October is Malaga’s busiest month for culture. There’s Picasso’s birthday, a French film festival, the big flamenco names at the Teatro Cervantes, a feria in a different village almost every weekend, and Halloween to finish.
I live in Malaga, and this is the month’s full listing in one place, with the dates, what each thing costs and the official place to book, so you don’t end up paying a reseller for something that’s free.
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🚗 Rent a car: I use Discover Cars
🏨 Where to stay: Find hotels in Malaga
🎟️ Guided tours: I use GetYourGuide
🚆 Trains and buses: I book through Omio
🛡️ Travel insurance: I use SafetyWing
October 2026 at a glance
Everything in date order. Each event has its own entry further down with the details.
- Torrox Feria, 30 Sep to 4 Oct: free concerts, just turn up
- San Diego Comic-Con, 1 to 4 Oct: €84.80 a day. Official tickets on Ticketmaster
- Bella Jarifa in Cártama, 2 to 4 Oct: free, just turn up
- Architecture Week, 2 to 9 Oct: free, but you register for visits. Programme and sign-up
- Sopas Perotas in Álora, Sat 3 Oct: free soup for everyone
- Fuengirola Feria del Rosario, 6 to 12 Oct: free, just turn up
- Nerja Feria, 8 to 12 Oct: free concerts. Line-up
- Ojén Feria, 8 to 12 Oct: free
- Moments Festival, 9 Oct to 15 Nov: many events free, some ticketed. Programme
- Fiesta Nacional, Mon 12 Oct: national holiday, banks and some shops close
- Danza Málaga, from 13 Oct: Farruquito, Pastora Galván and Sara Baras all on in October. Teatro Cervantes tickets
- French Film Festival, 16 to 23 Oct: €7 a film. Tickets
- Yunquera Wine and Chestnut Fair, 24 to 25 Oct: free tastings. Details
- Halloween at La Concepción, 24 to 25 and 31 Oct: €9 to €17, book ahead. Family day · Evening visit
- Picasso’s birthday, Sun 25 Oct: Casa Natal free all day. Opening times
- Clocks go back, Sun 25 Oct: sunset drops to about 6:30pm
- Museo Picasso free day, Tue 27 Oct: free. Museo Picasso
- Munch-Picasso exhibition opens, Fri 30 Oct: runs until 28 Feb 2027
- Halloween, Sat 31 Oct: Muelle Uno, Soho and the Noche de Misterio at the MACP are all free (book the MACP one)
Is it worth going to Malaga in October?
Yes. It’s warm without the summer heat, the crowds have gone home, and there’s more on in the theatres and museums than at almost any other time of year.
The first two weeks are the best of it. The sea is still around 21°C, it rarely rains, and that’s when the big village ferias happen. From mid-month you’ll get the odd stormy day, and once the clocks change on the 25th you lose an hour of evening light.
Hotel prices drop from the summer peak, so it’s good value too. For how October compares with the rest of the year, here’s my guide to the best month to visit Malaga.
⭐ Don’t miss >> Where to stay in Malaga, my hotel picks
Events and festivals in Malaga city
Listed in date order. One thing you won’t find here is Noche en Blanco, the free culture night. It’s held in May, not October.
San Diego Comic-Con Malaga, 1 to 4 October
FYCMA conference centre · €84.80 a day, under-12s €37.10
The European edition of the San Diego convention fills FYCMA for four days with panels, exhibitors, cosplay and screenings. Each ticket is tied to the buyer’s registration ID, so buy only through the official site or Ticketmaster, because a resale ticket can get you turned away at the door.
The city fills up that weekend, so book your accommodation early, especially if you’re coming with teenagers who’ve made it the point of the trip.
Architecture Week, 2 to 9 October
Buildings across the city · Free, registration required
For eight days the architects’ association opens buildings that are normally closed to the public, from offices and private courtyards to heritage buildings, with free guided visits. Registration opened on 29 September and the popular visits go within days. Check what’s left on the COA Málaga programme.
Most visits are in Spanish, so bring a translation app if you need one.
Moments Festival, 9 October to 15 November
More than 40 venues in Malaga and Madrid · Many events free, some ticketed
This year’s 13th edition has more than 130 workshops, exhibitions, concerts and community events, from murals painted live on building walls to small music sessions in unexpected corners. Madrid’s part is short (15 to 24 October), and Malaga’s runs until mid-November.
Look at the programme before you arrive, pick two or three things near where you’re staying, and register straight away for any workshop with limited places.
Danza Málaga and flamenco at the Teatro Cervantes, from 13 October
Teatro Cervantes and Teatro Echegaray · Book ahead
Danza Málaga is the city’s dance season. It opened on 13 October and runs until The Nutcracker on 6 January, with ballet, flamenco and contemporary work. Don’t mix it up with TodoDanza, which is a separate festival in Marbella.
October is the big flamenco stretch:
- Farruquito: Wed 14 Oct, 8pm
- Pastora Galván, TRIBUsssh!: Thu 15 Oct, 8pm
- Sara Baras, Infinita: 24 to 27 Oct
Last October brought Eva Yerbabuena and María Pagés, and the audience is mostly local. Seeing a top flamenco name in a 19th-century theatre usually costs less than a tourist tablao. Sara Baras sells out, so book on the Teatro Cervantes website, which also lists the month’s standalone flamenco and opera nights.
