Entry to sporting events in Spain is usually cheaper than in other countries, so if your trip happens to coincide with one of these events, be sure to make your way down there. As with any major sporting event, tickets are likely to sell out in advance. Click on the link for information on buying tickets.
The Spanish take their sport very seriously - if you can be in the home city of a sports team when they win a championship (in particular if Fernando Alonso wins the Formula One World Championship, Rafa Nadal wins the Grand Slam or whoever wins the La Liga soccer league) then you can guarantee much partying!
Spain's Other Religion: Soccer!
One of the most important events of the Spanish sporting calendar is the Real Madrid vs CF Barcelona soccer game. The two teams play each other twice a year as part of the La Liga soccer league. It is absolutely impossible to get tickets, but every bar in the land will be full of futbol fans watching the game. Read more about Soccer in Spain.
Calendar of Sporting Events in Spain in 2012
- April 29 - Spanish MotoGP, in Jerez. The first of four MotoGP races in Spain this year.
- May 3-6 - Open de Espana Golf tournament at the Real Club de Golf de Sevilla in Seville.
- May 6 - 13 - Madrid Open. Major tennis tournament in Madrid, part of the ATP Masters Series.
- May 13 - Spanish F1 Grand Prix, Barcelona. With a Spanish former Formula One World Champion (Fernando Alonso), this will sell out months in advance. The first of two F1 GPs in Spain this year.
- June 3 - Catalan MotoGP, in Barcelona. The second of four MotoGP races in Spain this year.
- Mid June - Spanish La Liga soccer league ends. Click on the link for the fixtures.
- June 24 European Grand Prix The second Formula One Grand Prix to take place in Spain this year. This race takes place in Valencia.
- Early August - Descenso del Sella major canoeing (or more correctly, kayaking) event in Asturias.
- Last weekend of August - Spanish La Liga soccer league begins. Click on the link for exact fixtures.
- August 18 - September 9 - Vuelta de España 2012, one of the most important cycling races in the world, after the Tour de France.
- September 30 Aragon MotoGP The third of four MotoGP events in Spain in 2012.
- November 8-11 - Rally Catalunya Also called the Rally de España. A part of the World Rally Championship.
- Late October (dates to be confirmed) - Castello Masters. At Club de Campo del Mediterráneo, Castellón.
- November 11 - Valencian MotoGP, in Valencia. The last of the four MotoGP races in Spain this year and the final round of the season.
- December 31 - San Silvestre Vallecana 10km run in Madrid.
