7th April 2026.-Lucena Town Council and the Agrupación de Cofradías have expressed ahighly positive assessment of Holy Week 2026, highlighting the excellent conduct of the processional cortèges, the outstanding organisational arrangements, and the significant tourism and economic impact recorded in the town, further consolidating Holy Week in Lucena as a leading cultural and tourist attraction.
The Mayor of Lucena, Aurelio Fernández, emphasised that Holy Week «has once again demonstrated its organisational capability, its external profile, and its heritage value», highlighting the coordinated efforts of the brotherhoods, the municipal services, and the community as a whole. For his part, the President of the Agrupación de Cofradías, Antonio Díaz, stressed that the overall assessment was «highly positive, with everything proceeding entirely normally and without any significant incidents, demonstrating Holy Week’s growing impact both within and beyond the town».
From an organisational perspective, particular emphasis was placed on the widespread adherence to timetables, thesmooth flow of the processional routes, and the effective coordination between the brotherhoods and the municipal services. Equal praise was given to the efficient operation of the security and emergency arrangements, involving the Local Police, Civil Protection, healthcare services, and municipal emergency teams, which ensured that the processional cortèges took place without incident.
From a touristic perspective, the Tourism Department highlighted the high hotel occupancy rate, which averaged 92,21% between the Friday of Sorrows and Easter Sunday. This was complemented by the services provided at the Municipal Tourist Information Office, which received a steady flow of visitors and information enquiries, from across Spain and from countries including France, the United Kingdom, and Germany.
All of this was further reinforced by the significant digital impact of Holy Week in Lucena, with almost 6,000 active users on the website www.semanasantalucena.com, more than 5,600 new users, and over 53,000 interactions during the central days of Holy Week, driven in particular features such as the real-time processional route tracker. On social media, the event achieved more than 300,000 views and attracted over 1,300 new followers, further strengthening its profile beyond the town.
All of this has contributed to the considerable impact of the town’s tourism promotion, supported by municipal campaigns, digital activities and visitor experiences related to Holy Week promoted through the website www.turlucena.com. «This strategy has helped to strengthen Lucena’s profile beyond the town and reinforce its position as a leading destination for religious tourism», according to the Councillor for Tourism, Francisco Barbancho.
From an economic perspective, emphasis was placed on the significant benefits for hotels, restaurants, shops, service providers, and traditional craftspeople, all of whom experienced a marked increase in activity during Holy Week, as a key economic driver for the town, with direct effects on local economic activity and employment.
Accordingly, Lucena Town Council and the Agrupación de Cofradías have reaffirmed their commitment to continuing their joint efforts to strengthen the profile of Holy Week in Lucena and to advance the goal of securing its designation as a Festival of National Tourist Interest.
