Cástulo Ibero-Roman Festivities

Name: Cástulo Ibero-Roman Festivities
Start: 2026-05-13
End: 2026-05-17

Description

Every May, Linares becomes a living bridge to Antiquity. The Cástulo Ibero-Roman Festivities restore to the city the pulse of its most legendary past: the heartbeat of ancient Oretania, the echo of the legions, the murmur of the markets, and the memory of a territory that was a frontier, a crossroads, and the setting for stories that still gaze back at us today.

For five days, from 13 to 17 May, the city opens up as a great historical stage. The streets fill with banners, fabrics and scents evoking a time when Iberians and Romans lived side by side, traded and vied for control of a strategic site. The encampments recreate everyday life with almost cinematic precision: craftsmen working metal and pottery, warriors training, priestesses preparing rituals, families showing what life was like in an oppidum or a Roman castra.

The opening parade sets the tone for the festival: cohorts marching to the beat of drums, Iberian clans with their colours and symbols, historical figures returning to tell their part of the story. The audience doesn't just watch — they join in, mingle, and let themselves be carried along by the atmosphere of a past that here is not simply observed, but lived.

The Ibero-Roman Market, set up on the Paseo de Linarejos, adds just the right amount of bustle: craft stalls, gastronomy inspired by ancient recipes, street performances, music, theatre, and small scenes that appear and disappear among the crowd. Every corner offers a chance to discover, learn and enjoy.

And always in the background, Cástulo: the ancient city that inspires these festivities and continues to reveal archaeological treasures that are changing our understanding of the history of southern Spain. Its symbolic presence infuses every event, a reminder that Linares is celebrating not just a festival, but a legacy.