Christmas Eve into Christmas Day in les Escaldes
At six in the evening on 24 December, Father Christmas arrives in Escaldes-Engordany, and the parish turns out to meet him. This is the run-up to the day itself: the streets fill, families position themselves along the route, and the evening builds toward midnight Mass at the church of Sant Pere Màrtir. If you are in les Escaldes for Christmas, this is the sequence you plan your stay around — the arrival, the service, then Christmas morning in a town that has spent the previous month rehearsing for it.
The wider Andorran Christmas season runs from late November to 5 January, so Christmas Day sits in the middle of a programme that is already in full swing when you arrive.
What to do on and around 25 December
- Midnight Mass at Sant Pere Màrtir. The church in Escaldes holds the parish's midnight Mass on 24 December, taking you straight from Christmas Eve into Christmas Day.
- The living nativity at Prat del Roure. The "Pessebre Vivent" is staged at Prat del Roure across multiple sessions in mid-December, with admission around €3. It is one of the parish's signature Christmas events and worth building a day around.
- Concerts in early December. Escaldes-Engordany opens the season with a tribute concert to Grossband on 3 December at 9 pm, followed by a gospel night with the South Carolina Gospel Choir on 5 December at 8 pm.
- Letters to the royal pages. On 4–5 January, children deliver their letters to the royal pages in Escaldes — the last chance to make a request before the Three Kings arrive.
- The Three Kings parade. On 5 January at 6 pm, Escaldes-Engordany and Andorra la Vella hold a joint procession that ends at Plaça Coprínceps in Escaldes, with the route running from Andorra la Vella up to the square.
Cross into Andorra la Vella for the market and the fountains
Les Escaldes runs directly into Andorra la Vella, and the capital's Christmas market, el Poblet de Nadal, is open from 28 November to 5 January. Expect seasonal and handmade products, children's activities, live music and a food court, with travelling shows on Saturday afternoons. At the Rotonda square fountains there is a light, music and water show running through the season — an easy evening stop on the walk between the two parishes.
The capital also hosts its own Father Christmas street tour on 24 December at 6 pm, ending at Plaça del Poble, and a New Year's concert at the Auditori Centre de Congressos on 1 January at 7 pm. On 4 January at 6 pm, the royal page announces the Three Kings' arrival ahead of the joint parade the following evening.
What to eat, and where the season's food gathers
The Christmas markets are where the seasonal eating concentrates: the food court at el Poblet de Nadal in Andorra la Vella runs for the full season from 28 November to 5 January, alongside the stalls of handmade and seasonal products. In Ordino, Santa Claus appears at Plaça Major on 24 December at 6 pm with hot chocolate and cake — a short trip north if you want a Christmas Eve built around something warm. Ordino's living forest also tells the story of the tió de Nadal, the Catalan Christmas log tradition, which is the piece of local food folklore to seek out while you are in the country.
Worth the trip: nativities, fairs and a torchlit descent
- Canillo. A monumental nativity of around 200 life-size figures is spread across the town from 5 December to 11 January, paired with a cosmos-themed light circuit with sound and music. Live concerts by national bands run through December, elves receive children's letters on 20–23 December, and the Tió festival is held on 20 December at 6 pm.
- Encamp. The Santa Llúcia fair fills Plaça Sant Miquel on 5–8 December, with storytelling and children's workshops through the month and letters to Santa at the Casa Cristo Museum on 23–24 December.
- Ordino. The Christmas fair runs 5–8 December, and the "magical circle of Ordino" tour of parish and village landmarks runs from 22 November to 1 March at €15 per person. On 7 December at noon, the Ossa de Ordino representation takes place — one of five Pyrenean bear festivals recognised by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage.
- Pas de la Casa. On 5 January at 7 pm the Three Kings arrive at the Grandvalira platform and parade to the party hall, followed by a torchlight descent down the main slope and fireworks, weather permitting.
- La Massana and Sant Julià de Lòria. La Massana runs a paid children's activity park on 26–30 December; Sant Julià de Lòria holds its Santa Llúcia fair on 5–7 December.
When to go
The Andorran Christmas season opens on 28 November and closes on 5 January. Christmas Day falls inside that window, with the heaviest programme of markets, concerts and processions in the weeks on either side of it. Note that published dates cover the 2025–26 season; if you are travelling for Christmas 2026, treat the pattern of events as the reliable guide and confirm exact dates closer to the time.
Book your accommodation in les Escaldes or neighbouring Andorra la Vella so you can walk between the two, and plan your stay to straddle 24 December and 5 January — the arrival of Father Christmas, the midnight Mass at Sant Pere Màrtir, the market at el Poblet de Nadal and the Three Kings procession to Plaça Coprínceps are the fixed points around which everything else falls into place.