Entertainment

You're never short of something to do in Granada. The range of entertainment on offer is vast and covers a wide spectrum of formal and informal events. One of the first things you'll notice is the amount of posters displayed in public places advertising pop concerts, orchestras, ethnic bands, theater shows, dance classes, photography exhibitions and lots more. Get a list of events from the tourist office.

Another thing you'll notice is that the locals like to dress up, go out and enjoy themselves. Many colorful traditional festivals are still celebrated with gusto. Even on ordinary weekend evenings you'll find a vibrant atmosphere in the streets and squares and bars. It's a university city with over 60000 students aged between 18 and 25. That means one in every six inhabitants is a student, and you know what students are like, always celebrating something.

Performers and spectators from all over the world flock to Granada during June and July every year to take part in the prestigious Festival Internacional de Música y Danza. The performance venues could hardly be more romantic and atmospheric and include the Generalife gardens and Charles V's Palace. The Festival Internacional de Teatro, the Festival Internacional de Tango and the Festival Internacional de Jazz Granada are just three more world-class cultural events hosted here annually.

The local fiestas are like big street parties where everyone is welcome and everyone gets involved. They all have religious origins but that doesn't stop anyone from dressing up in traditional costume, drinking lots of fino sherry and dancing sevillanas (lively folk dances) without inhibition until the early hours of the morning. That's what happens on the Day of the Cross on May 3rd when the streets and squares are covered with pretty crosses made out of flowers by the local residents. No sooner have you recovered from that excess than it's time for Corpus Christi, another religious celebration with a hedonistic flavor. After watching the processions of saints through the streets, people dress up in traditional costume once more and head out to the special arena on the outskirts of town. There's a children's amusement park with rides for the kids and tents where the adults get together to sing, dance and drink more fino sherry. The atmosphere is always relaxed and friendly and visitors are welcome to join in the fun.

The big student spring festival takes place at the end of March or the beginning of April with the support of the Town Hall, which hosts a weekend's worth of live music, theater, poetry and more. Students also celebrate the start of term in September and October and the end of exams in February and March.

There's a regular calendar of live theater in the Alhambra Theatre and Isabel la Católica Theatre with a selection of classic and modern drama. There's no shortage of cinemas either where you can catch up on the latest releases.

You could spend the day quietly soaking up information in the Archaeological Museum, Manuel de Falla's House and Museum, Federico García Lorca's House and Museum and the Museo de la Zambra (Museum of Gypsy Traditions).

Doing a bar crawl along the famous Calle Pedro Antonio de Alarcón is a popular way of spending Friday or Saturday night. See if you can make it from one end to the other still standing after stopping in at Soho or one of the many other bars and clubs along the way. Then turn up Calle San Juan de Dios to try El Rincón de San Juan de Dios before finally hitting the dance floor at Granada 10, Planta Baja or Sala Príncipe.

There are lots of outdoor attractions in the immediate vicinity as well. The Sierra Nevada ski resort is fully equipped and just 35km away. There are beaches and water parks on the shores of the Mediterranean only an hour's drive from the city center. For great trekking in pristine countryside, head for the Alpujarras, on the southern slopes of the Sierra Nevada, an hour and half's journey by car or public bus.