Big summer music festivals, the start of Gibraltar’s Brexit deal, the end of Spain’s migrant amnesty, another anti-tourism protest, the deadline for Spain’s annual income tax return, and plenty more – read on for the full lowdown on July 2026 in Spain.
Festivals in Spain in July
Many towns and cities across Spain celebrate festivals in July, whether musical or historical and cultural.
The most well known of these is San Fermín or Running of the Bulls, held in Pamplona from July 6th – 14th. The Galician city of Santiago de Compostela will also be holding its annual Fiestas de Santiago Apóstol on July 25th.
Other festivities taking place in July include Bilbao’s BBK music festival on the 9th,10th and 11th of July, and the Moors and Christians parades in Villajoyosa starting on the 24th-31st, commemorating the famous battle of 1538.
Pride celebrations will also take place in July. Madrid’s LGBTIQ+ festival is celebrated from June 25th-July 5th throughout many areas of the city, but mainly in and around the barrio of Chueca.
Madrid will also host the Mad Cool Festival on July 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th in Villaverde, including performances by Foo Fighters, Moby, Florence and the Machine and Kings of Leon.
The famous Benicàssim Festival will be held in Castellón province from July 16-18th, with a lineup led by Franz Ferdinand, The Kooks, and The Prodigy.
Bilbao BBK Live will run from July 9th to 11th and feature performances by Robbie Williams, Calvin Harris, David Byrne, Alabama Shakes, and FKA Twigs.
Madrid expected to pass ‘unborn babies’ law
The proposed legislation aims to make unborn babies legally considered members of the family from the moment the pregnancy is proven.
Regional President Isabel Díaz Ayuso has announced an extraordinary plenary session in the Madrid parliament so that the law can become a reality as soon as possible.
Sources close to the People’s Party parliamentary group say the vote could be held as soon as Thursday 2nd July.
Summer sales begin
If you’re looking for some new clothes to help keep you cool during the hot summers, then you’re in luck.
July 1st marks the official start of the summer sales in Spain, even though many stores may have started earlier. After a while you’ll begin to see signs for segundas rebajas (second sales), then terceras rebajas.
Finally you’ll see the remate final (final push), where discounts go up from 30 percent to 40 percent off, then 50 and finally up to a 70 percent price reduction.
EU to vote on Spain’s amnesty law
July will also see Spanish politics potentially playing out abroad, with the European Court of Justice set to rule on 16th July whether Spain’s controversial amnesty law for Catalan separatists complies with EU legislation. It will also rule on whether the embezzlement charges still attributed to several members of the 2017 Catalan government are eligible for amnesty.
This affects former President Carles Puigdemont as well as former ministers Toni Comín and Lluís Puig, who remain outside Spain, but also ERC leader Oriol Junqueras, Junts’ secretary-general Jordi Turull and former ministers Raül Romeva and Dolors Bassa.
Barcelona to host Tour de France
On Sunday 5th July, Barcelona will host the second stage of the 2026 Tour de France.
After passing through several nearby towns, the peloton will enter the Catalan capital to tackle a demanding final stretch that will culminate at Montjuïc.
Gibraltar’s Brexit deal set to come into force on July 15th
Gibraltar’s Brexit deal will formally come into force on 15th July, including the symbolic removal of the border fence at La Línea.
The agreement among other measures aims to remove “all physical barriers to the movement of people and goods between Spain and Gibraltar, whilst fully safeguarding the Schengen area, the EU single market and its customs union,” the council notes in a statement.
The July implementation date, although delayed, will finally put an end to the legal limbo that has gripped The Rock since the referendum vote almost a decade ago.
READ ALSO: 90-day rule, borders and taxes – What the Gibraltar deal means in practice
Potential backlog after June 30th deadline for Spain’s migrant amnesty
Spain’s postal service fears a July backlog following the end of the application window country’s mass regularisation of undocumented migrants. This comes as some 900,00 have already applied, more than predicted by the government and migrant groups.
From 30th June, the Ministry of Social Security, Inclusion and Migration will no longer provide in-person services to migrants, switching exclusively to online services.
The appointment booking telephone line will be discontinued, a service which has so far enabled the process to run smoothly at post offices across the country.
These issues are viewed with some concern by internal sources within Correos, who also point out that although the application process ends on 30 June, the admin procedures to complete it will likely take far longer, and some sources even suggest that the application period could be extended.
Another anti-tourism protest in Mallorca
Mallorca will see the return of anti-tourism activism on the island, following news that the ‘Menys Turisme, Més Vida’ platform has called for a new demonstration against mass tourism on July 26th.
The protest will begin at 7.00 pm in Plaça d’Espanya under the slogan “Mallorca al limit!”. Further protests are expected throughout the summer.
Spain to hopefully continue through World Cup knock-out stages
July could also see the Spanish football team progress into the knock-out stages of the World Cup.
If Spain qualifies from the group stage, in the round of 16 they could face Croatia or Colombia, then in the quarter-finals either Belgium or the United States.
If Spain advances, La Roja would face one of Germany, the Netherlands, Morocco or France.
In the World Cup final, scheduled for July 18th, Luis de la Fuente’s side could face Argentina, Brazil, England or Portugal.
New cars to require breathalysers to be started from July
Spain’s DGT will from July will require all new cars registered in Spain to be fitted with a system that prevents the engine from starting if the permitted blood alcohol level is exceeded
An in-car breathalyser to start a car, commonly called an ‘alcohol interlock’ or ‘alcolock’, is a device connected to your vehicle’s ignition system.
It requires you to provide blow into the breathalyser device and if your blood alcohol content (BAC) is above the pre-set limit, the car’s engine will not start.
Deadline for Spain’s annual income tax return
The deadline to file Spain’s annual tax return is today is June 30th.
If you’ve forgotten and do it in July, the Spanish tax office has a range of penalties it can impose if you fail to file your declaración de la renta.
GUIDE: How to complete Spain’s annual tax return at the last minute
