The Festival Internacional de Música y Danza de Granada is one of Spain's oldest major performing arts festivals, founded in 1951. It remains one of the few events anywhere that stages orchestral concerts inside the Palace of Charles V in the Alhambra and ballet in the open-air Generalife Theatre.
The main programme is expected to run from 11 June to 12 July 2027 (dates provisional pending the official 2027 announcement), with the FEX extension (Festival EXtensión) typically starting a couple of days earlier — free and low-cost events spread across Granada's streets, squares, and outlying municipalities.
The venues
Five stages, each with its own character:
The Palace of Charles V is a 16th-century Renaissance courtyard inside the Alhambra complex. Circular interior, stone tiers, sharp acoustics. This is where symphonic concerts and major orchestral programmes sit. Walking up at night, hearing music drift out through the entrance arch, is the experience the festival sells.
The Generalife Theatre is the open-air stage in the Generalife gardens above the Alhambra, with cypress hedges framing the seating and the lights of Granada below. Ballet and flamenco perform here. Arrive before sunset.
The Corral del Carbón is a 14th-century Moorish caravanserai in the city centre — one of the oldest Islamic buildings in Granada. The courtyard hosts chamber performances and smaller concerts at a more intimate scale.
Palacio de los Córdova and the Crucero del Hospital Real round out the programme with additional concerts, including daytime matinees.
2027 programme
The full 2027 lineup has not yet been announced. Past editions have featured major international orchestras and soloists at the Palace of Charles V, ballet companies at the Generalife Theatre, and flamenco artists across the festival and its FEX extension. Check granadafestival.org/en/programa as the programme is confirmed, usually in the months before the festival opens.
Tickets and prices
Pricing spans free (FEX events) through to premium seats for headline performances, set annually once the programme is confirmed. Tickets are sold through granadafestival.janto.es. Opening-week performances and any headline names tend to sell out fastest — buy as soon as the programme goes live.
The FEX programme is the practical entry point if budget is a concern. It runs the full length of the festival, with many completely free events — workshops, street concerts, and smaller performances happen in squares and municipal venues outside the Alhambra.
Getting to venues
The Alhambra complex (Palace of Charles V and Generalife) is accessible via the Alhambra shuttle buses from the city centre. Book the shuttle in advance on concert nights — evening departures fill quickly. Central venues like the Corral del Carbón are walkable from most of the city centre.
Parking near the Alhambra is limited. The shuttle is the default for evening concerts.
What to expect
The festival audience mixes Spanish and international visitors. Smart casual works for most performances; formal attire fits the opening-week premieres and major classical nights. Evenings in late June and July at altitude are warmer than Seville or Córdoba but cool once the sun drops — bring a layer for the Generalife's open-air stage.
The full confirmed programme is at granadafestival.org/en/programa.
