Carthaginians & Romans 2026
Cartagena re-enacts the Punic Wars — thousands of costumed locals, mock battles and a festival camp by the sea.
For ten days each September, the port city of Cartagena rewinds two thousand years. The Carthaginians and Romans festival — a fiesta of International Tourist Interest — re-enacts the city's role in the Punic Wars, when Hannibal's Carthaginians and the Roman legions fought for control of the Mediterranean. With around four thousand costumed participants, it's one of Spain's most impressive historical fiestas.
What to expect. Grand parades of legionaries and Carthaginian troops, staged battles, the landing of the armies, a recreated festival camp where you can eat and drink among the "soldiers", and processions through a city that already has the Roman theatre and ruins to set the scene. It's spectacular and free to watch.
Practical bit. Cartagena is a rewarding city in its own right — the Roman theatre alone is worth the trip — and it's an easy drive from the Mar Menor resorts and Murcia's airport. The old centre is walkable; park near the port and explore on foot. A hire car makes combining the festival with the surrounding coast straightforward.
Time a late-September Costa Cálida trip around it and you'll see Cartagena at its most theatrical.