San Sebastian Horror and Fantasy Film Festival 2026 – Spain

What to expect

The San Sebastian Horror and Fantasy Film Festival is one of Spain’s best-known genre-film events, dedicated to horror, fantasy, science fiction, dark comedy, supernatural cinema and other forms of fantastic filmmaking. Organised by Donostia Kultura, the festival combines international feature films, short films, animation, special screenings, competitions, tributes, exhibitions, live events and activities for genre fans.

The festival is particularly distinctive because it creates a strong connection between cinema and popular genre culture. Alongside screenings, visitors can encounter exhibitions, fanzines, themed events, youth activities, guest appearances and unusual cultural projects. The atmosphere is considerably more informal and fan-focused than that of a conventional mainstream film festival.

The current edition is the 37th edition of the festival. The official programme preview already confirms a selection of international feature films, while the organisers have announced that the complete programme will be published separately.

A major attraction for genre enthusiasts is the range of films. The programme can move from serious psychological horror and supernatural cinema to creature features, body horror, fantasy adventures, vampire stories and deliberately outrageous cult productions.

The festival also gives audiences an opportunity to participate directly through audience awards. Its recent awards programme has included prizes for feature films, international shorts, animation, Spanish shorts, Basque shorts, young-jury selections and fanzines.

Festival dates

The San Sebastian Horror and Fantasy Film Festival 2026 will take place from October 30 to November 6, 2026, in Donostia-San Sebastián, Basque Country, Spain. The official festival website confirms these dates for the 37th edition.

The programme is spread across several cinema and cultural venues in the city, with the Teatro Principal and Victoria Eugenia Theatre serving as major festival locations.

Visitors should check the official programme before travelling because individual screening times, special events, guest appearances and additional activities can vary throughout the festival.

Visiting this event? Don’t miss out on these amazing activities and local experiences while you’re here.

Venues & festival locations

The festival uses several cultural locations around San Sebastián, giving the event a city-wide character.

Teatro Principal

The Teatro Principal in the Old Town is one of the festival’s principal screening venues. It hosts feature films, short-film sessions and important festival activities. The venue is located at Calle Mayor 1bis in the historic centre.

Victoria Eugenia Theatre

The Victoria Eugenia Theatre is another major festival venue. Its location near the city centre and waterfront makes it convenient for visitors staying around the Old Town, Centro and Gros areas. The theatre is at República Argentina 2.

Tabakalera

Tabakalera provides another important cinema and cultural setting. The festival’s ticket information lists separate admission arrangements for screenings held there.

Okendo Kultur Etxea

Okendo Kultur Etxea is used for cultural programming and exhibitions connected with the festival. The current programme includes the exhibition “Gabinete de curiosidades, monstruos y máquinas,” created by Conflictivos Productions.

Intxaurrondo Kultur Etxea

The festival’s wider programme also extends to Intxaurrondo Kultur Etxea for special live and cultural activities. The current edition includes a Samantha Hudson live showcase at this venue.

Full programme

The festival’s complete programme should be checked through the official website because the organisers have released the programme in stages. The official preview confirms several feature films, while the organisers have stated that the complete programme would follow separately.

The programme is expected to include:

• International feature-film screenings
• International short-film competitions
• Spanish and Basque short films
• Animation
• Fantastic cinema
• Horror and supernatural films
• Special screenings and premieres
• Audience award competitions
• Young Jury activities
• Tribute and guest events
• Exhibitions
• Fanzine-related activities
• Live performances
• Online genre content through Noviembre Fantasma

The festival also participates in Noviembre Fantasma, a collaborative initiative involving several Spanish genre-film festivals. The project provides additional audiovisual genre content through a free online platform.

Featured films & premieres

The official preview has already announced a number of feature films.

Crawlers

Directed by Ángel Gómez Hernández, this creature-horror film centres on a deadly new species of venomous spider spreading through an apartment complex. The film combines survival horror with a contained urban setting and escalating monster action.

Ghost in the Cell

Directed by Joko Anwar, this Indonesia-South Korea production is set inside a maximum-security prison where a series of horrific murders leads inmates to confront an apparently supernatural threat.

