It hardly seems possible that it’s already time for the events in Malaga in November post – where has the year gone? The latest in our monthly series brings you a round-up of what’s on in Malaga in November.
November comes with several highlights. Top of the list is the second half of Malaga Jazz Festival, celebrating its 33rd 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 most of the events listed below refer to November 2019. We’ll be publishing the 2020 diary towards the end of October. Bookmark this page for updates!
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 2 at the beginning of December:
Monday 2 November – is a public holiday (the official date is 1 November, but because it’s a Sunday the holiday is moved to Monday) 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 – Monday 7 December (the official holiday is 6 December but because it falls on a Sunday this year it’s shifted to Monday 7 December) and Wednesday 9 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 34 years. The main concerts take place in the Cervantes Theatre from 29 October to 4 November. Read who’s playing when in our dedicated post about Malaga Jazz Festival.
Lots of other jazz events will be taking place throughout the city in squares, hotels and restaurants. Check out the programme here.
- Plaza de las Flores (between Calle Larios and Calle Nueva)
- Plaza del Obispo (opposite the Cathedral)
- Plaza de San Pedro de Alcántara (off Calle Carretería)
- Plaza de Félix Sáenz (near Atarazanas Market)
- Plaza de la Merced
Participating hotels include:
- Molina Larios
- AC Palacio
- La Chancla (in Pedregalejo)
- Ibis Hotels
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What’s on in Malaga in November – Christmas lights
It’s officially confirmed – Friday 29 November is switch-on day for the Christmas lights in Malaga city centre. This year will see the focus shifted back to the Alameda Principal that has been without lights since 2015. The giant ficus trees are already in their Christmas suits. Larios will have the usual light display, although the design has yet to be revealed. Subscribers of our free fortnightly newsletter will be first to know – sign up here.
READ ABOUT CHRISTMAS IN MALAGA
Day of the Dead
Malaga has turned its attentions away from the American/British style Halloween this year to Mexico and the traditional Day of the Dead celebrations. The All Saints Fiesta takes place from 31 October to 3 November in the Eduardo Ocón Auditorium on the Paseo del Parque. Live music performances take place every day – from 1pm onwards on Friday 1 November, from 1pm on Saturday 2 November and from 2pm on Sunday 3 November. Dress in white for full ambiance and to fit in with the skulls, flowers and homage to the departed.
Aztec Death Whistles
Still in the spirit of Halloween, the Music Museum opens a new exhibition showcasing a collection of Aztec Death Whistles. Made in terracotta and shaped in scary skulls and figures, the whistles make an eerie shrieking or howling sound. They were used as instruments in marches to frighten the enemy and to guide the dead into the afterlife. Entrance is included in the general ticket price (€5) for the Museum. MIMMA is on Calle Beatas and opens on Mondays from 10am to 4pm and Tuesdays to Sundays between 10am and 7pm.
Revolution on Ice
Spanish world ice skating champion 2015 and 2016, Javier Fernández returns to Malaga for an amazing show of music and dance on ice. He’s joined by a long list of other very talented skaters. Saturday 9 November at 7.30pm at the Martín Carpena Sports Stadium. Tickets from €20 available here.
Get to the Martín Carpena by metro from the mainline train station (Line 2 – get off at Palacio de los Deportes) or take the No 7 bus from the Alameda Principal and get off at the last stop.
Dance events in Malaga in November
The 2019 Danza Malaga Festival runs until 14 December this year with most of the performances in late November. As usual, there’s an eclectic line-up with all genres of dance featuring companies from all over the world. Most performances take place at the Cervantes Theatre with the others at the Echegaray Theatre.
Showcasing modern dance are performances such as The Lamb with Italian and Spanish dancers, Bow by the K-arts Dance Company from Korea and Suddenly III by Osa Mujika from the Basque Country. Classic Spanish dance takes centre stage with Electra and flamenco makes an appearance too. Ballet fans won’t be disappointed either performances of Romeo and Juliet and Sleeping Beauty by the Russian National Ballet and the St Petersburg Classic Ballet. There’s also a performance of the contemporary version of Carmen.
Full details of the Danza Malaga programme can be found here.
A Chorus Line
Finally! The curtain goes up on Antonio Banderas´ production of the famous musical from 27 November and is on the new stage at the Teatro Alameda in Calle Córdoba until 19 January. Ticket prices start at €18 (although be prepared to pay a lot more for reasonable seats) and are available online here (in Spanish only). Or you can buy them from the Teatro Alameda ticket office, open Monday to Friday 10am to 1pm and 4 to 9pm.
The video below takes a sneak peek at rehearsals.
What’s on in Malaga in November – music
November welcomes a long list of musical and dance events in Malaga and as usual, there’s something for all tastes and budgets:
Malaga Philharmonic Orchestra
The city Philharmonic Orchestra performs 2 concerts focusing on Beethoven this month at the Cervantes Theatre:
- Piano Concerto No 1 in C major and Symphony No 2 in D major on Thursday 14 and Friday 15 November at 8pm. Tickets from €9 here.
