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The 2027 Tamborrada falls on 20 January, as it does every year. It is San Sebastián's big day: twenty-four hours straight of drums and barrels crossing the whole city, from midnight to the following midnight. More than 150 companies, some 19,000 adults and 8,800 children.
It is not a show put on for visitors. It is the city's own celebration, and that changes completely how you experience it: there is no stage here and no ticket, there are neighbourhoods. If you have never been, this is what is worth knowing before you come.
What the Tamborrada is
It is held on 20 January, the feast day of the city's patron saint. Its origin is in the nineteenth century and is linked to the water carriers and cooks who went to fetch water from the fountain in the Plaza de la Constitución, half-mockingly imitating the drumbeat of the Napoleonic troops who occupied San Sebastián.
Over time that parody became an institution. Today the companies parade in two uniforms: cook, with a white hat and a wooden barrel, and soldier, with a tunic and a drum. Each company belongs to a gastronomic society, a neighbourhood or an association, and rehearses for months. The march that plays over and over is the same one for all of them, and after three hours it stays inside your head.
Tamborrada 2027 timings
The programme repeats every year with very little variation. These are the fixed moments:
| Time | What happens | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 00:00 | Flag-raising and first tamborrada | Plaza de la Constitución |
| 00:00 – 24:00 | Adult companies across the whole city | Every neighbourhood |
| 12:00 | The children's tamborrada sets off | Old Town and Boulevard |
| 12:30 | Presentation of the Golden Drum | City Hall |
| 24:00 | Flag-lowering and end of the celebration | Plaza de la Constitución |
The exact routes and times for each company are published a few weeks beforehand on the official Tamborrada website.
The flag-raising, at midnight
Everything starts at twelve sharp in the Plaza de la Constitución, with the raising of the city flag and the first drumroll. The square fills up long before that, and so do the arcades and the surrounding streets.
If you want to be inside it, get there at least an hour early. If you don't, no harm done: at that same moment drums start up across half the city, and the moment works just as well from any street in the Old Town or in Gros.
The neighbourhood tamborradas
From then on there is no pause until the following night. The companies spread out by area — the centre, the Old Town, Gros, El Antiguo, Amara — and each neighbourhood has its own rhythm through the day.
In Gros, where our apartment is, around twenty-five companies parade over the course of the day. It is one of the easiest areas to follow the celebration in: wide streets, flat ground and companies passing practically at the front door.
The children's tamborrada
At midday some fifty children's groups set off and go through the Boulevard and the Old Town. It is the moment we recommend most to families: children of all ages dressed as cooks and soldiers, very serious, concentrating hard on keeping time.
You get a good view from the Boulevard, there is less crowding than in the small hours and it finishes at a sensible time to eat afterwards.
The flag-lowering, at midnight again
The celebration closes at twelve on the night of the 20th, once again in the Plaza de la Constitución. The city's oldest company lowers the flag, the last drumroll sounds and the square applauds. Then silence, all at once: one of the strangest and finest contrasts of the year.
How to do it right
Book your accommodation well in advance. It is the most in-demand date of the year in San Sebastián and the city fills up months ahead. If you are coming, lock in somewhere to stay as early as you can.
Warm clothes and waterproofs. It is January on the Cantabrian coast: cold for certain and rain likely. Footwear that copes with water, layers and a hood. You are going to be outdoors for hours.
Forget the car. A good part of the centre is closed to traffic during the day. If you drive here, leave the car in a car park on the edge of town and move around on foot or by city bus. From Paseo de Francia everything that matters is walkable.
Eat when you can, not when you should. The local habit is to snack between companies, at the counter, standing up. The bars are full all day, so you eat before or after the peak hours, without a fixed plan.
Don't just plant yourself in the square. The classic mistake is staying in the Plaza de la Constitución all day. The celebration is in the neighbourhoods: walk, follow a company for a while, change area. Meeting a tamborrada head-on in a narrow street beats any reserved spot.
If you are travelling in a wheelchair, Gros and the Boulevard are the easiest areas: flat, with wide pavements and dropped kerbs. The cobbled streets of the Old Town are passable, but the crowds that day make them considerably harder. We go into the detail in our guide to accessible San Sebastián.
Frequently asked questions
When is the San Sebastián Tamborrada 2027?
On 20 January 2027, from 00:00 to 24:00. The date never moves: it is always 20 January, whatever day of the week it falls on.
Do you have to pay to get in?
No. The Tamborrada takes place in the street and is free. There is no enclosed venue and no tickets of any kind.
Where is the best place to watch it?
The Plaza de la Constitución for the raising and the lowering; the rest of the day, any neighbourhood. The centre, the Old Town and Gros are the areas with the most companies.
Is it a celebration for children?
Yes. The children's tamborrada at midday is designed for them and the general atmosphere of the day is family-friendly. The small hours, on the other hand, are crowded and loud.
What if I can't come on 20 January?
January and February bring more: the cider houses opening, the caldereros and Carnival. We go through it all in San Sebastián in winter.