HotSpring SharkAttack 2: Great Kyushu Showdown

Morito Inoue’s Japanese sequel brings back the deliberately outrageous shark concept, moving the action to a mountain hot-spring village threatened by another shark invasion.

Imposters

Caleb Phillips directs this American horror film about a couple whose missing baby returns under disturbing circumstances, creating doubts about whether the child is really their son.

Never After Dark

Directed by Dave Boyle, this Japanese supernatural thriller follows a medium who helps lost souls and becomes involved with a dangerous presence in an isolated house.

No Rest for the Wicked

Kasper Kalle’s Danish-Faroese production combines forbidden love, folklore and supernatural horror against the remote setting of the Faroe Islands.

River

Joshua Giuliano’s survival thriller follows three siblings whose attempt to scatter their father’s ashes becomes a fight for survival against masked killers.

Species

Marion Le Corroller’s French-Belgian film focuses on a medical student confronted by a mysterious illness that begins to blur the boundary between diagnosis and reality.

Upiro

Óscar Martín’s Spanish film draws inspiration from an alleged historical case of vampirism involving a Franciscan friar and a convent.

Directors, actors & guests

The festival traditionally places filmmakers, actors and genre personalities at the centre of its public programme. The 2026 promotional campaign features Samantha Hudson, while the film programme includes directors working across Spain, Europe, Asia and North America.

Norma Vila is particularly important to the opening programme because her Basque production Salitre has been selected as the opening film. The film stars Nagore Aranburu and Haizea Carneros and represents Vila’s feature directorial debut.

Other confirmed directors represented in the programme include Ángel Gómez Hernández, Joko Anwar, Morito Inoue, Caleb Phillips, Dave Boyle, Kasper Kalle, Joshua Giuliano, Marion Le Corroller and Óscar Martín.

The final guest programme may include additional directors, actors, filmmakers, critics and genre specialists. Visitors should consult the official programme for confirmed attendance before planning around a particular guest.

Screening schedule

The detailed screening timetable is published by the festival and Donostia Kultura as programme information becomes available. Because the festival uses multiple venues, visitors should check the venue listed for every individual screening.

The Teatro Principal and Victoria Eugenia Theatre are especially important for ticketed screenings. The festival’s ticketing information states that individual tickets for these theatres are numbered, while free sessions can have invitation limits.

Tabakalera operates with its own ticketing arrangements. This means visitors should not assume that one ticketing procedure applies to every festival location.

For a full festival experience, it is useful to plan around the feature-film sessions first and then add short-film competitions, exhibitions and special events around them.

Ticket types & accreditation

The official ticket information currently lists several admission options.

Festival pass

The Main Theatre pass costs $93.82 USD based on the officially published €80 price and includes a catalogue, the 2000maniacos fanzine and the book El cuerpo como abismo. Exploración sobre el body horror cinematográfico. The pass also provides access to Victoria Eugenia Theatre screenings, subject to collecting the required invitation.

Individual theatre ticket

Individual tickets for the Teatro Principal and Victoria Eugenia Theatre are $8.79 USD, based on the published €7.50 price. Seats are numbered, and purchase limits apply.

Tabakalera ticket

The listed admission price for Tabakalera screenings is $5.27 USD, based on the published €4.50 price. Tickets are sold through Tabakalera and its ticketing website.

Discounts

Donostia Kultura members receive a 10% discount on eligible passes and tickets. The same discount is available at the ticket office to unemployed people, people under 30, pensioners and people over 65, subject to the stated conditions.

Industry & professional access

Although the festival is strongly audience and fan oriented, it also provides a platform for filmmakers and genre professionals.

The event’s competition structure gives emerging directors opportunities to screen work before an audience familiar with horror and fantasy cinema. Awards such as the Jury Prize, Silver Méliès, Syfy Award and EITB Award can provide additional recognition for filmmakers.

The festival also supports creative development through initiatives associated with young filmmakers and short-film production. Its Oihua! initiative, for example, has connected selected projects with experienced advisers and helped previous winning projects reach other national and international festivals.