- Coriolan Overtune by Beethoven, Idomeneo by Mozart and Symphony No 7 in A major by Beethoven on Thursday 28 and Friday 29 November at 8pm in the Cervantes Theatre. Tickets from €9 here.
- The orchestra also plays Lehmberg and Falla at the Edgar Neville Auditorium on the western seafront on Friday 22 November at 8pm. Tickets cost €15 and are available here.
Flamenco in November
The last of the monthly flamenco concerts takes place on Monday 27 November at 7.30pm at the MVA Cultural Centre on Calle Ollerías. This month’s, Antonio Soto and team perform 8 flamenco pieces showcasing dance, song and guitar. Entry is free, but you need to get a ticket beforehand at the office, available from 9am onwards.
Mainake trio with flute
A chance for more Beethoven, this time with a dash of Schubert at the Picasso Museum Auditorium on Tuesday 12 November at 8pm. Tickets are €12 and you buy them at the Museum ticket office or online here.
Promising young musicians from Russia
Musical Diamond, a group of the best young musicians aged 9 to 19 in Russia, perform at the Russian Museum on Sunday 3 November at 6pm. Entry is free, but you need to get a ticket from the museum, available from 9.30am on Saturday 2 November.
Harp Orchestra
It’s not often you get to enjoy more than 1 harp at a time, but November’s free concert at the Carmen Thyssen Museum has a concert featuring a harp orchestra. Hear and see them on Saturday 9 November at 6pm in the lovely patio. Free entry, but get there early to be sure of a seat.
Lego and 3D exhibitions
Malaga continues to host the largest lego exhibition ever with almost 5,000,000 bricks that make up just about anything you can think of – a giant model of the Titanic (made of over 500,000 Lego pieces), sports personalities, part of the human body… plus there’s an area where you can build your own creations.
The 3D images, the largest in Spain, has a collection of 30 stands where you can place yourself in the image. You then take a pic on your phone of yourself in an FBI line-up, on the front cover of Time, fishing a shark….
Both exhibitions open daily from 11am to 9pm and are a perfect activity for families and kids. Ticket prices start at €5.50 and combos are available for both exhibitions with a 50% discount, but you must visit one of them before 3pm. Tickets available on the door. More details here. The exhibition is open until 24 November.
What’s on in Malaga in November – art exhibitions
As always, events in Malaga in November include lots of great art (whatever your favourite genre). You can read more about art exhibitions in Malaga this autumn here.
Malaga Urban Sketchers
As part of their 10th anniversary celebrations, Malaga Urban Sketchers have just opened an exhibition called “The Drawn City” featuring 136 sketches of Malaga by some 60 artists. They include Luis Patrón, the author of 1 of our favourite books about Malaga. See it at the Archivo Municipal on the Alameda Principal 23 until 24 November. Open Mon-Fri 10am to 1pm and 5 to 8pm and weekends 10am to 1pm.
Picasso Museum
The most visited museum in southern Spain (and one of the top museums in Malaga) hosts one of the big art exhibitions in Malaga this autumn featuring American artist Calder and Picasso. The pieces in the collection compare the 2 contemporary artists’ take on empty space.
Until 2 Feb. Daily 10am-7pm (6pm from Nov-Feb). €5.50 (€10 combined permanent and temporary exhibition).
Carmen Thyssen Museum
The Carmen Thyssen Museum continues to offer exceptional art in Malaga. This autumn’s temporary exhibition welcomes Arabian Fantasy featuring paintings by Spanish artists between 1860 and 1900. The central theme is North Africa (Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria) and the 70 works depict the people, customs and landscapes found by the artists in the second half of the 19th century. Be sure to check out the great themed gifts in the museum shop.
12 October – 1 February Tues-Sun 10am-8pm. €10 combo ticket for permanent and temporary exhibition. Reduced rate of €6 if you visit between 2.30 and 4pm. Free entry on Sundays from 5pm onwards.
Both the Picasso Museum and Carmen Thyssen Museum have lovely cafés serving coffee, light snacks and lunch.
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CAC Malaga
This contemporary art museum in Malaga has an exhibition called Eleuthera by Sean Scully, the Irish artist based in America who has twice been nominated for the Turner Prize. The 40 works on display include large-format paintings, photos and drawings of Scully’s son on the beach in the Caribbean. Geometric shapes and bright colours take centre stage on a set of unusual paintings. Read more about this exhibition here.
While you’re at CAC, don’t miss the permanent and Neighbours exhibitions. They’re both packed with interesting and thought-provoking art work and installations.
Tuesday to Sunday 10am-8pm. Free entry.
Russian Museum
As well as this year’s permanent exhibition, the Russian Museum has just opened two new temporary exhibitions:
In Search of Shambhala: 70 works by the master of Russian symbolism, Nikolai Roerich, are on show. Roerich was one of the most prominent artists in Russia during the first half of the 20th century as well as an archaeologist and promoter of culture and peace. He journeyed to the East for five years between 1923 and 1928 and Tibet and the Himalayas (see the photo below) make up one of the main topics for his paintings. You can also see his take on Russian legends and folklore in paintings that remind you of comic strips.
Anna Ajmátova: the Russian poet takes central stage in another of the temporary exhibitions and continues the Russian Museum’s theme of women this year. The collection showcases portraits of Ajmátova and the men in her life alongside her poetry and books.
