Christmas church music, concerts and midnight Mass in Andalusia, 2026

By the ULTIMATE Andalusia Editorial Team

Seville: Messiah twice, and Christmas at the Maestranza

The Teatro de la Maestranza is Seville’s Christmas concert hall. The Real Orquesta Sinfónica de Sevilla sings Handel’s Messiah on Thursday 17 and Friday 18 December at 8pm, and plays its Concierto de Navidad on Monday 21 and Tuesday 22 December, at 5pm and 7pm each day.

On Saturday 19 December at 8pm the singer Pastora Soler and the Banda Sinfónica Municipal de Sevilla, with Pedro El Granaíno, María Parrado and four choirs, give Así canta nuestra tierra en Navidad, Christmas songs in Andalusian arrangements, for the Fundación Alalá. On Wednesday 23 December at 8pm Andreas Spering conducts the Orquesta Barroca de Sevilla and the Conductus Ensemble in a period-instrument Messiah.

Our advice: the 23 December Messiah, on baroque instruments two days before Christmas, is the one to hear; book through the Maestranza’s own links.

Teatro de la Maestranza: ROSS Messiah →   Teatro de la Maestranza: ROSS Concierto de Navidad →   Teatro de la Maestranza: Así canta nuestra tierra en Navidad →   Teatro de la Maestranza: El Mesías, 23 December →

Granada: carols and Messiah at the Auditorio Manuel de Falla

At the Orquesta Ciudad de Granada’s home, the Auditorio Manuel de Falla, on Friday 11 December, at 6pm and 8pm, children’s choirs from Granada and its province sing Villancicos populares del mundo, carols and traditional songs in eight languages, with Damon Robinson, conducted by Héctor Eliel Márquez.

On Thursday 17 and Friday 18 December at 7.30pm Eamonn Dougan conducts Handel’s Messiah with the soprano Mhairi Lawson, the alto Bethany Horak-Hallett, the tenor Joshua Ellicott, the bass Peter Edge, the OCG Choir and community choirs who sing alongside them.

Our advice: tickets for both are sold through the orchestra’s own pages; the 6pm carols suit families.

OCG: Villancicos populares del mundo →   OCG: El Mesías →

Málaga and Córdoba: Rutter’s Gloria and a Christmas lyric gala

At the Teatro Cervantes in Málaga, the Orquesta Filarmónica de Málaga’s Christmas concert, on Thursday 17 and Friday 18 December at 8pm, pairs Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker suite and Strauss songs with Dan Forrest’s Christmas selection and John Rutter’s Gloria, sung by the soprano Berna Perles and the Coro de Ópera de Málaga under José María Moreno. Tickets are €12 to €36.

In Córdoba, the Orquesta de Córdoba’s Gala Lírica de Navidad, carols and opera with the soprano Mariola Cantarero, conducted by Salvador Vázquez, is at the Teatro Góngora on Tuesday 22 December at 8pm.

Our advice: in Málaga, walk down to Calle Larios after the concert for the Christmas lights.

Teatro Cervantes: OFM Navidad →   Orquesta de Córdoba: Gala Lírica de Navidad →

Zambombas: the flamenco Christmas of Jerez

Jerez’s city council calls the zambomba the most genuine expression of Christmas in Jerez: neighbours gathered over local wine and sweets, singing villancicos in the flamenco way. It has been a Bien de Interés Cultural since 2015, and on 3 October 2026 the council approved its 2026 bando to keep the zambombas traditional. The council’s own December programme lists only small neighbourhood ones.

The best-staged zambomba this year is in Málaga. On Tuesday 22 December at 8pm Alejandro Estrada brings En Navidad to the Teatro Cervantes, flamenco carols old and new in the manner of Jerez and Arcos de la Frontera, with a dozen singers, three guitars, percussion, violin and the zambomba drum itself. Tickets are €12 to €36.

Our advice: zambombas are meant to be joined, not watched; clap along, and accept the glass of oloroso.

Ayuntamiento de Jerez: Zambombas →   Teatro Cervantes: Zambomba Alejandro Estrada →

Midnight Mass and English services

The Misa del Gallo, Christmas Eve’s midnight Mass, is the great service of the year at the cathedrals of Seville, Granada and Málaga. None had published its 2026 Christmas times when we checked; they usually appear in December on the cathedrals’ own pages.

For English speakers, Seville Cathedral holds a Saturday Mass in English at 5pm in the Capilla de la Antigua, and St George’s, the Anglican church on Avenida de Pries in Málaga, holds its Holy Eucharist every Sunday at 11.30am, including 20 and 27 December. St George’s had not yet listed its 2026 carol and Christmas services.

Our advice: for midnight Mass, arrive at least 45 minutes early, dress soberly, and check the cathedral’s page in the week before.

Seville Cathedral: Mass times →   Granada Cathedral: Mass times →   Málaga Cathedral →   St George’s Málaga: services →

How to plan your Christmas music

Christmas Day 2026 is a Friday, and the concerts cluster in the week of 17 to 23 December. The theatres sell their tickets online through their own pages; the cathedrals do not ticket their services, so come early. Old churches are cold in December: bring a coat.

Our advice: hear Messiah in Granada on the 17th or 18th, then take the train to Seville for the baroque Messiah on the 23rd, and see our Christmas in Andalusia page for the lights and markets.

Christmas in Andalusia →

Questions and answers