Professional visitors should monitor the official festival announcements for accreditation, industry meetings, filmmaker attendance and any professional sessions attached to the competition programme.

Red carpet & special events

The festival’s most formal public events are connected with opening and closing activities, major screenings, awards and guest appearances.

The opening programme is particularly significant because the Basque production Salitre has been selected as the opening feature. The film is directed by Norma Vila and stars Nagore Aranburu and Haizea Carneros.

The festival also goes beyond traditional red-carpet cinema. Special programming includes exhibitions, live showcases, fanzine activities and genre-related cultural events.

Samantha Hudson is the central figure of the festival’s current promotional campaign, while the wider programme includes a live showcase connected with Intxaurrondo Kultur Etxea.

The festival’s exhibition programme is another attraction for visitors who want an experience beyond cinema screenings.

Festival rules

Visitors should follow the admission and theatre regulations established by Donostia Kultura and the festival.

Numbered seating

Ticketed screenings at the main festival theatres use numbered tickets. Visitors should check their seat information before entering the auditorium.

Late arrival

Donostia Kultura advises audiences to arrive on time. Once a performance or screening has started, latecomers may be refused admission or placed somewhere other than the seat printed on their ticket.

Recording

Audio and video recording is not permitted without prior authorisation.

Mobile phones

Mobile phones and alarms should be switched off during screenings.

Food and drink

Food and drink are generally not permitted inside the theatre auditorium unless specifically authorised.

Animals

Animals are not permitted inside the theatres except assistance or guide dogs.

Filmmakers should also read the official competition rules because submission requirements and eligibility conditions apply separately to participating films.

How to get there

San Sebastián is well connected with the rest of northern Spain and with major European destinations.

For international visitors, Bilbao Airport is the main large international airport serving the wider Basque region, while San Sebastián Airport provides a smaller alternative. Visitors can continue toward the city by public transport, taxi or rental car.

The city is also accessible by rail from major Spanish cities and through connections with the wider Basque transport network.

Once in central San Sebastián, many festival venues are close to one another. The Old Town, city centre and waterfront areas are particularly convenient for festival visitors because the Teatro Principal and Victoria Eugenia Theatre can be reached relatively easily on foot.

Public transport & parking

Public transportation is a practical option for reaching the festival, particularly because several main venues are located in central areas.

Bus

San Sebastián has an extensive urban bus network operated by Dbus. Visitors staying outside the centre can use local buses to reach the Old Town, Centro and other festival areas.

Train

The city’s main railway station provides connections to the Spanish rail network and can be useful for visitors arriving from other cities.

Walking

Walking is one of the easiest ways to move between central festival locations. The Teatro Principal is in the Old Town, while the Victoria Eugenia Theatre is close to the Urumea River and central shopping and hospitality areas.

Parking

Visitors travelling by car should consider using public parking facilities outside the most congested historic streets. Central streets can be difficult for visitors unfamiliar with the city’s restricted-access areas, so public transport or walking is generally more convenient once in the centre.

Accommodation areas

The best area for festival visitors is central San Sebastián, particularly around the Old Town, Centro and the area near the Victoria Eugenia Theatre.

Old Town

Staying in the Old Town provides convenient access to the Teatro Principal, restaurants, bars and historic attractions. It is especially suitable for visitors prioritising festival screenings and nightlife.

Centro

The central shopping and cultural district offers a broad selection of hotels and apartments and provides convenient walking access to major festival venues.

Gros

Gros is a useful choice for visitors who want to remain close to the city centre while being near Zurriola Beach. It is also well connected by local public transport.

Amara

Amara can offer a quieter alternative with good bus connections into central San Sebastián. It may be useful for visitors who prefer accommodation outside the busiest tourist areas.

Booking early is advisable because San Sebastián is a major tourism destination and accommodation demand can rise during cultural events.

Food & dining

San Sebastián is internationally recognised for its food culture, making the festival an especially attractive destination for visitors who want to combine cinema with gastronomy.

The Old Town is famous for pintxos bars, where visitors can sample small Basque dishes while moving between different establishments. This makes pintxos particularly convenient for festival-goers with limited time between screenings.

