The Sardine Burial 2026: enjoy it from your property at La Manga Club

If there’s one thing that defines Murcia, alongside its sunshine and hospitality, it’s its distinctive approach to celebration. Those who own a property at La Manga Club will already be familiar with this and may well have identified their favourite festivals. Among them, few are as singular, joyful and deeply rooted in Murcian culture as the Entierro de la Sardina, the Sardine Burial, the grand finale of the traditional Spring Festivals. In 2026, this celebration will enjoy its 175th anniversary, and the city is preparing to mark the occasion with not one but two Entierros.

Our blog ensures La Manga Club homeowners discover the region’s cultural highlights. Living here means becoming part of Murcia: its traditions, its rhythm and its distinctive way of life shaped by the sea, the sun and the spirit of celebration. The Entierro de la Sardina is an essential event in this cultural calendar and each of 2026’s scheduled burials will offer something different.

The first event will be historic, reviving the past and the origins of this festival that blends humour, satire and popular devotion. It will take place on Wednesday 4 March, 2026, in the San Antolín district, the very location where the tradition began. The streets will be filled with parades, period costumes, reconstructed floats inspired by the early 20th century and an atmosphere that evokes Murcia between 1910 and 1920. At that time, the Sardine Burial was modest but full of life: in 1911 there were four floats, in 1914 six and, after the difficult years of the European war, the parade returned in 1919 with eight floats symbolising the revival of Murcian joy. More than a simple reenactment, this first event will be an emotional journey through the history of a city that has always embraced humour while preserving its identity.

The second Sardine Burial, the traditional edition, will take place during the Spring Festivals on Saturday 11 April, 2026. It will follow the familiar format, with troupes performing in the streets, sardine clubs, a float parade distributing toys and sweets, and the spectacular burning of the sardine beside the Puente Viejo. This ritual of fire, colour and music marks the end of winter and welcomes a new season of life.

Owners of properties at La Manga Club, located less than an hour from the Murcian capital, are ideally placed to experience these picturesque and entertaining events, which have been named a Festival of International Tourism Interest. Mark the 4th of March and the 11th of April in your 2026 calendar and prepare to enjoy a double Sardine Burial. These two distinct interpretations of the same tradition will demonstrate that even after 175 years, the spirit of celebration in Murcia remains as vibrant as ever.