The city council of Santander, in collaboration with the Santander Nativity Association, Peña La Pera, and the Cantabria Nativity Association, has opened the registration period for the upcoming edition of the Santander Nativity Route. This registration will be available until 15 November.
All nativity scenes located within the municipal boundaries of Santander that will be open to the public during the Christmas festivities can register for free. Interested participants can sign up via Instagram at @belenesdesantander, by email at asociacionbelenistadesantander@gmail.com, by calling 942 34 59 09, or by visiting the headquarters of the Nativity Association located at the La Marga Civic Centre.
To formalise the application, participants must provide the exact location of their nativity scene, the days and hours it will be open to the public, as well as the name and contact details of a responsible person for internal communication.
The 2026 Nativity Route will be officially presented in early December and will again be published in print format through an informative guide that will include all locations and visiting hours of the participating nativity scenes. Additionally, information will be available digitally on the municipal Christmas website and on the Instagram account @belenesdesantander.
In its 2025 edition, the Nativity Route featured over 50 visitable nativity scenes distributed throughout the city, including in parishes, shops, associations, civic centres, institutional spaces, hospitals, and care homes. Notable highlights included the Municipal Nativity Scene in Plaza Atarazanas and the Living Nativity Scene by the Archconfraternity of the Passion at the Cathedral, solidifying this route as one of the most popular cultural and traditional activities during the festive season.
Officials from the Departments of Social Dynamisation and Citizen Participation have praised the ongoing efforts of the Santander Nativity Association, which collaborates annually not only in organising the route but also in designing and setting up several of the most representative nativity scenes in the municipality. They also emphasised the city's deep nativity tradition and the commitment of numerous groups that help keep this custom alive, particularly acknowledging the municipal workshop services for their logistical support in installing and preparing the nativity scenes across the city.
