Chrysanthemums at the Cemetery Gate
On the morning of 1 November the road out along Avenida Doctor Fedriani thickens with traffic and with people carrying chrysanthemums — armfuls of them, in every shade from rust to white. This is the day Spain stops for its dead, and in Sevilla the main gathering point is the San Fernando Cemetery (Av. Dr Fedriani, s/n), the city's principal burial ground and a place worth visiting for its funerary art and monuments as much as for the occasion. Come to watch families clean and dress graves, to see the Masses held among the tombs through the day, and to understand why the chrysanthemum — blooming at the end of autumn, read here as a symbol of life as transit — is the flower in every hand. It is the year's biggest day for florists, so expect flower sellers lining the approach streets. Go early; the roads around the cemetery jam, and extra public transport is typically laid on.
If you want the evening before as well, note the growing custom of placing candles on graves on All Saints' Eve, 31 October. And plan your travel around the night of the 31st rather than through it: this is when half the city leaves work early to drive to hometowns elsewhere, and the motorways out of major cities seize up.
Tenorio After Dark in Santa Cruz
Sevilla's own answer to the graveyard solemnity is theatrical and takes place in the old Jewish quarter. The Night of the Tenorio has been staged since the 1970s by the Tuna de Filosofía y Letras de Sevilla: a night of theatre, music and parade winding through Santa Cruz, beginning at the Hostería del Laurel, passing through the Plaza de los Refinadores and the Plaza de Santa Marta, with sonnets sung in the dark. It is free, movable and atmospheric — follow the sound of the guitars.
For something more formal, "Don Juan Tenorio in the Cemetery of San Fernando" stages Zorrilla's play by candlelight among the graves, organised by Engranajes Culturales. It is a long-standing Seville tradition that has drawn more than 35,000 people, and its run dates are given as 30 October to 11 December. The play's final act is set in a cemetery, which is precisely the point. Book ahead; this is the city's most sought-after ticket of the season.
Buñuelos, Huesos de Santo and Chestnuts on Calle Tetuán
The sweets of the season are specific and worth chasing to specific counters. Buñuelos de viento — dough fritters filled with cream, chocolate or whipped cream, with a folk belief that eating one releases a soul from purgatory — are sold at Manu Jara (c/ Pureza, 5, and at the Gourmet Experience in El Corte Inglés). Huesos de santo, marzipan rolls named for their off-white colour, are at Confectionery La Campana (c/ Sierpes, 1), Confectionery Los Ángeles (c/ Adriano, 2) and the Obrador "Alján" El Gallego (c/ El Coronil, 29).
For the smell that defines the day, follow the braziers: roasted chestnuts are sold on Calle Tetuán, at the Setas de Sevilla and along Avenida de la Constitución. Buy a paper cone, walk, and eat them hot.
Andalucía Beyond the City: Tosantos and the Tostón
All Saints' is a national holiday, and the Andalusian observances around Sevilla reward a detour. In Cádiz, 1 November brings the Fiesta de Tosantos, when the city's markets turn into parties with vendors in costume, alongside processions and children's activities — it begins a few days before 1 November. Across Cádiz province more generally, towns mark the day with candlelit processions, roast chestnuts and anise liqueurs.
If you are still in the region on 2 November, Ojen, in Málaga province, holds its traditional Tostón Popular — a bonfire with chestnuts, raisins, local liquors and popular games.
When to Go and How to Shape the Day
1 November is a national public holiday: government and council offices, banks and some public services close, and much of the city's rhythm shifts to the cemetery and the family table. Build your day around that. Morning at San Fernando, flowers bought en route; Mass among the graves if you wish to attend; a plate of buñuelos and a cone of chestnuts in the centre afterwards; the Tenorio parade in Santa Cruz once it is dark. If you want the candlelit cemetery theatre, treat the 30 October–11 December run as the frame and book early. Note that Halloween imagery — pumpkins and cobwebs in shop windows — now sits alongside the traditional observance, so the city wears both faces at once.
Start with the calendar: fix 1 November 2026 as your anchor, then work backwards to the night of the 31st for travel, forwards to the Tenorio dates for tickets, and sideways to Cádiz if the market party appeals. Sevilla on All Saints' is not a festival staged for visitors; it is a city doing something old and serious, and letting you stand nearby.