La Latina & Lavapiés
For a fine, well-priced flamenco show that draws as many locals as tourists, Café Ziryab is a bit out of the city centre but worth the excursion. At 11pm…
Must-see entertainment in Spain
Western Valencia
This puppet theatre puts on weekend shows aimed at families. It's a rather enchanting spot, and you can see some of the puppets displayed beforehand. Some…
L'Eixample & Southern Valencia
Valencia's basketball team has had a pretty good time of it in the top division (Liga ACB) in recent years, winning the title in 2017, though, as in…
L'Eixample
This former 19th-century theatre is the perfect size and shape for live music, holding a crowd of around 500 and with a varied line-up. The acoustics are…
Menorca
Arty and boho at the edges, this is a warm, relaxing place to drink, snack on tapas or soak up some live music. After midnight on Friday and Saturday,…
Yeguada de la Cartuja – Hierro del Bocado
Jerez de la Frontera
This stud farm is dedicated to improving the fine Cartujano stock. Guided visits are followed by a spectacular show consisting of free-running colts,…
Valencia
Valencia’s most active venue for jazz, boogaloo, funk and soul, Black Note has live music around midnight most nights and good canned sounds. It's a well…
La Ribera
You can sip wine or cocktails (both pricey) over intimate dance shows in the baroque courtyard and theatrical interior of the originally medieval Palau de…
Barcelona
Set in a former elevator factory, this creative lynchpin hosts emerging and avant-garde musicians, dancers and performing artists. There are two stages …
Madrid
Café Berlín has been something of a Madrid jazz stalwart since the 1950s, although a makeover has brought flamenco, R&B, soul, funk and fusion into the…
León
Come here to listen to Papa Quijano, a legendary Latino-rock crooner who has recorded several CDs and accrued quite a fan base. He has run this…
Gros
An energetic and exciting array of performances are staged inside the Kursaal centre, an architectural landmark dating to 1999. Everything from symphonic…
El Puerto de Santa María
This good, honest peña, with the air of a foot-stomping, 19th-century flamenco bar, showcases some truly amazing guitarists, singers and dancers in a…
L'Eixample
Dating from 1919, this grand theatre has three storeys of boxes and a generous stage hosting a fairly rapid turnover of drama and musicals. Concerts also…
La Rambla & Barri Gòtic
Descend into the red-tinged, brick-vaulted bowels where just about any kind of live music could be on the agenda, from UK indie through to country punk,…
La Rambla & Barri Gòtic
This narrow, old-city dive is one of the best spots in town for jazz, as well as funk, Latin, blues and gypsy jazz, and attracts a mixed crowd that…
Centro Cultural Flamenco Don Antonio Chacón
Jerez de la Frontera
One of the best peñas in town (and hence Andalucía), the Chacón, named for the great Jerez-born flamenco singer, often sees top-notch flamenco performers…
Puerto de la Cruz
As well as live music, there are also comedy acts here, which may not tickle your funny bone unless you speak Spanish (check what's on via the website…
Ibiza Town
Away from the waterfront hubbub, this rose-tinted time warp – all stained wood and iron girders – was once the foyer of the long-abandoned 1893 theatre…
La Latina & Lavapiés
ContraClub is a crossover live-music venue and nightclub, with an eclectic mix of live music (pop, rock, indie, singer-songwriter, blues etc). After the…
Barcelona
BARTS has a solid reputation for its innovative line-up of urban-dance troupes, electro swing, psychedelic pop, circus acrobatics and other eclectic shows…
Peña Flamenca ‘Aguilar de Vejer’
Vejer de la Frontera
Vejer’s small-town flamenco scene is best experienced at this atmospheric bar and performance space founded in 1989. Free shows usually happen on Saturday…
Barcelona
This lively theatre experiments with all sorts of material, from monologues to social comedy, and also screens films. Aside from the main theatre, two…
Cádiz
Named for Andalucía's finest classical composer and native gaditano Manuel de Falla, this red-brick neo-Mudéjar theatre hosts Cádiz' annual Carnaval…
Valencia
This edgy space presents innovative movement and dance of sometimes spectacular quality. It's a notable reference point of Valencia's alternative cultural…
El Raval
Just off La Rambla, this 19th-century theatre was resurrected at the end of the 1990s and is one of the city’s key stages for quality drama. It usually…
Ronda
For a traditional flamenco show employing a three-pronged attack of voice, guitar and dance, come to El Quinqué. Entry prices are very reasonable for the…
Barcelona
One of Gràcia's most innovative performance spaces, this low-lit modern venue stages an eclectic line-up of bands, artists and jams: jazz, world music,…
Bilbao
Spectacularly set in a 17th-century former church, La Merced, with soaring tiered seating and a ceiling dome, this multipurpose venue is best known for…
Barcelona
Set in a grand former theatre, this club stages concerts ranging through rock and soul to salsa, jazz and pop several nights a week. From about 2am, the…
Almería
Located in a bland shopping centre, Clasijazz is a thriving music club that stages four or five weekly gigs – ranging from jam sessions to jazz, flamenco,…
Málaga
An agreeable performance space on the 1st floor of a slightly faded Málaga mansion with plenty of grandiose touches sets the tone for some raucous music…
Córdoba
An enticing music den decked with musical paraphernalia, Jazz Café stages blues jams on Thursdays and jazz jams on Tuesdays (both from 10pm), plus other…
Granada
A small flamenco venue that is neither a tablao (choreographed flamenco show) nor a peña (private club), but something in between. The performers are…
Malasaña & Conde Duque
Just before Malasaña spills over into the seedy back end of Gran Vía, BarCo is an outstanding live venue with jazz, flamenco, Latin music, funk, rock and…
El Raval
On what remains a sleazy Raval street in spite of gentrification in the area, this narrow little bar has made a name for itself with its shows and live…
San Sebastián
Catch live music gigs in a wide range of genres – everything from Basque folk to rock, metal and pop – as well as theatre performances, poetry readings…
Granada
As the sun sets, the Albayzín's 16th-century Palacio de los Olvidados (also, inexplicably, a museum of Spanish Inquisition torture instruments) morphs…
Santander
Hidden up a narrow, nondescript alley, this bohemian hangout is one of Santander’s top gig venues. Live rock, reggae and other music kicks off at a…
Valencia
Perched over the dry riverbed, this is an attractive venue hosting mainly classical-music recitals; it's the home base of Valencia's principal orchestra…