French Film Festival, 16 to 23 October
Cine Albéniz and other venues · €7 a screening, €5 reduced
The 32nd Festival de Cine Francés mixes new releases, classics and children’s sessions. Films are in French with Spanish subtitles, so it suits you best if you follow one of the two languages.
The standout is Paris qui dort, a silent film with a live orchestra, on 17 October at the Albéniz (€15, or €12 reduced). Families should look for the Mon Petit Festival sessions, which are free with registration. Tickets are on the festival website, with the full programme alongside.
Picasso’s birthday, 25 and 27 October
Casa Natal on Plaza de la Merced (25th) and Museo Picasso Málaga (27th) · Both free
Picasso was born in Malaga on 25 October 1881, and you can see two Picasso venues free that week without queuing for tickets.
- Sun 25 Oct, Casa Natal Picasso: his birthplace on Plaza de la Merced is free from 9:30am to 8pm, including the exhibition Picasso. Propaganda y activismo político, with free guided tours at 12:00 and 18:00
- Tue 27 Oct, Museo Picasso Málaga: free entry on the anniversary of its 2003 opening. Queues form before the doors open, so get there early
- Wed 28 Oct, 8pm: the singer Ana Romma performs Los ojos del niño Pablo at the Casa Natal
- Fri 30 Oct: Munch-Picasso. Influencias y afinidades opens at the Museo Picasso and runs until 28 February 2027
There’s no birthday concert this year. On any other day the Museo Picasso costs €13, with timed slots on the museum website, or it’s free in the last two hours on a Sunday. If you’d like a guide on one of the paid days, I use GetYourGuide for guided tours in Malaga. Casa Natal tickets are on its official ticket page, and the rest of the city’s collections are in my guide to the museums in Malaga.
If you want to be a short walk from the Museo Picasso and Plaza de la Merced, here are a few of my hotel picks in and around the old town:
⭐ Off Plaza de la Merced >> Anahita Boutique Hotel
⭐ Calle Victoria >> ME Malaga
⭐ Centro Historico >> Palacio Solecio
⭐ By the Roman Theatre >> Hotel Teatro Romano
Concerts and exhibitions all month
Various venues · Prices vary
- MOSMA Reloaded: the film-music festival used to be one week in late October. It’s now a season of concerts from September 2026 to June 2027, so check the MOSMA tickets page for whatever falls in your dates
- Flamenco en el Patio: two evenings in the Carmen Thyssen’s courtyard, 9 October and 13 November at 8:15pm, on the museum’s ticket shop
- ¡Olé! El mito de lo español a través de Andalucía: the Carmen Thyssen’s new exhibition on how flamenco and bullfighting became Spain’s postcard image, from 3 October to 21 February 2027
The Municipal Band also gives open-air concerts through the autumn, and they’re free.
Village fairs and food festivals near Malaga
October is the busiest month for village fairs in Málaga province. None of them need tickets: entry and the concerts are free, and you only pay for what you eat and drink. Listed in date order.
🚗 Yunquera and Ojén are both best reached by car, up in the hills behind the coast. I use Discover Cars to compare the rental companies.
Torrox Feria, 30 September to 4 October
Torrox, about 45 minutes east · Free
A smaller, calmer feria than the big coastal ones, with casetas, live music and a fairground. The free concerts are in the Plaza de la Constitución, with Javier Ojeda on Saturday the 3rd and Paco Candela at 11:30pm on Sunday the 4th.
Sunday is the day to go. The day fair starts at 1pm and the patron saints’ procession follows at 8pm. Torrox is near Nerja, so it pairs with the Nerja feria the following week.
Noches de la Bella Jarifa, Cártama, 2 to 4 October
Cártama, about 25 minutes inland · Free
Three nights of Cártama’s Moorish and Christian history, with costumed performers, craft and food stalls and staged scenes in the streets. It’s more medieval market than fairground, and the evening scenes are the ones to catch. This is the closest of the October fairs to the city, in the Guadalhorce valley.
Sopas Perotas Day, Álora, Saturday 3 October
Álora, about 40 minutes inland · Free
On the first Saturday of October, Álora cooks sopas perotas, a thick chickpea and vegetable broth, and hands it out free to anyone who queues, usually with live music. This year was the 22nd edition. Álora is close to the Caminito del Rey, so you can do both in a day.
Feria del Rosario, Fuengirola, 6 to 12 October
Fuengirola, about 45 minutes on the C-1 train · Free
One of the biggest fairs in the province, with flamenco, horse parades, food stalls and casetas where people dance sevillanas until late. The big day is 7 October, the feast of the Virgen del Rosario, when the procession goes through town.
Go in the evening, and leave the car at home, because Fuengirola’s station is right in the centre. If you’ve never been to an Andalusian feria, this is an easy first one. My day trips from Malaga guide covers getting there and back.
