Visit Soportújar, the Village of the Witches

Tucked away in Granada's Alpujarra mountains is a village where witches ride broomsticks, giant spiders climb walls and Halloween has a celebration all of its own. Welcome to Soportújar.

The celebration of Halloween is very much a tradition imported to Spain from the USA although it has its own roots in both Celtic Culture and the Mexican Day of the Dead but it has certainly taken off here, with many councils encouraging revelries.

Halloween is celebrated on October 31 because it’s the night before All Saints’ Day (also called All Hallows’ Day) on November 1. The night before became known as All Hallows’ Eve before it was eventually shortened to Hallowe’en.

Many towns set up Haunted Houses for local children to enjoy and the concept of fancy-dress parades was encouraged with in some cases thousands of adults and children taking part, with prizes for the spookiest costumes.

Even as recently as 20 years ago very few people celebrated the festival in Spain but like so many things that have spread from the USA, since then, it has taken off with a real bang.

A Village with a Bewitching Reputation

Not everyone took so long to take note of the festival and a small village in the central part of the Alpujarra region of Granada has become famous for its links with witches and things that go bump in the night.

Soportujar traces its history back to the 13th Century but since 2007, it has promoted its supernatural side and become known as the Village of the Witches.

Marketing has been successful and drawn many tourists to visit this unusual village to view, the central fountain features witches, snakes which appear out of walls, there are broomsticks to take selfies on, somehow even Hansel and Gretel’s house made of sweets has found its way there and a giant spider commands one wall.

The postman has little trouble when delivering mail as most properties don´t just have numbers, they also invariably have a witch on her broomstick on the wall outside.

Local shops join in the fun and whilst many have adopted black cats, there are a number selling all that a budding young witch might need, so imagine what Halloween night in Soportujar will be like.

When the Witches Take Over

First of all, the residents of this village don´t celebrate Halloween on October 31, but for them, everything happens a weekend later and this year it’s on November 7, supposedly because that date is more in keeping with local lore and traditions, or possibly because it will bring an even larger number of people to the village on a Saturday night.

This year will see the 9th Annual Night of the Witches and the following programme has been published for the celebration.

Timings are based on published event information and should be treated as provisional until confirmed by the organisers.

Time	What's Happening
11:00	Opening of the local crafts and gastronomy market. Craft workshops throughout the day.
18:00	Welcome and parade of the witches' procession, accompanied by Batucada drumming.
18:30	Opening of the themed stage sets and haunted passages throughout the village.
20:30	Historical reenactment: “Witches VS Inquisition”.
21:00	Queimada preparation and tasting.
21:30	Grand raffle organised by the San Antón festival committee.
22:00	Costume contest with a prize for the best witch or wizard.
22:30	Fireworks display.
23:00	Live music with the duo Voltaje, followed by dancing into the early morning.

Planning Your Visit

Although it´s a bit of a journey from the Costa del Sol, for those who look for something different and almost unique event, this is a very special night out which lasts until dawn.

Those attending need to be aware however that as it's a small village in the heart of the Alpujarra region of Granada, accommodations book up weeks in advance, therefore an alternative is to stay in nearby villages such as Pampaneira, Órgiva, or Lanjarón.

As an alternative to driving yourself to the village there are organised coach trips which cost around €40 per person.

A Spooky Soundtrack for the Journey

If, however you decide to drive, here are some somewhat obscure spooky tunes for the drive: