Gijón's Semana Negra is held in July: in 2026 it ran from 3 to 12 July, around L'Arbeyal beach, after fourteen years at the old Naval Gijón shipyard. The dates and venue for 2027 have not been announced yet. Entry is free.
The Semana Negra is Gijón's literary festival that every July brings together crime fiction, a book fair, concerts and funfair rides. In 2026 it moved: it left the old shipyard and went back to L'Arbeyal beach. Here is when it usually happens, where it is and what you will find there.
When it is
It takes place in July. The 2026 edition, the 39th (XXXIX), ran from 3 to 12 July: ten days, from a Friday to a Sunday. According to its website, the Semana Negra has been held since 1988 without missing a year.
There are no dates for 2027 yet. As of 16 October 2026, the official website had not announced either the dates or the venue of the next edition, so any date doing the rounds until then is a guess. When they are published, they will be on semananegra.org.
Where it is held
In 2026 the festival set up around L'Arbeyal beach. It is not an entirely new venue: it was already there in 2009 and 2010. The move closed a fourteen-year spell at the old Naval Gijón shipyard.
The Semana Negra has moved house often. The official website recalls that it has occupied the port of El Musel, the area around El Molinón stadium, the Isabel la Católica park, Poniente beach and the university campus. So it is worth checking the venue each year before you go.
Where it came from
Its origin, according to the festival website, lies in 1987 and in the International Association of Crime Writers (Asociación Internacional de Escritores Policíacos), of which Paco Ignacio Taibo II was vice-president. That year Taibo was asked to organise a meeting of the association in Barcelona with Manuel Vázquez Montalbán. Before travelling he stopped in Gijón to see his publisher, Silverio Cañada, who suggested he speak to the then mayor, Vicente Álvarez Areces. The mayor decided to bring the meeting to Gijón, and the festival grew out of it.
Taibo II ran it for years and made it an international reference point. Ángel de la Calle took over from him, and since 2023 it has been directed by the Asturian writer Miguel Barrero. The prize for the best first crime novel is named after Silverio Cañada, whom the organisers call a co-founder of the festival.
What is on
It began devoted to crime and detective fiction and over time has opened up to science fiction, fantasy, comics, historical fiction, poetry and journalism. There are three programme marquees running at once, the Carpa del Encuentro, the Espacio A Quemarropa and the Carpa de la Palabra, with book launches, debates and signings, more than five hours of events a day.
Around them are the book fair, with stalls for sales and signings, live concerts every night, crime film seasons, illustration and comic exhibitions, and the fairground side: bars, restaurants, a flea market, rides and the big wheel, which the organisers regard as the festival's icon. Willie Colón, Los Lobos, Mano Negra and Georges Moustaki have all played there.
Every festival day sees an issue of A Quemarropa, the Semana Negra's daily paper, with a report on the day before and that day's programme. And prizes are awarded: the Hammett for the best crime novel in Spanish, the Silverio Cañada for the best first novel, the Rodolfo Walsh for non-fiction, the Espartaco for historical fiction and the Celsius for science fiction and fantasy.
What it costs
Nothing. Entry to the festival is free, and the talks, debates, lectures and discussions are open to all. It is organised by the Asociación Cultural Semana Negra, with support from Gijón City Council and the Government of the Principality of Asturias.
As there is no access control, attendance figures are estimates, as Wikipedia points out; the festival website speaks of more than a million visitors in recent editions. Among the city organisations that work with the Semana Negra is the Ateneo Obrero de Gijón.
Checked
Facts checked on 16 October 2026 on: the official Semana Negra website (home page, with the list of authors for the XXXIX edition, and the festival page: 2026 dates and venue, history, direction, programme, prizes and free entry) and Wikipedia (Semana Negra: access control and attendance figures).
Quick questions
When is Gijón's Semana Negra?
In July. The 2026 edition ran from 3 to 12 July; the 2027 dates have not been announced yet.
Where is the Semana Negra held?
In 2026 it was set up around L'Arbeyal beach, where it had already been in 2009 and 2010.
Do you have to pay to get into the Semana Negra?
No. Entry is free, and so are the talks, debates, lectures and discussions.
Where did the Semana Negra come from?
It grew out of a meeting of the Asociación Internacional de Escritores Policíacos that Paco Ignacio Taibo II was due to organise; the publisher Silverio Cañada suggested he speak to the mayor, Vicente Álvarez Areces, who brought it to Gijón. It has been held since 1988.