiors and exteriors.

The programme includes visits to emblematic buildings such as the H10 Croma Malaga and the Stella Maris church, walks around parts of the city and experiences. More information here (in Spanish only).

All visits are free, most you just turn up on the day (we’d recommend getting there early) and for others, you need to book in advance. Note that booking opens on Wednesday 8 November at 11am via the website on a first-come, first-served basis.

The genius of modern electricity

An exhibition on Plaza de la Marina pays homage to Nikola Tesla, one of the most prolific inventors and creators of the 19th century. The exhibition takes you through his life and highlights key inventions along the way, including Tesla’s magnetic induction motor and his Worldwide Transmission System, considered by many as the embryo of the internet.

Free entry and open Monday to Friday 12.30 to 2pm and 5 to 9pm, and weekends 11am to 2pm and 5 to 9pm. Until 12 December.

What’s on in Malaga in November – Christmas lights

Friday 24 November is the switch-on day for the Christmas lights in Malaga city centre, at 7pm.

Calle Larios will showcase last year’s lovely angels (as the picture above shows). Festive music and light and sound shows take place three times every evening at 6.30pm, 8pm and 10pm.

Read details of other Christmas attractions in this article. Subscribers of our free fortnightly newsletter will also get all the details – sign up here.

Flamenco events in Malaga in November

International Flamenco Day is on 16 November. We are waiting for confirmation on special events in Malaga to celebrate the day. 

Free flamenco concert

Local group, Cuadro de Antonio Soto (song and dance), performs at the MVA Auditorium on Calle Ollerías on Monday 27 November at 7.30pm.

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).

Musical events in Malaga in November

November welcomes a long list of musical and dance events in Malaga and as usual, there’s something for all tastes and budgets:

Gershwin in Blue

The Larios Pop del Soho orchestra perform some of George Gershwin’s best-loved tunes on Friday 17 and Saturday 18 November at 8pm at Soho Theatre. Young (and very talented) pianist Marcos Castilla will play solos in the programme, which includes An American in Paris, Rhapsody in Blue and tunes from Porgy and Bess.

Tickets cost from €20 and are available online (note that you buy them via El Corte Ingles) and at the theatre ticket office in Calle Cordoba 13, Tuesday to Saturday 11am to 2pm and 5.30 to 8.30pm.

Free Concert in the gardens

The Municipal Band plays in the lovely Concepción Botanical Gardens on Sunday 5 November at noon. The programme is mixed and includes Verdi, Reed and Luna, before finishing with a pasodoble. Free entry, but you need a ticket available from this link from Thursday 2 November at 11am (the link won’t work before then).

You can get to this concert on the Hop-on, Hop-off tourist bus (see stops on the green route below). It leaves the bus station at 11am and arrives at the gardens at 11.40am. The return bus leaves at 1pm (but will wait for you to get there from the concert). The ticket costs €1.40 each way.

Free Jazz Concerts

This year, as usual, there will be a series of jazz concerts at venues around the city as part of the Malaga Jazz Festival.

Concerts in parks outside the city centre

Saturday 4 November – the Raquel Pelayo Trio play in Parque de la Alegría in Ciudad Jardín at 1pm (Google map link – get the No 2 bus from Atarazanas (25-min journey)) and at 5pm in Parque Martiricos (Google map link – 25-min walk from the city centre).

Sunday 5 November at 5pm – Noe Sakura Naganawa plays in Parque San Rafael (Google map link – a 40-min walk from the centre or get the No 20 bus from the south side of the Alameda Principal).

Saturday 11 November at 1pm – Arenedo, Carra, Oliver & Foster play in Huelin Park (Google map link – 25-min walk from the city centre or get the No 7 bus (20 mins)).

Sunday 12 November at 1pm – Carlos Sarduy & The Groove Messengers play at the Auditorio Curro Román in El Palo (Google map link – get the No 3 or 11 bus from the Alameda Principal (30-45 mins).

Entry is free to all the above concerts and seats are provided.

Concerts in the city centre

There are also free jazz concerts in squares and hotels:

Thursday 9 November

• 5pm – Hotel La Chancla in Pedregalejo, Arturo Serra Duo
• 6.30pm – Plaza de la Merced, Caramelo de Cuba Quintet
• 8pm – Novotel Suites, Eneko Alberdi
• 8.30pm – Hotel Ibis Malaga Centro, Stefano Tomaselli & Pablo Guzmán
• 9.30pm – Hotel Molina Lario, Antonio González Duo
• 11.30pm – Antojo Restaurant in the Soho district, Carlos Sarduy & Ariel Bringuez Quintet

Friday 10 November

• 5pm – Hotel La Chancla in Pedregalejo, Guillem Arnedo Trio
• 6.30pm – Plaza de la Merced, Ariel Bringuez Trio
• 9.30pm – Hotel Molina Lario, Enrique Oliver & Dee Jay Foster