Until 1 March 2020. Tues-Sun 9.30am-8pm. Entry to the temporary exhibitions costs €4, a combined ticket €8. Free entry on Sundays after 5pm.
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Pompidou Centre
The multi-coloured cube houses Modern Utopias taking you round European ideals in art with some of the continent’s greatest painters on display. Picasso, Kandinsky, Miró, Le Corbusier and Chagall all rub shoulders with fun installations including a revolving nose, sheep on wheels and sardine-tin bed, plus some great videos.
Read our dedicated post about the exhibition at the Pompidou Centre.
Hors Pistes The Moon
In line with this year’s 50th anniversary of man landing on the moon, the Pompidou Centre has a temporary exhibition exploring our journey from earth to the moon and back again. The quirky art pieces will include photography, paintings installations and poetry. From 18 October to 24 November.
Magic Lantern
Remember those? This interactive space that is perfect for kids plays homage to the earliest cinema will teach you how to make a magic lantern. From 4 October to April next year.
Open Wednesday to Monday 9.30am to 8pm. €7
La Térmica Cultural Centre
Surrealist Lee Miller – one of the world’s most famous photographers, Lee Miller was also a model for Vogue, World War Two correspondent and Man Ray’s assistant, lover and muse. La Térmica Cultural Centre celebrates her work with 101 photos on display. From 14 November until 26 Feburary. Tuesday to Sunday 11am to 2pm and 5 to 9pm. Free entry. Get to La Térmica on the No 7 from the Alameda Principal or walk along the western seafront.
Get to La Térmica Cultural Centre on the No 7 bus from the Alameda Principal or take a stroll along the western seafront.
Bishop’s Palace
UNICAJA has taken over the management of the art space at Bishop’s Palace and the first exhibition showcases one of the most famous Spanish artists from the 19th century. Sorolla is best-known for his beach scenes on the sands in Valencia and for the giant panels he painted for the library at the New York Hispanic Society. The new ‘Inland Sorolla’ exhibition includes both these themes as well as over 100 paintings of inland Spain as the artist saw it on his travels. Expect to see a very different Sorolla and get an insight into Spanish rural life.
Bishop’s Palace: Monday to Friday 10am to 8pm, weekends 9am to 2pm.
Brand bargains
The annual big brand bargains return to Malaga. Taking place at the Palacio de Ferias y Congresos, the event brings together well-known brands in fashion, sportswear, shoes, cosmetics and household items, all at knock-down prices. Friday 15, Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 November from 10am to 10pm.
It’s all about your dog
Canine lovers are in for a treat at the annual My Pet Fair at Palacio de Ferias y Congresos. As well as stands selling products and food for pets, there are dog shows and talks on caring for your favourite animal. Saturday 23 from 9.30am to 8pm and Sunday 24 November from 9.30am to 7pm. Tickets on the door cost €3 for adults, children get in free.
Top tip – get to the Palacio de Ferias on buses 4, 19, 20 and 22 from the Alameda Principal.
Sporting events in Malaga in November
Up, down and all around Malaga
The 6th edition of the Malaga Walking Tour takes place on Saturday 9 November and walks a route of 24km in a big loop from the city centre and back again. You walk past the main sights, up to the views on the San Antón mountains and then down to the seafront in Pedregalejo. The cost is €25 and you need to sign up first here.
What’s on in Malaga in November – markets
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 takes place at La Térmica Cultural Centre on Friday 8 November from 7pm to midnight. As well as 50 stalls selling vintage goods there’s a roller disco, fashion shows and foodtrucks.
El Zoco – the arts and crafts market takes place on Muelle Uno every Sunday in October from 11am to 7pm.
Organic and local produce markets, all grown locally in the Guadalhorce River valley – Saturday 9 November on Calle Cervantes and Paseo de Reding (near La Malagueta) and Saturday 23 November in Huelin Park. 10am to 2pm.
La Plaza Merced Market takes place on Sunday 24 November on Plaza de la Merced, 11am to 7pm. As well as arts and crafts, stall sell vintage pieces, organic fruit and vegetables, plants and second-hand clothes.
A race to death
Thought you’d seen it all in Malaga? Think again because 23 November sees the 1st edition of The Invaders, a Race to Death. Taking place at the fair ground, the race is 3km long and includes 4 Scary Points where you have to answer a question that determines which door you go in. An incorrect answer gets you a black mark; get 2 and you turn into an evil creature. Some pretty gory make-up is available too for an extra price. Tickets cost €10 for early birds, €15 if you take your time to decide. Full information plus graphic pics of the type of make-up you can choose is here. This is billed as family fun and in Spanish only. Action starts from 7.30pm. Get to the fair ground on the No 4 or No 19 bus from the Alameda Principal. Allow 30 minutes for the journey.
Heads-up for Malaga events in December
Malaga Marathon takes place on Sunday 15 December. Sign up is still open if you fancy running past 42km of the city. And we’ll all be keeping our fingers and toes crossed for better weather this year… Or for less gruelling runs, read our post about the 5 best places to go running in Malaga.
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.