Visitors can also find restaurants serving traditional Basque cooking, seafood, grilled meats and contemporary cuisine throughout the centre.

For a quick meal, cafés and casual restaurants around the Old Town and Centro are practical choices. For a longer dinner, visitors should consider booking a table because popular restaurants can become busy.

Food is also part of the broader cultural identity of San Sebastián, so visitors can easily turn a festival trip into a wider exploration of Basque culinary traditions.

Accessibility

The festival takes place at venues operated by Donostia Kultura, which provides accessibility information for its theatres and cultural spaces.

Donostia Kultura states that its theatre entrances are accessible to people with reduced mobility. The Teatro Victoria Eugenia and Teatro Principal have specifically reserved spaces for wheelchair users, with accessible seating arrangements available in designated areas.

Accessible tickets are handled through the ticket offices under the stated conditions, and accompanying-person discounts can apply where multiple ticket rates are available.

Visitors requiring specific assistance should contact the venue or festival team before attending. This is particularly useful when planning consecutive screenings at different venues.

Best screenings to attend

Opening film

Salitre is one of the most important screenings to prioritise because it represents a major Basque production and the feature-film debut of director Norma Vila.

International feature films

Crawlers, Ghost in the Cell, Never After Dark and Species offer contrasting approaches to horror, ranging from creature and supernatural cinema to psychological and body-horror themes.

Cult and outrageous genre cinema

HotSpring SharkAttack 2: Great Kyushu Showdown is a natural choice for viewers who enjoy exaggerated creature features, cult humour and deliberately over-the-top genre filmmaking.

International short-film competition

The short-film competition is essential for visitors who want to discover emerging directors and unusual genre concepts before they become widely known.

Special events and exhibitions

The festival’s exhibitions, live events and fanzine-related activities provide an alternative experience for visitors who want to engage with genre culture beyond conventional cinema.

Previous year’s highlights

The previous edition was notable for its strong international genre programme and diverse awards.

The Audience Award for Best Feature Film went to Deathstalker, directed by Steve Kostanski, while the Audience Award for Best Short Film went to Borbulha by Fernando Alle. Lucus by David Fidalgo received the Audience Award for Best Animation Short, and Pobre Marciano by Alex Rey won the Audience Award for Best Spanish Short.

The international short-film jury awarded its Best Short Film prize to Come Sit With Us by Elis Rumma. The jury also awarded the Silver Méliès for Best European Fantastic Short Film to Mater Benefacta by Marc Riba and Anna Solanas.

The Young Jury Award went to El fantasma de la Quinta by James A. Castillo, while the Syfy Award for Best Spanish Short went to Depredador by Javier Fesser. The EITB Award for Best Basque Short went to Olentzerori eskatu nion by Amaia San Sebastián.

The Blogos de Oro critics’ award for Best Feature Film went to Silencio by Eduardo Casanova. The award recognised the film’s combination of social drama, vampirism and an unconventional genre approach.

These results demonstrate the festival’s broad definition of genre cinema, covering conventional horror alongside socially engaged, experimental and stylistically unusual filmmaking.

Official tickets & accreditation

The official festival website is the best source for the latest programme, ticket information, competition rules and announcements.

Official San Sebastian Horror and Fantasy Film Festival (https://www.sansebastianhorrorfestival.eus/2026/)

Official Donostia Kultura ticket information (https://www.donostiakultura.eus/es/entradas)

The currently published festival ticket information lists the Main Theatre pass at $93.82 USD, individual Main Theatre and Victoria Eugenia tickets at $8.79 USD, and Tabakalera tickets at $5.27 USD, converted from the official published prices using the October 8, 2026 EUR/USD exchange rate.

The Main Theatre pass is particularly useful for visitors planning to attend many screenings because it reserves the same numbered seat for the Main Theatre sessions and includes festival publications. It also permits access to Victoria Eugenia screenings after obtaining the necessary invitation.

For questions about festival administration, the official contact details are +34 943 48 11 57 and cinema_cinema@donostia.eus.