Saturday 11 November

• 4.30pm – Plaza de la Merced, Melon Lewis (piano solo)
• 5pm – Hotel La Chancla in Pedregalejo, Antti Sarpila Hot Club
• 6.30pm – Plaza de la Merced, Carlos Sarduy & The Groove Messengers
• 9.30pm – Hotel Molina Lario, Antti Sarpila Hot Club

Sunday 12 November

• 5pm – Hotel La Chancla in Pedregalejo, Maria Gil Duo
• 6.30pm – Plaza de la Merced, The Malaga Jazz Collective
• 9.30pm – Hotel Molina Lario, Maria Gil Duo

Free concerts in the museums

This month has the following freebies:

Museum of Malaga

This concert, “From Spain to the New World” features four sopranos singing Baroque music on Sunday 12 November at noon. Free entry and we’d recommend arriving early (say 11am) to grab your seat.

The Municipal Band plays at this museum on Sunday 26 November at noon, with a programme of music by Francisco Alonso, in the centenary of his death. The band is joined by a choir and soprano. (Again, it’s free, so get there early.)

Carmen Thyssen Museum

The Compañía Lírica Teatro del Arte sing in the lovely patio on Friday 17 November at 7pm. Free entrance, but get there early to be sure of a seat.

Contemporary Music Concerts

The excellent Centre for Modern Art and Music (CAMM) has a full programme of concerts this month, featuring young musical talents. In November, you can enjoy:

• Friday 3 November – jazz with the Pere Bujosa Trio
• Saturday 4 November – fusion with Sonido Internacational
• Friday 10 November – vocal jazz with the Ana Cisneros Quartet
• Saturday 11 November – funk and soul from the Boogaloosers
• Friday 17 November – jazz with the Masha Ocean Quartet
• Saturday 18 November – funk and soul with Superheavy Sound
• Friday 24 November – Rajiv Jayaweera Quartet
• Saturday 25 November – Gata Brass Band

All concerts start at 9pm, except Superheavy Sound on Saturday 18 November, which starts at 10pm. Tickets cost €8 online (link here – just put CAMM in the search box) or €10 on the door.

CAMM is located at Calle Flauta Mágica 30, on the west side of the city (Google map link). You can get there on buses 4, 11, 19 and 25 from the Alameda Principal. Allow around 30 minutes for the journey.

Movie classics

Enjoy iconic soundtracks played by piano and cello at St George’s Church, in the grounds of the English Cemetery (opposite the bullring in the Malagueta) on Saturday 25 November at 7.30pm. Tickets cost €15 available and you can buy them here.

Dance in Malaga in November

This year’s edition of Malaga Dance continues during November. As usual, it brings world-class performances to the city.

The programme is eclectic and encompasses all types of dance from ballet to hiphop via flamenco and modern. Performances take place at the Cervantes Theatre and you can see the full programme here. Click on performance to get to the link to book tickets online.

Can’t come to Malaga this autumn and missing the food?

Why not create great Malaga food in your own kitchen? Our foodie ebook, Malaga Fine Wining & Dining, includes 11 exclusive recipes served in Malaga’s best restaurants, 2 with Michelin stars.

Easy to create and make plus a chef’s top tip for each one and a Malaga wine pairing suggestion. Our cookbook has received the thumbs-up from some real foodies too – see their reviews here. All for just €8.95. 

Davis Cup in Malaga in November

Malaga hosts the Davis Cup competition again this month when the Final 8 countries play for a place in the semi-final.

The games take place between 21 and 26 November at the Palacio de los Deportes, José Maria Martin Carpena, and the event is expected to be hotly contested. Participating countries are Australia, Canada, Czechia, Finland, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands and Serbia. Big-name players include Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic. World-class tennis matches are, of course, guaranteed.

More information and links to book tickets here.

Get to the Palacio de los Deportes from the City Centre on:

• The No 7 bus from the south side of the Alameda Principal, get off at the last stop. Allow 30-40 minutes for the journey.
• The metro – take L1 at Atarazanas station on the Alameda Principal, swap platforms at the next stop, Guadalmedina, to get on L2 and get off at the last stop, Palacio de los Deportes. Allow around 15-20 minutes.

Art exhibitions in Malaga this month

As usual, there’s an excellent choice of world-class art in Malaga this month.

Picasso’s Birthplace

The Casa Natal has a new exhibition this month, part of the events surrounding the 50th anniversary of Picasso’s death. “The Image of Picasso” looks at the artist’s portrayal in the media and includes press cuttings, photos and advertising. The exhibition also examines Picasso’s leyenda negra (black legend).

