San Agustín Festivities in Avilés

San Agustín are the patron saint festivities of Avilés and the biggest festive program of the summer in the region. They are celebrated from August 21 to 30, 2026, with the main day on Thursday, August 27, the eve of the feast of San Agustín (August 28). The saint also gives his name to the sister city on the other side of the Atlantic: San Agustín de La Florida, founded around 1565 by the Avilés native Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, the first permanent European settlement in the current United States, a bond that the festival celebrates every year.

The program combines tradition and live music, almost all of it free. The Factoría Sound Summer series (August 21–24) is set up in the Parque del Muelle, and throughout the week, Muchachito Bombo Infierno (24), Gonzalo Hermida (25), Polimá Westcoast (26), and Grupo Ráfaga (28) will pass through the city. The open-air dances at the Pista de La Exposición, in Las Meanas, are the heart of the Avilés night, with the Galician orchestras París de Noia and Panorama performing on the 27th, a day that ends with the spectacular fireworks over the estuary at midnight. Added to this are the XLV International Music and Dance Festival (21–22), the Mercado Franco de Alcabala —a medieval market that takes over the historic center from the 26th to the 30th—, the San Agustín livestock show and its gala honoring the livestock sector (25), the funfair, outdoor cinema, parades, and La Carroza del Teatro Real in the Plaza de España (29).

It is worth it for its urban scale and its free admission, and because the historic center of Avilés —one of the best preserved in Asturias— is a magnificent setting.

Practical tips. Get around by train or Cercanías (parking is difficult on those nights), book a table at the cider houses on Calle Galiana in advance, and get to the Paseo de la Ría early if you want a good spot for the fireworks on the 27th.