Status: in 2027 Holy Week runs from Sunday 21 to Sunday 28 March. Processional programme and routes not yet published by the Junta Mayor. Checked 28 September 2026.
First, the thing that catches almost every British visitor out: Orihuela city is not Orihuela Costa. The coast, with La Zenia and Cabo Roig, is 25 km away by the sea. The city is inland, with a cathedral, a walled old town listed as a historic monument since 1969, and one of the most distinctive Holy Weeks in Spain.
It has been a Festival of International Tourist Interest since 2010 (national since 1989) and has two things you will not see anywhere else: La Diablesa, a she-devil carried through the streets, and the Caballero Cubierto, the Covered Knight. There are processions every day from the Friday before Palm Sunday through to Easter Sunday.
The four not to miss
| Procession | When in 2027 | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The shortest procession in Spain | Maundy Thursday 25, around 20:45 | The statue known as El Ahogado is carried from the cathedral to the Loreto chapel. The route is five metres long |
| Procession of Silence | Maundy Thursday 25, 23:00 | Leaves the church of Santiago in darkness and complete silence. As the Christ passes through the door, the Canto de la Pasión begins |
| General Procession of the Passion | Good Friday 26, evening | The big one: more than 8,000 penitents and around thirty floats, from the Monserrate sanctuary to the Holy Week Museum |
| Holy Burial | Holy Saturday 27, evening | The procession of La Diablesa and the Covered Knight. The most singular of them all |
Third-party information (Junta Mayor de Cofradías of Orihuela and the City Council), checked in September 2026. Times and routes are published each year: confirm them in the official programme.
La Diablesa
Its real name is El Triunfo de la Cruz, the Triumph of the Cross. It was carved by Nicolás de Bussy in 1695 and is a listed cultural asset. A devil figure on a Holy Week float is almost unheard of in Spain; it represents the Cross triumphing over the flesh, the world and sin.
What you need to know to see it properly: by tradition it is forbidden to enter any church. When the procession reaches the cathedral, everyone else goes in through the Loreto door and La Diablesa carries on alone down Calle Mayor. The procession picks it up again near the Plaza del Marqués de Rafal. That stretch is the moment of the whole week.
The Covered Knight
He opens the Holy Burial procession carrying the city’s black mourning banner. It is an honour the council grants each year to one person for loyalty to Orihuela, and it comes with a papal privilege from the 17th century: the right to enter the cathedral without uncovering his head. The first was the Marquis of Rafal. There is a bronze statue to the figure in the cathedral square.
The Canto de la Pasión
Listed as Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2019: a song for four male voices, passed on by ear for centuries and attributed to a friar of the Trinity convent. It is sung in the streets during Passion Week, the week before Holy Week, and on Maundy Thursday in the Procession of Silence.
If you can only come for one night and this is what interests you, that is the night: Maundy Thursday.
Why the sculpture matters
Orihuela carries several works by Francisco Salzillo, the great Spanish baroque sculptor: the Cristo de la Agonía (1774), which many consider his finest crucifixion, the Ecce Homo (1777), Jesús de la Caída (1754) and El Lavatorio (1758). Off the procession route, the convent of San Juan de la Penitencia keeps the only recumbent Christ Salzillo ever made.
Closing all but three of the processions comes the Roman Century, known locally as los armaos, formally founded in 1891.
Getting there, and why parking matters
Orihuela city is inland, about 25 km from Orihuela Costa and around 55 km from Alicante airport. Do not book anything on the coast expecting to walk to a procession.
On the big days the old town is closed to traffic and the processions fill the narrow streets for hours. Parking anywhere close on Good Friday and Holy Saturday is difficult; if you drive, leave the car well outside and walk in.
We do the transfer from Torrevieja, Orihuela Costa, Guardamar and the airport, with a return time agreed in advance. As an inland destination it is not in our published price table: message us with the day and the number of people and we will give you a fixed price. For the night processions that is the part that really solves something, because they finish late and the centre is closed.
Common questions
When is Orihuela Holy Week 2027?
From Sunday 21 March (Palm Sunday) to Sunday 28 (Easter Sunday). Maundy Thursday is the 25th, Good Friday the 26th and Holy Saturday the 27th.
What is La Diablesa?
A processional float from 1695 by Nicolás de Bussy, properly called El Triunfo de la Cruz. It goes out on Holy Saturday and, by tradition, never enters a church.
Do you have to pay?
No, the processions are in the street. Some grandstand seats along the main routes are sold separately, and the Holy Week Museum has an entrance fee.
Which is the most impressive procession?
For size, the General Procession on Good Friday. For singularity, the Holy Burial on Saturday. If you come to only one, the Saturday.
Can I combine it with the coast?
Yes, and that is what almost everyone does: sleep on the coast and go up to Orihuela for the evening processions. It is 25 minutes by car.
Other big festivals within reach of the coast: Benidorm Fest and Alicante Bonfires of San Juan. The full Spanish-language calendar is at Eventos.
Message us on WhatsApp — we will come back with availability and the final price.
Related: things to do in Orihuela Costa, things to do in Torrevieja, airport transfers.