01 May 2025 - 02 May 2025

Los Caballos del Vino

Name: Los Caballos del Vino
Start: 2025-05-01T11:02
End: 2025-05-02T11:02
Location: Los Caballos del Vino

Caravaca de la Cruz

Murcia

Caravaca de la Cruz

Caravaca de la Cruz, in the Region of Murcia, celebrates this spectacular festival which culminates in a horse parade where the animals are beautifully bedecked for the occasion and accompanied by thousands of people on a run up to the castle. The festival was awarded the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity designation in 2020.

It is an equestrian event in which most of the locals participate. It is held during the main festivities in honour of the Santísima and Vera Cruz (from 1 to 5 May). The horses and their elaborate silk mantles embroidered in fine gold thread are the central focus of the festival. The animals are paraded through the streets of Caravaca de la Cruz attired in all their finery and accompanied by their four trainers. On day 2, the full-throttle race to the castle takes place: each horse crosses the crowd accompanied by its trainer in an event that gathers thousands of people.

The origin of the festival dates back to an ancient legend that tells how, in a moment of scarcity, some locals managed to cross the enemy defences with a horse laden with wine running at full pelt until they managed to besiege the castle. In 2020 it was inscribed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in recognition of the conservation and passing down from generation to generation of the skills for the care and handling of the horses, as well as the embroidery techniques. The first references of the festival date back to the 17th century.