Nerja Feria, 8 to 12 October
Nerja, about an hour east · Free concerts
The fairground sets up near the Balcón de Europa, and the evenings are when it’s at its liveliest. The concerts are free:
- Fri 9 Oct, 11:30pm: Mägo de Oz, Plaza de España
- Sat 10 Oct: Chambao
- Sun 11 Oct: El Arrebato, Plaza de España
- Mon 12 Oct: a family Beauty and the Beast tribute at midday, then urban music from 8pm
Get to the square early if you want to see the stage. The full line-up is on the Nerja town hall website. The beaches are still warm enough to swim in early October, so it’s worth making a day of it with my guide to things to do in Nerja.
Ojén Feria, 8 to 12 October
Ojén, about an hour away, behind Marbella · Free
Ojén’s feria for San Dionisio takes over the central square and the steep whitewashed streets around it, with the Sierra Blanca behind. You’ll want a car to get there. Go in the evening, when the square lights up and the sevillanas start.
Yunquera Wine and Chestnut Fair, 24 to 25 October
Yunquera, about an hour inland · Free tastings
The 16th edition of this mountain-village fair, in a village of about 2,800 people in the Sierra de las Nieves foothills. Chestnuts come roasted, boiled, candied, in syrup and fresh, alongside free tastings of local mosto and Málaga wine, a craft and produce market, and the grape treading at 2pm on Sunday the 25th.
Get there before lunch, because the village fills up in the afternoon. The drive up through the autumn colours is part of the day out. Details are on the Yunquera town hall website.
Halloween in Malaga, 24 to 31 October
Halloween has caught on in Malaga over the past decade, and most of the events fall on Saturday 31 October. Three of them are free. The two at La Concepción are ticketed, and they fill up first.
La Concepción Botanical Garden, 24, 25 and 31 October
North of the centre · €9 family mornings, €17 evening visit
- Family mornings, 24 and 25 Oct: from 10:30am, €9 (€6.90 reduced). Details
- Theatrical evening visit, 31 Oct: from 7pm, €17, booked by phone only on +34 951 92 61 80 or +34 639 91 40 55. Details
Ring for the evening visit as soon as you know your dates.
Cielito lindo at Muelle Uno, 31 October
Muelle Uno, the port · Free
A Day of the Dead themed afternoon on the port promenade, from 5:30 to 9pm. Muelle Uno posts the final programme on its event page.
La Noche en Negro in Soho, 31 October
Soho · Free
Trick-or-treating and costumes around the Soho arts district from 6pm.
Noche de Misterio at the MACP, 31 October
Museum of Art and Popular Customs · Free, booking required
Four horror stories about Malaga told in the old inn that houses the museum, from 8 to 9:30pm. Booking opened on 19 October on the museum’s event page.
The English Cemetery
Avenida de Pries · Open Tue to Sun, 9am to 2pm
Opened in 1831, it’s one of the oldest Protestant cemeteries in Spain, with the graves of British merchants and consuls under cypress trees. It doesn’t run a Halloween event of its own and closes at 2pm, so it’s a daytime visit. Prices and guided tour dates are on the cemetery’s website.
For more on what works with children the rest of the year, see my guide to Malaga with kids.
Seasonal food in October
The market stalls change over in October. Caquis (persimmons), pomegranates and chirimoya take over from the summer fruit, and Pasas de Málaga, the local sun-dried Muscat raisins, are on every stall.
Chirimoya is the one to try. It’s grown on the coast around Nerja and Almuñécar under its own protected designation (Chirimoya de la Costa Tropical de Granada-Málaga), it tastes of vanilla and cream, and it’s in season from autumn into spring. Buy one at the Mercado de Atarazanas, the 19th-century iron market hall with the stained-glass façade, and eat it the same day.
October is also the last month you can count on a long evening outside before it gets cool. Here are the best tapas bars in Malaga for it.
Weather in Malaga in October
Daytime highs average about 24°C, closer to 26°C early in the month and around 22°C by the end, and evenings cool to 14 to 17°C. The sea is about 21°C in the first week and drops to around 19°C by the end of the month, and plenty of people still swim.
Expect four or five rainy days, usually short heavy bursts rather than all-day drizzle. Pack for warm days and cooler evenings, and leave one day flexible in case a storm comes through.
Sunset is just before 8pm in the first week and about 7:50pm by the 10th. The clocks go back at 3am on Sunday 25 October, and sunset jumps to about 6:30pm.
Practical tips for October
- Book ahead for Sara Baras, La Concepción’s Halloween evening and the Caminito del Rey, which only sells tickets on its official site and sells out on October weekends
- No booking needed for the village ferias, the Picasso free days or the free Halloween events
- Monday 12 October is the Fiesta Nacional. Banks and some smaller shops close, but restaurants and the main sights stay open
- Stay in the old town if you want to walk to most of this. My where to stay in Malaga guide covers the neighbourhoods
If you have days without an event, the cooler weather suits the climb up to the Alcazaba and Gibralfaro, a day at the beaches in Malaga in the first half of the month, or the Caminito del Rey, which is far more comfortable now than in August. For the full list, see my guide to things to do in Malaga.
