What to do · Pedraza
Candle Concerts
Information
- Season
- The first two Saturdays of July
- Who it's for
- Adults and families with older children
Two nights a year Pedraza switches off the lights and lights thousands of candles in streets, squares and windows. It is the night of the Candle Concerts (Conciertos de las Velas): classical music outdoors on the castle esplanade, with the town lit only by flame. They are held on the first and second Saturdays of July and are organised by the Fundación Villa de Pedraza, the non-profit body that also manages the jail and looks after part of the town's heritage.
Where it comes from
According to the Foundation, the concerts began in 1993, the year it was set up, out of a Renaissance festival in Pedraza. On 6 July 1996, with the help of the residents, 25,000 candles were lit, the electricity supply was cut and the village was lit only by them during the concert. That night entered the Guinness Book of Records and since then the candles have been the symbol of the event. The concerts have been held in three settings: the castle, the Plaza Mayor and, now, the castle esplanade. They were suspended in 2020 and 2021 because of covid and returned in 2022. With the money from the concerts, the Foundation bought and restored the church of Santo Domingo, in the old Jewish quarter, which is now its cultural centre.
Dates and programme
In 2026 they were on 4 and 11 July, according to the castle's notice. On its concerts page, the Foundation announces the Orquesta de la Comunidad de Madrid and the programme "Stradivarius under the stars", with the Kamerata Stradivarius and the violinist Razvan Stoica. The programme changes every year and the Foundation does not publish the start time or ticket prices on its website: you have to ask it on 921 509 960, on 699 495 073 or at [email protected], or at pedraza.net when the edition is announced.
Access to the town on those nights
Since 2017 access to the town has been controlled on those two nights for reasons of capacity and safety. Each year some free tickets are handed out to stroll around the illuminated village, as well as passes for residents, for people with a confirmed booking at hotels and restaurants in Pedraza and for people with a concert ticket. In other words: without one of those passes you may not get in, even if you arrive early. The castle warns that its ticket does not guarantee access to the town on those nights.
Practical tips
Book accommodation and a table well in advance: on those nights the village fills up and a confirmed booking gives you access. If you want to have dinner before the concert, look at El Soportal, Casa Taberna or La Olma, and confirm with each what it offers that night. It is a plan for adults and for families with older children who can stand a long night. Bring something warm in case it gets chilly: the castle esplanade is at about 1,060 metres above sea level. If you want to see the town at leisure, come another day: the walk around the walled town is more enjoyable without the crowds.