Until 28 April 2024. Open daily 9.30am to 8pm. €3, €4 combined ticket with visit to the house where Picasso was born.

CAC Malaga

The contemporary art museum has the following exhibitions in November:

For Future Purposes – Nigerian everyday life and culture comes to life in paintings and sculptures by the artist Atanda Quadri Adebayo. Until 26 November.

I am my own landscape – German-Brazilian artist Janaina Tschäpe brings over 100 works for her first exhibition in Spain for over 20 years. Her paintings, drawings and photos merge the real with the unreal against a background of nature and natural phenomena. Until 3 December.

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. 

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:

Rafael Canogar – one of the biggest representatives of Spanish abstract art has an exhibition of ten of his largest paintings. Canogar’s works focus on structure and are almost archectural in their form. Until 10 December.

Fiercely Human – 17th-century Spanish art comes into its own at the Carmen Thyssen Museum with this exhibition of works by Spanish painters of saints, whose dramatic images were designed to draw people to religion. Until 18 February 2024.

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. 

Open Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 8pm. Tickets cost €10. Free entry on Sundays after 4pm. Note that if you’re resident in Malaga (you need to show proof), the entry fee is €6.)

La Térmica

This cultural centre on the western seafront has one of the most colourful exhibitions in town this autumn.

Victus et amictus showcases work by Mallorcan artist Ela Fidalgo, an award-winning fashion designer who has recently turned her attention to painting. You can clearly see the influence of fashion in her works that combine the use of fabrics, oils and crayons.

Until 28 January 2024. Open Tuesday to Sunday 11am to 2pm and 5 to 8.30pm. Free entry.

Get to La Térmica Cultural Centre by walking along the western seafront or on the No 7 bus from the south side of the Alameda Principal (get off at the Santa Paula stop).

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.

The Picasso Museum has also welcomed the second of its big exhibitions commemorating the 50th anniversary of Picasso’s death this year. The Echo of Picasso examines the enormous influence the artist has had on other creators, both his contemporaries and those living now.

The exhibition showcases the work of 30 artists, all influenced by some aspect of Picasso’s creativity. The specially curated collection includes paintings, sculptures and installations, all of which are placed within the concept of Picasso and his work.

Until March 2024

You can also see The Many Faces of Picasso’s Late Works, intended as a companion exhibition. This one focuses on the artist’s depiction of the human face in the latter part of his life. Many of the works on show were controversial when Picasso created them, but are now highly considered. Until 4 February 2024.

Open daily 11am to 6pm. Tickets €9, free Sundays after 4pm.

Buy your Picasso Museum ticket in advance

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

Magical Thinking

This exciting exhibition showcases the creations by Ettore Sottsass, who turned his hand at drawing, product and furniture design and sculptures. Until 24 February 2024.

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.

Russian Museum

Although this art museum in Malaga is no longer showing artworks from the Russian State Museum, its latest exhibitions are excellent and both draw on the alternative collections. 

Ahead of his time – 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.

The two largest sections cover 20th century Russian art and contemporary art.

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.

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

La Suite des Saltimbanques – 15 sketches of circus scenes by Picasso who created them during his Pink and Blue period, between 1904 and 1906. Until 5 November.

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

Markets in Malaga in November

With Christmas on the horizon, Malaga markets are a great place to start your Christmas shopping. As well as the usual Sunday arts and crafts markets on Muelle Uno and on the western seafront promenade:

Red Friday

Arts and crafts stalls, vintage items, food trucks and live music make up this fun cultural/market event at La Térmica. This month’s edition is on Friday 3 November 7pm to midnight and musical performances are by Laira, Kora, Cabira and Irene Garry, while Nana Pure and Miss Deep provide the DJ sets.

Free entry, but you need to ticket, available from 1 November at 10am and 2 November at 7pm via this link.

English Market

The English Cemetery’s market takes place on Saturday 11 November from 11.30am to 7pm, with vintage items, ceramics, arts and crafts, and lots of second-hand books.

You can find the Cemetery on the Avda Pries, almost diagonally opposite the bullring. Look for those magnificent lions on the entrance columns!

El Zoco

The arts and crafts market takes place on Muelle Uno every Sunday in November from 11am to 6pm. 

Merced Market

This lovely market takes place on Plaza de la Merced on Sunday 5 and Sunday 12 November from 11am to 7pm.

Soho Market

More great arts and crafts on display on stalls in Calle Tomas Heredia in Soho on Sunday 26 November from 11am to 7pm.

Organic and local produce markets

Stalls selling produce grown locally in the Guadalhorce River valley on Saturday 11 November on Calle Cervantes and Paseo de Reding (near La Malagueta) and Saturday 25 November in Huelin Park. 10am to 2pm.

Next month’s post will of course be about events in Malaga in December so stay tuned for all the information you need about Christmas in Malaga.